<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Ephesians 2;11&amp;12<div><br></div><div><b>12. &nbsp;Therefore&nbsp;remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision, by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—</b></div><div><b>13. &nbsp;remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>The only&nbsp;circumcision now&nbsp;which counts before God, is the one made not with hands, but by the Holy Spirit.</div><div><br></div><div>It is the removal of the ‘unnecessary flesh’, making us the <i>“workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus”. &nbsp;</i>This is not a physical removal of skin, but an emotional, mental, psychological, spiritual removal of the sinful-self, the selfish self-centered old Adam. &nbsp;That wicked unclean being is drowned and dead in the death of Christ and the waters of Holy Baptism.</div><div><br></div><div>The ‘spiritual zombie’ the&nbsp;old Adam, seeks to reanimate our mind and heart. &nbsp;But, we are by the Spirit,&nbsp;commanded to <i>“put </i>(him)<i>&nbsp;to death.” &nbsp; </i>(Romans 8;6-17)<b></b></div><div><br></div><div>Think of yourself as a leather&nbsp;glove. &nbsp;The glove has no life in it of itself, it is dead, but when a hand is inserted into&nbsp;the glove, it lives and works. &nbsp;So too, is the indwelling of Christ in us.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;An old, dried up&nbsp;leather glove can be very hard and stiff, it can&nbsp;actually hurt&nbsp;the hand within it. &nbsp;Pour on some oil and soften the dried up stiff old leather and it become pliable. Then the glove can be molded to the hand within it, yielding to the movements of the hand. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>This is why we pray in the Offertory, “<i>Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation”, </i>it means,&nbsp;‘work&nbsp;the oil of gladness into me O Lord’. &nbsp;Soften me and make me yielding to conform to you and your will at work in&nbsp;me. &nbsp; To be ‘softened’ is another way of saying ‘broken’ with repentance. &nbsp; How joyful are people just rescued from death! &nbsp; We have been delivered from the ‘spiritual black hole’ of ‘selfishness.’</div><div><br></div><div>This is the <i>“hope” </i>Paul writes of to the Ephesians and to us. &nbsp;We&nbsp;now by faith are, <i>“partakers of the divine nature” &nbsp;</i>(2 Peter 1;4). &nbsp;We are not just forgiven sinners. &nbsp;We are a new creation, indwelt by God.</div><div>Called to walk the paths of righteousness following Jesus. &nbsp;Disciples follow, not lead.</div><div><br></div><div>Mental, spiritual circumcision of the heart, means a change in our will. &nbsp;We now seek to do the Father’s will. &nbsp;This is only possible by Christ indwelling us,&nbsp;skins made soft with gratitude and thankfulness for the forgiveness and rebirth given us in Christ. &nbsp; The circumcision of the Spirit is a removal of the old brain and a faith receiving&nbsp;of the Mind of Christ.</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, bless us to know we are the true children of the Promise, true Jews who have inherited the Blessing. &nbsp;In Jesus we pray, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are Hid.”</div><div><br></div><div><br><br><br><div><a></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Ephesians 2;11&12
12.  Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision, by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—13.  remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
The only circumcision now which counts before God, is the one made not with hands, but by the Holy Spirit.
It is the removal of the ‘unnecessary flesh’, making us the “workmanship of God, created in Christ Jesus”.  This is not a physical removal of skin, but an emotional, mental, psychological, spiritual removal of the sinful-self, the selfish self-centered old Adam.  That wicked unclean being is drowned and dead in the death of Christ and the waters of Holy Baptism.
The ‘spiritual zombie’ the old Adam, seeks to reanimate our mind and heart.  But, we are by the Spirit, commanded to “put (him) to death.”   (Romans 8;6-17)
Think of yourself as a leather glove.  The glove has no life in it of itself, it is dead, but when a hand is inserted into the glove, it lives and works.  So too, is the indwelling of Christ in us. 
 An old, dried up leather glove can be very hard and stiff, it can actually hurt the hand within it.  Pour on some oil and soften the dried up stiff old leather and it become pliable. Then the glove can be molded to the hand within it, yielding to the movements of the hand.  
This is why we pray in the Offertory, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation”, it means, ‘work the oil of gladness into me O Lord’.  Soften me and make me yielding to conform to you and your will at work in me.   To be ‘softened’ is another way of saying ‘broken’ with repentance.   How joyful are people just rescued from death!   We have been delivered from the ‘spiritual black hole’ of ‘selfishness.’
This is the “hope” Paul writes of to the Ephesians and to us.  We now by faith are, “partakers of the divine nature”  (2 Peter 1;4).  We are not just forgiven sinners.  We are a new creation, indwelt by God.Called to walk the paths of righteousness following Jesus.  Disciples follow, not lead.
Mental, spiritual circumcision of the heart, means a change in our will.  We now seek to do the Father’s will.  This is only possible by Christ indwelling us, skins made soft with gratitude and thankfulness for the forgiveness and rebirth given us in Christ.   The circumcision of the Spirit is a removal of the old brain and a faith receiving of the Mind of Christ.
Prayer:  Merciful Father, bless us to know we are the true children of the Promise, true Jews who have inherited the Blessing.  In Jesus we pray, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed, ‘soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are Hid.”



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