- rejected by men but chosen by God

and precious to Him- you also, like

living stones, are being built into a spiritual

house to be a holy priesthood, offering

spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God

through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in Him

will never be put to shame.”

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.

But to those who do not believe,

“The stone the builders rejected has

become the capstone,”

“A stone that causes men to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey

the message- which is also what

they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal

priesthood, a holy nation, a people

belonging to God, that you may declare

the praises of Him Who called you

out of darkness into His wonderful light.

(I. Peter 2.4-9).

HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU LORD JESUS FOREVERMORE!

So it is written: “The first man became s living being”,

the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

The spiritual did not come first, but the natural and after

that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth,

the second man from heaven.

As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and

as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.

And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall

we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

(I. Corinthians 15.44b- 49).

HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU LORD JESUS FOREVERMORE!

things: anger,rage,bad feelings toward others, curses and slander.

and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!

Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old self

with its evil practices,

And have clothed yourselves with the new (spiritual self), which is

ever in the process of being renewed into fuller and more perfect

knowledge, after the image of Him Who created it.

(Colossians 3.8-10).

HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU LORD JESUS FOREVERMORE!

His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his

parents, that he should be born blind?

Jesus answered, It was not that this man or his parents sinned,

but he was born blind in order that the workings of God should

be manifested (displayed and illustrated) in him.

We must work the works of Him Who sent Me and be busy with

His business while it is daylight; night is coming on when no man

can work.

As long as I am in the world, I am the world’s Light.

When He had said this, He spat on the ground and made clay with

His spit and He spread it on the man’s eyes.

And He said to him, Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam- which means

Sent. So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”

(John 9.1-7).

“Then Jesus said, I came into this world for judgement ( as a Separator,

in order that there may be a separation between those who believe on

Me and those who reject Me), to make the sightless see and to make those

who see become blind.”

(John 9.39).

Those with eyesight who have physical vision, but with no spiritual vision

unless they believe in Jesus are declared to be spiritually and actually

blind.

Those with spiritual insight see Jesus and believe even if they lack physical

eyesight like the blind man who was healed by Jesus.

HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU LORD JESUS!

them He also glorified.”

God’s love toward mankind is expressed existentially forever

in Christ Jesus, His glory is thus expanded exponentially.

This is in His knowledge, beyond time and space, in the

divine spiritual reality. Because God is Spirit and Truth, His

calling and glory is also spiritual. Those who are truly in the

divine spiritual reality know they are forgiven by grace through

faith in Christ Jesus and reconciled as sons of God.

Justified, saved, redeemed and adopted free to love and live in

Him and though Him we always depend on Him.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is also

one hope that belongs to the calling you received.

There is one Lord, one faith one baptism, One God

the Father of us all, Who is above all, Sovereign over

all, pervading all and living in us all.

Yet grace (God’s unmerited favor) was given to each

of us individually (not indiscriminately, but in different

ways) in proportion to the measure of Christ’s rich and

bounteous gift. Therefore it is said, When He ascended on

high, He led captivity captive (He led a train of vanquished

foes) and he bestowed gifts on men.(Ephesians 4.4-8).

POINTS FOR PRAISE AND MEDITATION

1) There is one Lord, one Spirit, one body, one faith, one

baptism, one God and Father of us all who is above all,

pervading all and living in us all. HALLELUJAH!

2) Each believer has specifically been blessed with grace,

which is God’s unmerited favor according to the measure

of Christ’s rich gift. The measure is unlimited as we saw in

Ephesians 1.19.

3) The rich gift of Christ is described and predicted by the psalmist

who alludes to God’s Kingdom rule in prophetic and spiritual

ways which cover the past, present and future. This has to do

with each individual Christian and the Church, because this is

the holy place where the Lord dwells.

Here is Psalm 68.13-20):

“Though you (the slackers) may lie among the sheepfolds (in slothful ease,

yet for Israel) the wings of a dove are covered with silver, its pinions

excessively green with gold (trophies recovered from the enemy).

When the Almighty scattered kings in the land, it was as when it snows

on Zalmon (a wooded hill near Shechem).

Is Mount Bashan the high mountain of summits, Mount Bashan the

mount of God? Why do you look with grudging and with envy, you

many-peaked mountains, at the mountain which God has desired for

His dwelling place? Yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.

The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands upon

thousands. The Lord is among them as He was in Sinai, in the

Holy Place.

YOU HAVE ASCENDED ON HIGH. YOU HAVE LED AWAY CAPTIVE

A TRAIN OF VANQUISHED FOES. YOU HAVE RECEIVED GIFTS OF

MEN, YES of the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell there

with them.

Blessed be the Lord, who bears our burdens and carries us day by day,

the God Who is our salvation! Selah (pause and calmly think of that)!

God is to us a God of deliverances and salvation and to God the Lord

belongs escape from death (setting us free).

4) Here in this psalm the Lord Who bears our burdens, whose

burden is easy and burden is light Jesus the Christ is the One

Who delivers and sets us free from sin and death, our God Who is

our salvation. The very name Jesus literally means (God Who IS

Salvation).

5) St. Paul in a turn of the phrase states that Jesus Christ led

captivity captive and bestowed gifts to humanity. This is different from

the context of the psalm where a train of captives were being led and the

Lord received gifts of men.

When the Lord led captivity captive He destroyed the power the

devil which kept  mankind captive to the  fear of death. This is

explained here by the author of Hebrews:

” Since, therefore His children share in flesh and blood, He himself

in asimilar manner partook of the same nature, that by going through

death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the

power of death, that is the devil-

And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who

through the haunting fear of death were held in bondage throughout

the course of their lives. “(Hebrews 2. 14& 15).

In the psalm He receives gifts. In Ephesians St. Paul is saying that

the Lord gives each believer individual spiritual gifts.

HALLELUJAH! THANK YOU LORD JESUS FOREVERMORE!

This is in accordance with the

terms of the eternal and

timeless purpose which He

has realized and carried into

effect in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Ephesians 3.11).

POINTS FOR PRAISE

AND MEDITATION

1) The mystery of God’s

secret plan for humanity

is disclosed by the Good

News which are the Best

News Ever.

2) The unlimited riches of Christ

is announced to reveal salvation

through Jesus Christ our Lord

and Savior who created all things.

3) This  will reveal God’s infinite and

complex wisdom not only to humans,

but also to the angelic rulers in the

spiritual sphere.

4) This plan is carried out according

to God’s timeless purpose which He

implemented by Jesus Christ our

Lord and Savior.

THAN YOU FOREVERMORE

HALLELUJAH LORD JESUS!

In Him the whole structure

is joined (bound,welded)

together harmoniously,

and it continues to rise

(grow,increase) into a

holy temple in the Lord

( a sanctuary dedicated,

consecrated and sacred

to the presence of the

Lord).

In Him ( and in fellowship

with one another) you

yourselves are being

built up (into this

structure) with the rest,

to form a fixed abode

(dwelling place) of God

in the Spirit.

(Ephesians2.21 and 22).

POINTS FOR PRAYER

1) That we reflect the

love, peace and harmony

of God.

2) That we continue to

grow in the grace and

knowledge of our Lord and

Savior Jesus Christ.

AMEN!

the foundation of

the apostles and

prophets with Christ

Jesus Himself the

chief Cornerstone.

In Him the whole

structure is joined

together

harmoniously and

continues to rise

into a holy temple

in the Lord.

(Ephesians 2.20 and 21).

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

AND PRAISE

1) We are now in Christ

Jesus our Lord part of

His holy body

the spiritual temple.

2) With Jesus Christ as

the chief Cornerstone

and based on the

foundation of the

prophets and apostles

the entire holy

structure rises and

continues to grow.

3) We also grow spiritually

with the entire spiritual

structure as we are

dedicated and consecrated

to the presence of God.

HALLELUJAH!

PRAISES TO JESUS

FOREVERMORE!

you were dead in trespasses

and sins

In which at one time you walked.

You were following the course

and fashion of this world, following

the prince of the power of the air.

You were obedient to and under the

control of the spirit that still constantly

works in the sons of disobedience.

(Ephesians 2.1 and 2).

POINTS FOR PRAISES
AND MEDITATION:

1) Before our salvation,before

 we were reconciled,

were spiritually dead.

2) The only way to spiritual

rebirth is by acknowledgement

of Jesus Christ as our Lord and

Savior. Upon repentance and

baptism we are born again.

3) Prior to this spiritual rebirth

the natural person is under the sway

of the evil spirits following the prince

of the power of the air, the devil.

4) Our salvation and spiritual rebirth

positions us under the God’s favor.

5) This rebirth is described by our Lord

and Savior Jesus Christ:

” I assure you, most solemnly I tell you,

that unless a person is born again from

above, he cannot ever see ( know,

experience) the kingdom of God.”

(John 3.3).

As He explains this process:

” I assure you, most solemnly

I tell you, unless a man is born of

water and the Spirit, he cannot ever

enter the kingdom of God.

What is born of the flesh is flesh

and what is born of the Spirit

is spirit”

( John 3. 5 and 6).

PRAISE THE LORD! HALLELUJAH!