Monday After the Tenth Sunday After Trinity, 8/20/01

Ephesians 2:1--3 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. --NIV In the name of the One Who rescued us from wrath, amen.

Natural man is an object of wrath. We entered life as objects of wrath. In the eyes of God we were not cute little babies who were innocent. Instead we were objects of His wrath. We had no hope, nothing to look forward to but torment and punishment. But even in the few verses we see quoted here, we see that there must be a way out. We see this in the fact that St. Paul speaks of the Ephesians, and Himself, as being objects of wrath in the past. The thought is that they are no longer objects of wrath.

They are no longer objects of God's wrath, and neither are we, because Jesus has rescued us from wrath. In Christ Jesus we are safe from God's wrath. In Christ Jesus we are innocent children of our heavenly Father. In Christ Jesus the wrath of God no longer terrifies us. Amen.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for taking God's wrath away from us. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit so that we live our lives in constant thanksgiving for being rescued from God's wrath, amen.

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