Skip to main content

Ephesians 1-2


Every morning when I awake, I am amazed at the blessings that God has bestowed upon me because of nothing I have deserved.  I did not choose to be born in the 20th century or to be born in America.  I did not know that I would be the third of four children born in a suburb of Philadelphia or that my parents would be earnest Christians who loved the Lord deeply and passed on their faith.  I didn’t get to choose what church I would be raised in or the subjects I would excel in or talents I would draw upon.  All of these things were fore-ordained in God’s will for me. 

Ephesians 1:3-5 states, God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing.”  He chose us “that we should be holy and blameless before him.”  It makes me marvel at this incredible God who would choose someone like me out of all the amazing people he has created to be his adopted child and to set me apart and see me as blameless!  Only through the immeasurable riches and kindness of his glorious grace could we be saved!

God could have chosen for us to be Christians during the persecution of the early Church, or to live in Italy during the Black Death in the 1300’s which wiped out 200 million people, half of Europe.  We could have lived during World War 2 as Jews in Poland where 3 million were killed, or even be living today in Swaziland where 27% of the people are HIV positive. HIV has taken the lives of 35 million people in the last 20 years.

Our lives and our salvation are not a result of our goodness or our accomplishments.  They are gifts of God’s grace.  Everything I have and am is a gift from God, not a result of my own hard work.  Every loving deed I do or kind action I perform is preplanned by God.  As Ephesians 2:10 states, “…we are his workmanship (lit.- fabric), created (fabricated) in Christ Jesus for good works (or deeds), which God prepared beforehand (fit us up for in advance), that we should walk (walk at large or live or follow) in them.” 

So as you face today, what good works has God prepared for you, and only you, to do that will  bring him glory?

Beth Thompson

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Luke 2-3

Merry Christmas!  Oops.  It’s a little late to be sharing Christmas greetings.  But here’s some good news.  Only 310 days until next Christmas.  In the meantime let’s look at one way we can get the most out of the 320 days.  Let’s see if we can learn a lesson from the shepherds that will help us move forward the way God wants us to. The shepherds weren’t going anywhere until they dealt with their fear.  Luke 2:8-9 tells us they were afraid on the first Christmas night.  In fact they were filled with fear.  The KJV states it in a memorable way – “They were sore afraid.” It was not just the angel that terrified them but also the visible manifestation of the glory of God. What was the glory of the Lord?  It must have been a superb light show.  The glory shone around them – a dazzling specter of light.  It was infinitely better than a meteor shower. But God’s angel had good news of great joy.  The news would calm th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ephesians 1-2; Psalm 8

Note: Both today and tomorrow's blog are based on the same reading. When listening to the news of our day, the phrase "majestic" is probably the last word that comes to your mind.  And yet, this is the word used by David in Psalm 8 to describe his view of God's reputation.  "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (v.1&9)  David further proclaims that he is not the only one declaring the majesty of God's name, but he hears it in the cries of his children and grandchildren.  Could it be that rather than hearing "Waa! Waah! Waa! Waah!" grandfather David heard "Yah! Weh! Yah! Weh!" (the Hebrew name for God)? David not only heard God's majesty, he saw it.  To do so, David looked up - beyond his circumstances.  "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place...O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name" (v.3&9)  David's ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Colossians 1-2

Colossians 2 speaks of being rooted in Christ. How is that possible to be rooted in Christ? It is possible through growing in your relationship with Him, that comes with time. How long does it take for a tree’s roots to grow deep? It takes a while, it does not happen overnight. We grow in that relationship through the study of the Word, fellowship with believers, prayer and other spiritual disciplines. We grow in that relationship as we go through this life and turn to Him again and again. Reading through this chapter reminded me of this older song by Phillips, Craig and Dean. Chapter 2 speaks of being alive in Christ. We are alive in Christ! https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_0_1jazh454 Actually, this week's Bible study touches on some of these same themes. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=_81kE14c6zI&feature=youtu.be
Post a Comment
Read more