In The Word
Read: Ephesians 1:1-14
The Blessings of Redemption
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 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,4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 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 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Walking In The Word
In today’s American culture, there is a great deception taking place. The deception is that we are all good in God’s eyes, as long as we live to a moral standard that we believe is okay. The problem is that everyone has a different standard of what they believe is acceptable and good enough for God. The truth is, none of us are good enough for God’s standard without Jesus Christ. We have all sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23).
Another sad truth is some Christians in this world are deceived by the same beliefs. We walk around claiming the name of Jesus, but we don’t really think that God expects us to live a life of holiness. Some claim to accept Jesus Christ, but their lives do not reflect who He is. We read today that “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (v. 4). 1 Peter 1:16 states this as well.
If you are a Christian, but your actions are not aligning with God’s standard, then you must change and adjust your life to reflect how He says you should look, think, and act. To build on the right foundation, we must apply His word to our lives. You are not alone as you have a helper, The Holy Spirit, inside of you. Let us not be deceived any longer, but let God’s truth remove the scales from our eyes.