Monday, April 18, 2011

In Him ... (Eph. 1:7-12)

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
(Ephesians 1:7-12 NASB)

In Him … In our Lord Jesus Christ … We have been given so much.

As we learned yesterday, God had a plan to make redemption and forgiveness available to both Jew and Gentile.

In God’s perfect plan, anyone who believes in Jesus as Lord and Savior and accepts the free gift of salvation, receives God’s grace and mercy. These verses remind us of other blessings:

We receive redemption. According to Webster’s Dictionary, Redeem means to “buy back,” to “release from blame or debt” or to “free from the consequences of sin.” Because of our Lord God’s love for us, we are “free from the consequences of sin.”

We know the “mystery of His will.” While God may not reveal all of His will to us, if we ask Him to direct our paths, if we surrender ourselves completely to Him, He will guide us.

We can be assured that He has a purpose for our lives. And sometimes, for me at least, this is the one that gets me up in the morning. If I didn’t believe God had a purpose for my pain, I’d never get out of bed. Days like today, when the pain level is almost off the charts, make me long for heaven, “... having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23). But I know God isn’t finished with my earthly journey yet; He still has a purpose for me.

And so I crawl out of bed, praising Him that I can do so. I praise Him for redemption. I praise Him for His will for me. I praise Him for His purpose.

He is such a good God!

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