Notice on a slight format change:

Except for July 2012, these are mostly a collection of current devotional notes.

July 2012 is a re-write of old quiet times. My second child was born Nov 11, 1987 with multiple birth defects. I've been re-reading my QT notes from that time in my life, and have included them here. They cover the time before the birth and the few years immediately after the birth. They are tagged "historical." I added new insights and labeled them: ((TODAY, dd mmm yy)).

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

QT 8/25/2026 Eph 2:1-3, Recognizing that we need a savior

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV) —

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

 

NOTE: It seems that very few people truly understand our position before Christ, or for those who don't know Christ, their current condition before God. Wiersbe, writes:

 

“The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only difference between one sinner and another is the state of decay.”

 

Paxton adds,

 

“The only place were all men meet on a common level and share the same position is in their natural birth in sin.”

 

But, the Prince of the power of the air, has so clouded the minds of people that we believe our moral condition only needs teaching (pelagianism) or special drugs and regimens (semi-pelagianism) (source: Simpson, 1968).

 

We have a serious moral problem. There are no moral people on earth. "We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23)" It is essential that we come to this conclusion. Eternity is a bad time to find out your wrong.

 

PONDER:

  1. Am I sure of my salvation?
  2. Or am I depending on the fact that I am a good person? (clue: there are no "good" people on the earth, Rom 3:9-12 and Rom 3:20)

 

PRAYER: Father, I pray for the cloud to life from people's eyes and they would see themselves as they are -- sinners in rebellion to God. It started in the garden when we chose to be our own gods choosing what is good and evil. It continues today. Open our eyes to our sin. Open our eyes to Jesus, our only hope. I pray that people who read this note might repent and believe in Jesus as savior and Lord.

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