Blessed in Christ

Scripture:

Ephesians 1:3-14
1:3 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,

1:4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

1:5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will,

1:6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

1:8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight

1:9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ,

1:10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

1:11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,

1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

1:13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit;

1:14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

Observation:

We have been adopted into God’s family, and are blessed in Christ.  The blessings are beyond description and in those we give all praise and glory to God, for he alone is worthy!

Application:

Today is a new day in my life’s venture, but it is nothing in comparison to the day I began my venture with the Lord.  I can still remember that night at a teen camp down somewhere in Missouri — forty years ago now, when I wrestled with my faith.  My parents served God, I was a good girl — surely that was enough.  But I knew in my heart that it wasn’t!  For me to be adopted into the family of God I would need to surrender all of myself in service to God’s kingdom.  That night I did and the journey ever since has been nothing short of amazing.  Only God can adopt a little shy girl into his family and begin a work of transformation as he has done. 

Yes, today is a new day, a new venture, and a new path of my journey — but it is a continuation of the one I began with him long ago — and he alone is worthy of all the praise and the glory.

Prayer:

Lord, it is a joy being your child.  Amen.