Families/Individuals with No Young Children
PLEASE READ THE SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: EPHESIANS 1:1-11
I heard about a funny cartoon in the paper that showed a pompous lawyer reading
the last will and testament of one of his clients to a group of the client's
greedy relatives. The caption of the cartoon read: "I, John Jones,
being of sound mind and body, spent it all!"
Well, when it comes to Jesus, he made it possible that you and I could share in
all of his riches. He didn't waste his life by spending all his riches on
himself, he paid it all on the cross for us!!! The Apostle Paul writes in
this first chapter of Ephesians a few way that we have been blessed
by God The Father and God The Son!
He chose us. He sought us out. The words of Philips, Craig,
and Dean many years ago ring true: "Mercy came running like a prisoner set
free, past all my failures to the point of my need. When the sin that I carried
was all I could see - When I could not reach mercy - Mercy came runnin' to
me!" This isn't a declaration that Christ only died for a few. The
fact is that he died for the sins of the world that all would would come to
repentence. God's will from the time he created us has been that we
would come to Him and serve Him forever. It's his gracious choice and our
free will to say "Yes!" to the Lord. Praise God that He sent His
son, Jesus, and that He came running after us with amazing love!
He adopted us. We are part of God's family. There is no
"outside looking in" position with God. When we accept Christ
as Savior we are now heirs to the whole thing! Some feel that life has
given them some hard knocks and some unfair circumtances. Some have been
rejected by others and feel alone or treated as an outcast. The good news
of Jesus Christ's redemption in us is that you are royalty in Jesus
Christ. There is nothing to live in regret over here on earth, because
our inheritance will cancel out all of the hurt, pain, injustice, inequity,
loss - and all of the rest!
He accepts us. The best of the best of people here on earth trying to be
righteous on their own are nowhere near the standard of a Holy God.
We can't make ourselves acceptable to Him. However, it is by the grace of
Jesus Christ that we take on a position that the devil nor any powers on earth
can take away from us. We stand accepted and marked as the Lord's very
own.
He has forgiven us. Christ's atoning death wasn't just so we would be
acceptable to God, but it goes beyond our standing with Him. He has
forgiven in such a way that the stain is gone. When we put our sins under the
blood of Jesus it is washed away from God's memory. We stand unashamed,
because of the unending and deep grace of Christ which sets us free! We
are forgiven!
He has revealed the will of God to us. Jesus brought us near to be
able to understand the entire plan that God has for us and for the world.
Jesus made a way for us to see clearly. That is why we sing songs that
say, "Tho I was blinded, now I see! -And it's all because of God's amazing
grace!" We are able to see what the Father is doing and has
done. The scales that fell from Saul's eyes are much like the spiritual
scales that fall off when we meet Jesus. We have seen God's glory in
Jesus Christ!
We are an inheritance. Wait. We are? Yes. God loves us
so much that he considers us that valuable. He paid such a high price to
make us part of His ineritance. The church is the body of and bride of
Christ and Oh how He loves us!
We are blessed! Amen.
Thoughts/Questions:
-Have you been struggling with feelings and thoughts of being
"less-than"? How does this Scripture speak to those thoughts?
-Have you given thanks to God lately for all that He has given to you and all
of the hope you have in Him?
Give Him Praise!
-Pastor Russ
Reference Materials Used: The Holy Bible (NASB), The Wesleyan Commentary,
Bible Exposition Commentary (Be Series) - Warren Weirsbe.