Ephesians 1:1-6
“Paul, an
apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus,
and faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to
you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in
Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by
Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by
which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
Looking at this Scripture, how many
times in the past have you wondered whether or not you are accepted – whether
in a certain group of students, co-workers, family, or friends? Some would ask,
even in a significant relationship, “Does this person really love me?”
Here, Paul calls us, “saints”, who are in Christ Jesus. Not only this, but he calls us who believe and put our faith in Christ, “sons” of God. And finally, Paul calls us accepted in the Beloved, which I want to focus on today. The greek word for “Beloved” is agapaō, which literally means one upon whom is placed unconditional, or faithful love and favor.
Did you realize that God has that same love for you – That He has put His unconditional, or faithful love and favor upon you? As it says here in these verses, HE CHOSE YOU, and that before the world was even begun. He set His love – His unconditional and faithful love and favor upon you – long before you ever even existed. He prepared this world for you, designed it for your enjoyment and to bring you into an experience of His love for you.
Having this love for you before you ever came to be, He designed this world in order for you to experience it as His child – fully loved, and highly favored. It says He took great pleasure in bringing you into His family through Christ’s death and resurrection. As Christ paid the price of death for all of your sins – past, present, and future – He bought you back to Himself, by His very own blood, from the hand of the devil.
You no longer belong to anyone but God from here on out – to all eternity. This means that you BELONG TO GOD. You ARE ACCEPTED BY GOD INTO HIS FAMILY. You ARE HIS CHILD. You BELONG IN GOD’s FAMILY. You BRING GOD PLEASURE. HE LOVES YOU. Let these thoughts sink into your spirit, repeating these same things out loud meaningfully until they click. For example, say, “I BELONG TO GOD!” “I AM ACCEPTED BY GOD INTO HIS FAMILY!” “I AM GOD’S CHILD!” (SON or DAUGHTER to personalize it) “I BELONG TO AND IN GOD’S FAMILY!” “I AM A CHILD OF GOD!” “I BRING PLEASURE TO GOD!” “HE LOVES ME!”
Go ahead and spend some time in prayer, thanking God for making you belong. Give Him praise for His plans to bring you into His family without reservations or conditions. Talk with Him today and learn even more from Him about who you are in Him, in Christ.
Here, Paul calls us, “saints”, who are in Christ Jesus. Not only this, but he calls us who believe and put our faith in Christ, “sons” of God. And finally, Paul calls us accepted in the Beloved, which I want to focus on today. The greek word for “Beloved” is agapaō, which literally means one upon whom is placed unconditional, or faithful love and favor.
Did you realize that God has that same love for you – That He has put His unconditional, or faithful love and favor upon you? As it says here in these verses, HE CHOSE YOU, and that before the world was even begun. He set His love – His unconditional and faithful love and favor upon you – long before you ever even existed. He prepared this world for you, designed it for your enjoyment and to bring you into an experience of His love for you.
Having this love for you before you ever came to be, He designed this world in order for you to experience it as His child – fully loved, and highly favored. It says He took great pleasure in bringing you into His family through Christ’s death and resurrection. As Christ paid the price of death for all of your sins – past, present, and future – He bought you back to Himself, by His very own blood, from the hand of the devil.
You no longer belong to anyone but God from here on out – to all eternity. This means that you BELONG TO GOD. You ARE ACCEPTED BY GOD INTO HIS FAMILY. You ARE HIS CHILD. You BELONG IN GOD’s FAMILY. You BRING GOD PLEASURE. HE LOVES YOU. Let these thoughts sink into your spirit, repeating these same things out loud meaningfully until they click. For example, say, “I BELONG TO GOD!” “I AM ACCEPTED BY GOD INTO HIS FAMILY!” “I AM GOD’S CHILD!” (SON or DAUGHTER to personalize it) “I BELONG TO AND IN GOD’S FAMILY!” “I AM A CHILD OF GOD!” “I BRING PLEASURE TO GOD!” “HE LOVES ME!”
Go ahead and spend some time in prayer, thanking God for making you belong. Give Him praise for His plans to bring you into His family without reservations or conditions. Talk with Him today and learn even more from Him about who you are in Him, in Christ.
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