Good morning everyone. I am a bit slow moving this morning. It was a late night worshiping under the ministry of Chris Tomlin, along with two thousand other Christians in Montreal. A rare thing to happen here and it was wonderful. This morning we are moving on to Ephesians.
Knowing the sequence of events at the time of Paul writing this letter has caused Ephesians to be very special to me. As we get into the letter we will look more at what was happening to Paul and the church in Ephesus but understand there was a reason Paul chose the words: "To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus". What is really important is the subject Paul starts off with:
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. v. 3
Do you feel like a blessed person this morning? You should and it must be something that elevates us beyond the pain of our circumstances because we are blessed with things that no circumstances can effect. You can read them for yourself in the Scriptures but I am just going to make a list of them here. Pay attention:
- we were chosen before the beginning of creation
- we were chosen to be holy and blameless in his sight
- we were chosen to be his sons
- we have received his grace because of his love
- we have been redeemed
- we have been forgiven
- we know his will, to bring everything under the authority of Jesus
Read that list through a few times or until the full effect has washed through you.
I believe we put too much emphasis on the physical blessings of God, which spoil and fade with time. If we were to spend more time considering the spiritual blessings I believe we would have a greater footing in life, allowing us to deal with every day in joy. Too often it is the joy we are missing because we lose sight of this incredible relationship we have with our Father, because of Jesus, through the Spirit.
As you wake up this morning does it not make you feel wonderful and special to know that our Father put into affect a plan to rescue and redeem you. He has a specific plan not to lose you. He has a plan to grow you into maturity. It has always been his will and desire to declare you holy and blameless in his sight. He has wanted you to experience true forgiveness as a result of his lavish loved poured over you. He has wanted, desired to bring you into a rich fellowship with him so you could know him and know his mysterious will and plan for the end of time.
As you get out of bed today and begin to prepare for your day also realize that you are not just another body on this planet. The Father is zoned in on you. He is there with you right now because his thoughts are occupied with you. He has been thinking of you before he began working on creation. He has made plans for you. You are loved beyond reason, beyond understanding and as a result you are a child of grace. How can you not enter this day with a new song on your heart? How could you live another possible minute without lifting up the name of Jesus with thanksgiving and praise? How can you not gladly receive his peace and joy and be overwhelmed by his attentive love?
We are indeed a blessed nation. Let's live our life today as a blessed person. May the joy of the Lord strengthen you and sustain you today. Allow me to finish with a prayer that we will find later in Ephesians:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
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