Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Ephesians 2:19-22
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; Eph 2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: Eph 2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Paul sums up our salvation by expressing the blessing of individual believers as part of something greater than themselves. We are fellow citizens with all the other saints. What a blessing! We are not in this world alone, but we are part of something so large as to be mindboggling.
One writer has declared this truth with the following, “Paul closes by picturing the church as a temple. This would be a fitting image not only for the Jews, who revered their holy temple at Jerusalem, but also for the Ephesians, who had the great temple of Diana in their city (Act_19:21-41). Each believer is a living stone set into the temple (1Pe_2:4-8). The apostles and prophets (NT prophets, Eph_4:11) are not the foundation; they laid the foundation since they were the first to proclaim the message. Christ is the foundation of the local church (1Co_3:11) and the chief cornerstone of the whole building. The church today is a living, growing temple; when it is completed, Christ will return and take the temple to glory. God dwelt in the Jewish tabernacle (Exo_40:34), in Solomon’s temple (2Ch_7:1), in the temple of Christ’s body (Joh_1:14 and Joh_2:18-22), and today in the individual believer (1Co_6:19-20) and the church (Eph_2:21-22). What a privilege to be the very habitation of God through the Spirit!” (Copied)
We are the temple of God. Paul also makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 when he states, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1Co 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
Since we are God’s temple, we are to glorify God in body and spirit. What a privilege we have been given to be part of His wonderful body!
Bible Reading for the Year
August 1st, Psalms 70-72; Romans 4
August 2nd, Psalms 73-74; Romans 5
Prayer Needs
Please continue to pray for Shirley Deans. She had to go back to the ER late Tuesday afternoon for very low blood pressure. The doctors found that she has Afib which caused this. They found she also has pneumonia. As of Friday, her Afib is getting better, and she is doing PT to get stronger. She is hoping to get out of the hospital soon.
Continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. Please keep praying for complete healing. PTL! They got her infection under control, and she was able to go home Friday afternoon. She has a Keytruda treatment next Thursday.
Please pray for Vickie Dalton. She is in the hospital to have a drainage tube put into her lung. Pray for God’s healing.
Please continue to pray for Carolyn Tyson’s sister, Shirley Deal. She has been moved into the River Trace rehab center in Washington. She is not doing well.
Please continue to pray for Kenny Deans. He had an appointment on Tuesday, July 14th, with his kidney doctor. He had a scan of his kidneys; the scan shows some kidney stones, but treatment isn’t recommended as of yet.
Please continue to pray for Dr. Joe Jordan. He is doing physical therapy but still has a long way to go. Pray for him to get stronger! He had an appointment with his hematologist on the 14th, and he began with the first of 5 shots to improve his red blood cell count on Tuesday the 21st.
Linda Franks’ surgery had to be rescheduled because she has a sinus infection and is on medication for it.
Please continue to pray for Peggy Warren. She is facing some difficult challenges.
Please continue to pray for Robbie Harvey who has MAC lung disease. He seems some better, and the pain has decreased some.
Please continue to pray for Marvin Silverthorne for his eyesight to improve.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia