WORD From The Woods
Ephesians 1:1-14
" Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
In the first part of this passage, Paul talks about spiritual blessing in Christ. I love how he always begins by blessing the name of The Father, if we could only learn to love God and honor Him as Paul did! Paul says that as Christians, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In fact he says here that God has a predestined plan for each and every one of us as believers, a plan that He made for us before the earth was even created! This plan was that when we are saved though Christ's work of redemption on the cross, God will adopt us into His family. And as sons and daughters of God, we are called to become like Christ. As verse 4 says, we are to be holy and blameless. But as sinners we can't do this on our own, this is what God is doing in us through the process of sanctification, and it's a process that won't be completed until, as verse 10 says, "the fullness of time" or in other words, when Christ returns. Indeed we have been called as Christians to a higher calling, a calling to grow in the the spiritual gifts that have been lavished upon us, and we aren't left to do this alone. As verse 14 says we were given a guarantee of this inheritance of spiritual gifting and growth by the Holy Spirit living in us! Stop for a moment and think about the awesome reality of that! As you go out this week be reminded that as a believer in Christ, you are actually indwelt by the Holy Spirt. God is working in and through us by spiritual gifts that He has lavished on us to accomplish His purposes in the world around us every day.
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-
Ephesians 1:1-14
" Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
In the first part of this passage, Paul talks about spiritual blessing in Christ. I love how he always begins by blessing the name of The Father, if we could only learn to love God and honor Him as Paul did! Paul says that as Christians, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In fact he says here that God has a predestined plan for each and every one of us as believers, a plan that He made for us before the earth was even created! This plan was that when we are saved though Christ's work of redemption on the cross, God will adopt us into His family. And as sons and daughters of God, we are called to become like Christ. As verse 4 says, we are to be holy and blameless. But as sinners we can't do this on our own, this is what God is doing in us through the process of sanctification, and it's a process that won't be completed until, as verse 10 says, "the fullness of time" or in other words, when Christ returns. Indeed we have been called as Christians to a higher calling, a calling to grow in the the spiritual gifts that have been lavished upon us, and we aren't left to do this alone. As verse 14 says we were given a guarantee of this inheritance of spiritual gifting and growth by the Holy Spirit living in us! Stop for a moment and think about the awesome reality of that! As you go out this week be reminded that as a believer in Christ, you are actually indwelt by the Holy Spirt. God is working in and through us by spiritual gifts that He has lavished on us to accomplish His purposes in the world around us every day.
God bless and have a great week! -Terry-