Riches in Glory - Pt 3

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV). Paul also prays they would know the riches of God’s mercy. (cf. Ephesians 1:18). He goes on to describe that mercy in our reading today. We’ll look even further into this truth later; however, it can be said for now that these “riches” go beyond mere material possessions. Let me simply list some with the following bullet points: He has given us his kindness and patience (cf. Romans 2:4). It cannot be said or sung enough that the kindness of God has been expressed to us in ways that cannot be fully understood until this journey is done. He has given us the riches of his wisdom (cf. Romans 11:13). Can we ever really measure the value of our access to the wisdom of God through the Scripture? All of the great questions of life find their answers within the writings of the Bible. He has given us his mercy (cf. Ephesians 2:4). We’ll see more in a few weeks the great depth of the mercy of God. For now we should remember that it was not justice that God meted out to us, but mercy. Jesus faced and satisfied the justice of God by taking the wrath of every sin of every man on himself in the cross.

I am always brought back to the story of the prodigal as he returns home when I ponder the amazing nature of the mercy of God. For some there might be a way to consider the nature of our lives and feel good about who we are and what we have done. That has never been a temptation that has lasted for anytime at all for me. At best I look at my failures and successes, my defeats and victories and recognize they are pitiful in the sight of what God has extended to me through his mercy. My best days are nothing in comparison to the worst days with Him. This knowledge gives me a wonderful perspective of my real wealth. It truly is “unsearchable.”