James 1:18

Scripture: James 1:18
18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first-fruits of all he created.
 
Observations:
We are a kind of first-fruits of all the Lord has created. We are the first portion or the first harvest, set aside and offered to the Lord. I love it that the Lord chose to make us His children, and to give us a way to Him through Christ.

 

Application:

First-fruits are offered to God. Our time, resources, and especially how we seek Him out, read His Word. We are set apart.

Prayer:

God, I praise You for creating us, making us new, and setting us apart. Help us to honor You with our lives and boldly pursue You. In Jesus' name I pray, amen!

Ephesians 5:28-33

Scripture: Ephesians 5:28-33
28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--
30 for we are members of his body.
31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."
32 This is a a profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church.
33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Observations:

Husbands are to love and care for wives as their own bodies. They become one flesh, one body to care for. I like the analogy of feeding and caring for the body, since that's something not only necessary but also continuous. It's not something that stops for a time then picks back up. No one stops eating for a month, or bathing for 2 weeks (I hope) and in the same sense, wives shouldn't be ignored. It shows a constant regard, much in the same way that Christ is constantly caring for the church.

Application:

I think it is so applicable to my life TODAY that I'm going through these verses. Tonight I went to the "Discover the Vista" class and became a member of the Vista family. Yay! I've been in THE church, but I'm so blessed by the Vista. God definitely led me here.
God gave us a small-scale example of the union between Christ and the church through marriage. We still need "power to grasp" the concept of being loved so much by Christ, belonging to His body. Oh what love :)

Prayer:
Father, thank You so much for the structure of marriage. Help us to grasp how much You love us and how Jesus sustains the church. God I praise You for bringing me to this community and plugging me into this group. Bless and strengthen these ladies and their families. In Christ's name I pray, amen.

Ephesians 5:21-27

Scripture: Ephesians 5: 21-27

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.

24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

27 and present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Observations:
Oh to be a radiant bride! Not like the WE TV shows with the platinum weddings or say yes to the dress, but a holy bride. Radiant because of holiness. A wife of noble character like Proverbs 31. A verse I love is "she brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life" Prov 31:12... I think that defines submission in a different way. Not just "I'll let you lead" but to strive to bring someone only good, regardless of the situation. What I've learned about myself is that my words can be just like sticks and stones. God is refining me and teaching patience as I wait.
        

Application:
The more we submit to God, the better we'll be at submitting to others. How are we submitting to God? That will reflect exactly how we are submitting to husbands and to others. Are we taking control? Are we worrying ourselves sick? Are we despairing? Are we cold? Are we harsh? Are we impatient? Are we angry? The root cause and core of those problems is usually how much we're seeking God, how much we're praying, how much we're surrendering to Him, and how much we acknowledge who is in control. I usually sit somewhere between anxious and impatient. What I need, I have in Him. I know it, but it needs to sink in deeper.

Prayer:
Father, we submit our lives to You. You know best! You loved us first. You've never failed us, yet we hold on so tightly to all these fears and worries. We let the world convince us we are inadequate. We let Satan whisper that we aren't happy, that we're lacking so much. God, You always provide. You always comfort. Encouraged by Your power, help us submit our lives to You. Show us how to be better wives, mothers, friends, daughters, and disciples. I pray we are able to bring good, not harm, to all the people You've put in our lives. Help us to workout those deep-rooted issues that rot away at the core of our relationships. You are sovereign. In Christ's name I pray, amen!

Ephesians 3:1-6

Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-6
1 For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles --
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,
3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.
4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ,
5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit of God's holy apostles and prophets.
6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Observation
When I read verse 5, I thought about how fortunate I am to be living in this age, after Christ. All these "mysteries" that Christ's coming revealed, and the law He came to abolish would still apply to me otherwise. I also thought about the great division between Jews and Gentiles back then. How amazing that God granted us a spirit of unity, and such a wonderful feeling of communion as a body! Christ came and didn't leave anybody out of His promise, or outside of His grace.

Application
The concept of grace is often still mysterious to me. Something so undeserved, freely given. It goes opposite to the world's teaching of having to earn things, then the constant boasting when we do earn them, then our constant comparison of what we have earned to what other people have earned, then an overall feeling of dissatisfaction with the whole process. And repeat. The more we pursue God, the further we get from that vicious cycle. With grace, we can see others as co-heirs of a beautiful promise, in a loving and unselfish way.  Instead of bitter, we can be encouraging. Instead of feeling dissatisfied, we can focus on all that God's faithfully providing and His eternal promise. I struggle personally with my current single state. BUT God's been so faithful in providing accountability and opportunities for me to grow and serve. I know He will provide the rest in His time. Meanwhile, I can enjoy fellowship with all you awesome moms and wives, and not feel out of place, as we are all members together of one body :)

Prayer
Thank You God for easing the anxiety in my heart. Thank You for providing this group of Godly women to give me a better understanding of unity. God, forgive us when we discount Your grace and take for granted Your provision. Help us to grow together in love, and encourage each other as co-heirs of Your promise. In Jesus's name, amen.