HIS SECRET PURPOSE" In Christ God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. That is in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people--people without blame before him.
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Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves.
In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace, which he has given to us so fully and freely. God with full wisdom and understanding, let us know his secret purpose.
This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. His goals was to carry out his plan, when the right time came, that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head.
In Christ we were chosen to be God's people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan.
And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.
We are the first people who hope in Christ, and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God's glory. So it is with you.
When you hear the true teaching--the Good news about your salvation--you believe in Christ.
And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he had promised. That Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God promised for his people until God gives full freedom to those who are his--to bring praise to God's glory." Ephesians 1:3-14
In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace, which he has given to us so fully and freely. God with full wisdom and understanding, let us know his secret purpose.
This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. His goals was to carry out his plan, when the right time came, that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head.
In Christ we were chosen to be God's people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan.
And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants.
We are the first people who hope in Christ, and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God's glory. So it is with you.
When you hear the true teaching--the Good news about your salvation--you believe in Christ.
And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he had promised. That Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God promised for his people until God gives full freedom to those who are his--to bring praise to God's glory." Ephesians 1:3-14
SITUATION In a city with many sinful distractions, Paul wrote so that Christians would know what God thought of his people.
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OBSERVATION God cherishes us. The more we know him, the more we understand his love for us.
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INSPIRATION We all desire relationships in which we are accepted, valued, and wanted. We desperately long for this esteem from our peers, but seldom experience the "real thing."
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Countless stories are written about teenagers who accept life-threatening dares in the hopes of being accepted by their peers, or business people who comprise their integrity and ethics to join an elite, inner circle. We read of men and women who are driven to succeed because they believe the lie that says their value is determined by the quality and level of their performance. Or how about the teenager or lonely single who sacrifices his virginity for the chance to experience closeness and the feeling of being wanted.
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For the Christian, none of this futile struggle is necessary because we have been chosen by God before time ever began. We belong, we matter, we have been accepted. No longer outcasts or second-class citizens, we are part of his family. (From A Dad's Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Tent)
For the Christian, none of this futile struggle is necessary because we have been chosen by God before time ever began. We belong, we matter, we have been accepted. No longer outcasts or second-class citizens, we are part of his family. (From A Dad's Blessing by Gary Smalley and John Tent)
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APPLICATION Tell someone what you've learned about who you are in Christ. Write a note, make a phone call, go to lunch, or share together on a walk.
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EXPLORATION Adopted by God -- Isaiah 43:6, 63:8; John 1:12; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18; Galatians 3:36-27; 4:6; Ephesians 5:1; Hebrews 12:9.
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EXPLORATION Adopted by God -- Isaiah 43:6, 63:8; John 1:12; Romans 8:15; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18; Galatians 3:36-27; 4:6; Ephesians 5:1; Hebrews 12:9.
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SCRIPTURE Now you who are not Jewish are not foreigners or strangers any longer, but are citizens together with God's holy people. You belong to God's family.
You are like a building that was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in that building, and that whole building is joined together in Christ. He makes it grow and become a holy temple in the Lord.
And in Christ you, too, are being built together with the Jews into a place where God lives through the Spirit. " Ephesians 2:19-22
The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus; Max Lucado General Editor, New Century Version, Thomas Nelson Bibles
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