Read Ephesians 1:3-14

Read Ephesians 1:3-14

3 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. ⁴Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.

Because of his love ⁵God^b had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons and daughters—this was his pleasure and purpose. ⁶Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! ⁷For by the blood^c of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, ⁸which he gave to us in such large measure!

In all his wisdom and insight ⁹God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. ¹⁰This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

11 All things are done according to God’s plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning. ¹²Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God’s glory!

13 And you also became God’s people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised. ¹⁴The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!

Think

In verses 4-7 Paul reminds us that God chooses to adopt us, forgive us, love us, make us right.  This is hard to accept in world fixated on work and reward.  How could God love us so unconditionally?

Pray

Help me to accept the truth of your unconditional forgiveness of my sins, your adoption of me as your child and the work that you do in me to help me to become more like you.