Tag: chosen
Chosen in Him!
Scripture reading for August 25: Ephesians 1
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight, . .” Ephesians 1:3-8
According to Paul, those ‘in Christ’ are beyond blessed! God, our Father, chose us before the world was formed to be ‘in Christ’ and as a result to be holy and blameless as Christ is holy and blameless. God our Father has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! ‘In Christ’ we are adopted as sons and daughters of God in His forever family. He placed us there in His amazing foreknowledge before the earth was formed. His gracious love was given on purpose to us in His Beloved Son through the shedding of His blood on the cross, purchasing our redemption from sin and resulting death. God lavished on us forgiveness of sins and opened our eyes and hearts to His glory and wisdom through the gift of His Holy Spirit.
Our response to God’s amazing love and lavish giving is to worship Him and bless His Name. All we can do is say ‘thank You’ Lord! By faith we say ‘amen’ to each act of grace offered to us ‘in Christ’. We often struggle to understand the amazing love of God our Father and Jesus Christ our Redeemer. As we worship and invite God to reveal His plans and purposes to us, He gives us heavenly vision and revelation of who we are and Who Christ is to us and all mankind. These declarations of God’s blessings ‘in Christ’ led Paul to pray for more wisdom and understanding of our inheritance and Christ’s resurrection power. (Ephesians 1:15-20)
As you look at your life, would you say that you are living ‘in Christ Jesus?’ What emotions are present when you think about God our Father choosing us ‘before the foundation of the world?’ How does this passage speak to orphans and those who may be without family and lonely?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the many saints that You lavish Your love upon. Thank You for choosing us before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in Christ Jesus. Thank You for adopting us into Your forever family! Give us vision and renewed understanding of the mystery of Your will in Christ for us. Amen.
Chosen and appointed
Scripture reading for January 4th: Mark 3, Psalm 3, Proverbs 3
Mark 3:13-16 “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might sent them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons. He appointed the twelve: Simon, . . .“
As Jesus chose those He wanted to follow Him, He called them out by name. Do you know that God knows our names? He knows where we have been, what we think, and what choices we will make in the future. In spite of what He knows, He loves us and calls us to follow Him. He even chose Judas Iscariot, His betrayer, knowing what would happen! He appointed each one to be an apostle. The word ‘apostle’ means ‘chosen and special messenger.’ It also means ‘sent one.’ They were first called to be with Jesus and see how He lived and ministered. These ‘sent’ ones must be properly trained by following their master. They watched as Jesus preached Good News, cast out devils, and healed the sick. He then sent them out to do the same! That process is still going on today!
Psalm 3:8 “Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be on Your people!”
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for calling each by name to follow You and become Your ‘sent’ one to this lost world. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, empowering me to follow You today. Thank You for Your compassion for the lost and hurting. Teach me further to bring Good News to those in need of deliverance, healing, and release from demons. Use me to multiply ministry, making disciples.
Proverbs 3:21-22 “My son, do not lose sight of these–keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.”
Eyes of the heart!
Scripture reading for August 25th: Ephesians 1
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 1:1)
Paul opened his letter to the Ephesian church by addressing them as ‘saints’, the ‘faithful in Christ Jesus.’ Paul always tried to help believers view themselves as Christ would–new creations made holy by the blood of their Savior! He emphasized their continued faithfulness to stay in Christ and proceeded to give them a beautiful description of their standing with Christ. They had been chosen by Him “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (vs 4) They had also been adopted as God’s sons through Christ. (vs 5) They also had been given a knowledge of the ‘mystery of His will.’ (vs 9) They were also ‘marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.’ (vs 13)
Paul then recorded a prayer to help us to pray for continued understanding. “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:17-19a)
Believers have a second set of eyes given them–the ‘eyes of your heart.’ These eyes are opened through prayer and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. As God’s Word is allowed access, the Spirit brings light to our inner man and our faith expands to give purpose and meaning to each day. We can know Christ and His provision for us!
“To the Saints, faithful in Christ Jesus”
Scripture reading for September 22nd: Ephesians 1:1-23
Paul wrote a wonderful letter to the church at Ephesus that is a legacy to us today. Paul describes who we are in Christ and records some classic prayers that he as a pastor prayed for the church. This book has been an encouragement to Christians of every age and time and speaks to us today from the heart of God! It’s opening address, “To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus”, can be taken personally by those who belong to Christ! A saint is one set apart for God by faith in Jesus Christ.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy ad blameless in His sight. In love, He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will–to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:3-8)
As we read Paul’s opening call to these faithful saints to praise God, we are swept into consideration of what God, our Father, has done for us. The magnitude of our blessings–“every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”–is more than we can comprehend! We note that God initiates everything that we receive. He chose us to be in Christ before the foundation of the world. (Romans 5:8) He provided His Son, Jesus Christ, for our redemption through the shedding of His blood that we might receive forgiveness of our sins and adoption as sons. God did it all with a lavish display of His love in Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection!
“And you were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13) It is by faith, through believing in Christ, that we are included in the company of the saints. The Holy Spirit is a gift, marking us as His own! What a revelation of the love of God!