Ephesians 1: 3 – 10
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I don’t measure up especially after I’ve done a foolish thing or believe that I missed an opportunity to speak about salvation. I really want to be an effective evangelist. Seeing other people bring the word to others with such ease and grace, makes me feel that my efforts are a feeble comparison to what others do.
Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins”. We are accepted and chosen by Him.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
How can we possibly ineffective? The answer is we can’t. Jesus made us the way he wanted, and gave us the gifts that he wanted us to have.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I feel like I don’t measure up especially after I’ve done a foolish thing or believe that I missed an opportunity to speak about salvation. I really want to be an effective evangelist. Seeing other people bring the word to others with such ease and grace, makes me feel that my efforts are a feeble comparison to what others do.
Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. “In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins”. We are accepted and chosen by Him.
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—
6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
8 that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,
10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
How can we possibly ineffective? The answer is we can’t. Jesus made us the way he wanted, and gave us the gifts that he wanted us to have.
All praise to the Lamb, accepted I am,
Through faith in the Savior’s adorable name;
In Him I confide, His blood is applied;
For me He hath suffered, for me He hath died.
Accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation frees us to accept ourselves.
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