Created, Chosen, Faithful

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing gin the heavenly places, heaven as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:3-10 ESV).

 

God’s gift of salvation for us started even before he created the world. This basic truth can really stretch our minds, and it shows us that God’s thinking is far beyond ours. Even when we think of all that God did to create our world—from the universe to our galaxy, to our planet, to all the plant and animal life around us, and to us humans— we are filled with awe and wonder. But then, to think that God chose us one by one to be saved in Christ even before he made all of this—it goes beyond our ability to understand.

 

So, there is great mystery here. But this doesn’t mean we are left confused or without understanding. As our Creator, God knows our minds, and God knows we can understand what it means to be chosen, and loved, and called to be holy. He tells us those things in his Word to us. And even though we can’t understand all that God does, we can be sure that he loves us and wants what is best for us. Far back in eternity God made plans to adopt us into his family so that we can have full life forever instead of dying in our sin and misery.

 

In the coming days, our reflections together will point us to the desired result of our position and calling. We are given the power and grace to be faithful. This is not a matter of being perfect; rather it is the process of being perfected. It is this process that we have come to know as “sanctification.” All along in our journey this results in our being ministers to one another in the varied circumstances of life. Knowing the source of this calling helps us become who we were intended to be. That is the source of true peace and joy.