It's me again God,
Sometimes it's good to just stop and be thankful for all that we have. The apostle Paul did that as he began his letter to the church in Ephesus:
"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 and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship 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. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ."
Ephesians 1:3-10 NIV
Lord, You are worthy of all praise! We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in You Jesus. You chose us to be Yours before the world was even created! You chose us to be holy and blameless, without fault, in Your sight. Thank You that this passage reminds us that love was at the heart of it all. In love You predestined us to become Your very own sons and daughters. Paul points out it was in accordance with Your pleasure and will - it's what You always wanted for us! Lord I praise You for Your wonderful grace!
Father, You are so rich in kindness and grace that You purchased our freedom with the blood of Your Son and forgave our sins. You have showered Your kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
I love how the Message version translates these verses:
"Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth."
Ephesians 1:7-10 MSG
Thank You that I am loved, chosen, predestined, forgiven, redeemed, provided for and free! I am truly blessed!
In Jesus, from whom all blessings flow,
Amen.
YOU ARE READING
It's Me Again God
SpiritualThis book is a devotional/prayer book to direct your thoughts heavenward. Is your mind a myriad of worries? Do you sometimes have trouble going to sleep at night? Maybe you need to spend some time talking to God! For many years, I have been talking...
