Chosen
I know I have probably used this scripture in an earlier Pearl, but I so enjoy the way it speaks to me every time I read it. Let’s read it together in the New Living Translation.
Ephesians 1:3-14
“How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. LONG AGO, EVEN BEFORE HE MADE THE WORLD, GOD LOVED US AND CHOSE US IN CHRIST TO BE HOLY AND WITHOUT FAULT IN HIS EYES. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure” (Emphasis added).
Think about this: The awesome and mighty God, Creator of the universe, loved you and me before He even made the world. Not only that but also He chose us in His Son Jesus Christ to be just like Himself and, therefore, without fault in His eyes. Does that bless you! It blesses me! My dear Heavenly Father has given me all the blessing of His household because I belong to Him as a result of being in Christ. His plan, which has not changed, is to adopt us into His own family. He planned to bring us to Himself through His Son Jesus. This gave God the Father great, great pleasure. He thoroughly enjoyed what He was doing. He was about to have a B-I-G family!
“So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”
Would you look at this! God Who is so kind and so good and wise and understanding, poured our His goodness and kindness and wisdom and understanding upon us. In the vast richness of His kindness, He paid a price for setting us free from satan’s grip. That price was the blood of His Son Jesus. The blood of Jesus was poured out that we might have our sins forgiven. Hallelujah! We are free!
“God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ----everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.”
God has a plan. Everything in heaven and earth will come under the authority of Jesus Christ. We as His children share in that authority and inheritance from God. We are His. He is our Father. Jesus is our brother. He has purchased us as His brothers and sisters to live with Him forever. This is Good News. Jesus Christ saved us from the pit of hell and satan’s authority. We belong to the Lord. He has purchased us and identified us as His own by sealing us with the Holy Spirit, Whom He promised long ago, even before He made the world and chose us as His own. The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that we are His people and that He will give us everything He has promised.
Aren’t you glad you have been told the Good News that you can be free from your sins and walk in the fullness of God’s provision for your life! I’m glad and I am so thankful for my freedom!
Ephesians 1:3-14
“How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. LONG AGO, EVEN BEFORE HE MADE THE WORLD, GOD LOVED US AND CHOSE US IN CHRIST TO BE HOLY AND WITHOUT FAULT IN HIS EYES. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure” (Emphasis added).
Think about this: The awesome and mighty God, Creator of the universe, loved you and me before He even made the world. Not only that but also He chose us in His Son Jesus Christ to be just like Himself and, therefore, without fault in His eyes. Does that bless you! It blesses me! My dear Heavenly Father has given me all the blessing of His household because I belong to Him as a result of being in Christ. His plan, which has not changed, is to adopt us into His own family. He planned to bring us to Himself through His Son Jesus. This gave God the Father great, great pleasure. He thoroughly enjoyed what He was doing. He was about to have a B-I-G family!
“So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”
Would you look at this! God Who is so kind and so good and wise and understanding, poured our His goodness and kindness and wisdom and understanding upon us. In the vast richness of His kindness, He paid a price for setting us free from satan’s grip. That price was the blood of His Son Jesus. The blood of Jesus was poured out that we might have our sins forgiven. Hallelujah! We are free!
“God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ----everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God’s purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.”
God has a plan. Everything in heaven and earth will come under the authority of Jesus Christ. We as His children share in that authority and inheritance from God. We are His. He is our Father. Jesus is our brother. He has purchased us as His brothers and sisters to live with Him forever. This is Good News. Jesus Christ saved us from the pit of hell and satan’s authority. We belong to the Lord. He has purchased us and identified us as His own by sealing us with the Holy Spirit, Whom He promised long ago, even before He made the world and chose us as His own. The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that we are His people and that He will give us everything He has promised.
Aren’t you glad you have been told the Good News that you can be free from your sins and walk in the fullness of God’s provision for your life! I’m glad and I am so thankful for my freedom!
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 3:58 PM
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