For Reading and Meditation:      Ephesians 3:14-21We are seeing that once we enter the sanctuary of God our perspective changes. This can happen to us when we are alone, of course, but the chances are it will happen more swiftly in the act of corporate worship. It is a command of God that we meet together, not only that we might come to know each other better, but that we might also come to know Him better. And here's the interesting thing - the more effectively we relate to one another, the more effectively we relate to Him. We come to know God better through the act of corporate worship than when we worship on our own. That is not to say that the shut-ins, or those who for various reasons are unable to meet together in worship, cannot know God intimately, but something special flows out of the act of corporate worship. Listen to how C.S. Lewis put it: "God can show Himself as He really is only to real men. And that means not simply men who are individually good but to men who are united together in a body, loving one another, helping one another, showing Him to one another. For that is what God meant humanity to be like; like players in one band, or organs in one body. Consequently the only real adequate instrument for learning about God is the whole Christian community, waiting for Him together. Christian brotherhood is, so to speak, the technical equipment for this science - the laboratory outfit." Christians who neglect attendance at the church, or choose to deprive themselves of fellowship with other Christians, miss out on life's greatest science - learning about God. My Father and my God, I am so thankful that, although I can know You when I am alone, I can know You even better through the fellowship of the Church. Help me to learn about You in every way I can. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Ephesians 2:1-19</li><li>Romans 8:15</li><li>2 Corinthians 6:18</li><li>Galatians 4:5</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul describe the Church?</li><li>What does it mean to be adopted?</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

" that you  may be able to comprehend with all the saints " (vv. 17-18, NKJ)

<div class="bible-text-section bible-text-p ">And, &ldquo;I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.&rdquo; 2 Corinthians 6:18</div>
<div class="bible-text-section bible-text-p "></div>
NO man can be a loser by adhering to God's holy word, for he is promised a hundred-fold in the present life, and in the world to come life everlasting.
Carnal connections must be broken off. Decision of character must be manifested. The world must be forsaken. Christ and the world will not unite. Carnality and spirituality cannot be reconciled.
Our God says, Come out from among them, and be ye separate; touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a FATHER unto you.
What can we need more to encourage, embolden, and produce decision? Suppose men reject me, despise me, and persecute me; God will receive me. Suppose they injure me and try to starve me, God will be a Father to me. He will care for me, protect me, dwell with me, comfort me, supply me, and fill a Father's place. I cannot be friendless. I should not be fearful.
Beloved, God says, PROVE ME. Are you called upon to forsake friends, to break off connexions, lose trade, or endure persecutions? Fear not, act for God, look to God, He will receive you, and be a Father unto you.
And wilt Thou, Lord, a Father be, To those who leave the world for Thee? Wilt Thou provide for every want, And tokens of Thy favour grant? Then, Lord, I bid the world farewell; And now Thy word in me fulfil.
Amen!

Written by James Smith for his own flock around 1840, but such was the demand that by 1846 over thirty thousand copies where in circulation.

The Believer's Daily Remembrancer

I will be a Father unto you. 2 Corinthians 6:18

What should a Christian do when he finds himself in a church that has become increasingly liberal and modernistic? This church was founded by men who believed in the inerrancy of the Bible and in all the other fundamental doctrines of the faith. It had a glorious history of evangelical fervor and of missionary endeavor. Many of its ministers were well-known scholars and faithful preachers of the Word. But the denominational seminaries have been taken over by a new breed, and now the ministers coming out of them preach a social gospel. They still use biblical phraseology but they mean something completely different by it. They undermine the major Bible doctrines, give natural explanations for the miracles, and scoff at biblical morality. They are out front in advocating radical politics and subversive causes. They speak contemptuously of fundamentalists.What should a Christian do? Perhaps his family has been associated with this church for generations. He himself has contributed generously over the years. His closest friends are in the church. He wonders what would happen to the young people in his Sunday School class if he should leave. Shouldn't he remain in the church and be a voice for God as long as possible?His arguments seem plausible to him. And yet it vexes his righteous soul to see people coming to the church for bread week after week and getting nothing but a stone. He values his associations there and yet it grieves him to hear his Savior condemned with faint praise.There is no doubt what he should do. He should leave the church. That is the clear command of God's Word. If he removes himself from this unequal yoke, God will take care of all the consequences. God will assume responsibility for those Sunday School students. God will provide new friendships. In fact, God Himself promises to be a Father to him in a closeness that can only be known by those who are unquestioningly obedient. "The blessedness of true separation is nothing less than the glorious companionship of the great God Himself."

With reverence, humor and skill, William MacDonald wove a daily devotional tapestry that challenges the reader to think deeply and Biblically, and apply God's Word to their lives.

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

This is the portion of those that come out from the world and are separated. Adam was called the son of God; for God breathed his own Spirit into him, and created him in his own image. The sons of God shouted for joy at the dawn of mundane things, and most of all, when they saw their new brother, the inhabitant of Eden. In order that we might recover the knowledge of what is meant by the expression, " Son of God," Jesus Christ came into the world. The Father speaking from heaven, bade us look on Him and recognize the type of what we were called to be. The great things in sonship are identity of nature and identity of interests. Along with the identity of nature there is subordination; which is for the purpose of giving scope to the Father's love and capacity to bless. The Father recognizes the interests of the son as his, and looks upon all his property, his treasures of wisdom and knowledge, his resources created and uncreated, with reference to the blessing and glorifying of his sons and daughters. To acknowledge a son is to acknowledge an heir. The Father's house is the house of the son and of the daughter: they may go in without knocking; the mansions are prepared for them. The world does not know you, sons and daughters of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and the world knows of no other birth than this: but ye are born of God. Unknown and invisible to others, your Father is the Lord of the universe. Daily you ask and receive; you are in constant intercourse with him; you sleep not without his blessing; you act not without his counsel; you suffer not without his consolation. We know not what we shall be, for we know not yet what Christ is. We know in part. Christ came to teach one half of the lesson; he will come again to teach the other half. We shall see him as he is, and not as he was, when on the earth in a state of humiliation. Then will our exile be ended; the righteous shall shine forth in the kingdom of their Father.

A daily devotional written by a Baptist Missionary to India, Reverend George Bowen (1816-1888) over 150 years ago.

Bowen's Daily Meditations

" Ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." - 2 Corinthians 6:18. 

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. § Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. § You cannot serve God and mammon. You shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. § Serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. § For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. § Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Morning Daily Light

 If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only. 

Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. § Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Jesus … , that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. [Jesus] said … , “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” § The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.

Evening Daily Light

 I will allure her, will bring her into thewilderness, and speak comfort to her. 

Jesus … lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father.” § My Father and your Father. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. § You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. § I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.

 In this manner . . . pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 

18 And,<poetry>“I will be a Father to you, <indent>and you will be my sons and daughters, </indent> says the Lord Almighty.” </poetry>

And,<pb/><poetry>“I will be a Father to you, <indent>and you will be my sons and daughters,<cr>1</cr> </indent> says the Lord Almighty.”<ft>1</ft><cr>2</cr> </poetry>

2 Corinthians 6:18

 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,   says the Lord Almighty.”   

From Wikipedia: 

The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The NIV was published to meet the need for a modern translation done by Bible scholars using the earliest, highest quality manuscripts available. Of equal importance was that the Bible be expressed in broadly understood modern English.

The NIV is published by Zondervan in the United States and Hodder & Stoughton in the UK. The NIV was updated in 1984 and 2011 and has become one of the most popular and best-selling modern translations.

OT: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia; additional sources;
NT: UBS Greek New Testament; Novum Testamentum Graece; additional sources;

New International Version

 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,  says the Lord Almighty.” 

And,<poetry>“I will be a Father to you, <indent>and you will be my sons and daughters, </indent> says the Lord Almighty.” </poetry>

 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,   says the Lord Almighty.”   

Bible Verse of the Day

December 12, 1888

2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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