DCLM Daily Manna 3 July 2026: Unravelling a Mystery
KEY VERSE: “How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words” (Ephesians 3:3).
TEXT: Ephesians 3:1-7 (KJV)
1 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:
3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)
5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;
6 That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:
7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.
READ OTHER DCLM DAILY DEVOTIONAL HERE
There are many diseases that doctors know very little or nothing about. They are mysteries. One of such mysterious diseases is “the mysterious epidemic that swept the world from 1917 to 1928. Half a million people were afflicted with a ghastly condition that could be part of the plot line of a horror film. The victims— very much alive and conscious—found themselves in inexplicably frozen states. This sickness first appeared in Europe and quickly spread around the world, reaching epidemic levels in North America, Europe, and India by 1919. About a third of those stricken with the illness, died. Of the survivors, nearly half eventually found themselves unable to interact physically with the world around them, all the while fully aware of their surroundings.
From today’s text, Paul begins to speak of the great ‘mystery’ that was the central calling of his life. But it wasn’t a ‘mystery’ in the sense that people typically think. This is not a ‘mystery’ that any human being can figure out and solve by good detective or guesswork. Rather, a ‘mystery’—as the word is being used in the New Testament — is an aspect of God’s redemptive plan for humanity that is known only to Him, revealed in due time by Him to humankind. This is something that is only known by God, but graciously, He allowed it to be revealed to Paul the apostle in due time. “That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel.” This became the nucleolus of Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles.
Consequently, Paul the apostle needed to convince his Jewish brethren that it was God’s will that the gospel message of salvation be taken to the Gentiles and indeed the world. But the Jewish religious hardliners, who were patently engrossed in the doctrine of Jewish exclusive right to salvation, would not understand. His fellow citizens became an albatross to his missionary work in the old Roman Empire and Asia Minor, where he undertook several missionary journeys.
When it comes to delivering a God-revealed mystery to sinful humanity, it can’t be done in human power. Paul was, of course, unique — and he was uniquely suited by God’s providence to minister this mystery in such a pioneering and authoritative way. However, he saw it as a mystery of which he became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to him by the effective working of His power (Ephesians 3:7). God has one mystery that we all should be aware of – that salvation is not only for an exclusive or predetermined set of people. We need to take the same message to everyone in the world because Christ died for the whole world.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The reality of our salvation proves the veracity of divine revelation
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 7-10
DCLM Daily Manna 3 July 2026
