Ephesians Journal 1-B “The Will of God for Me”

S = 1:4-5, 9-10 “…even 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 as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will… 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.”

 

O = This passage is about God’s will at work in ages past, in history, and in the very moment for Paul and the Ephesians. God’s plan was not new, not improvised, not an eclectic hodge-podge of revisions. He set it all in motion before the world began. He chose us to be a part not only of his plan but of his family—adopted in Christ! There is also a purpose behind it that we should be holy and blameless before him…but the deeper purpose is that all things might be “united to him.” It is his plan for the rebinding of the cosmos, and it involves us and always has!

 

A = So am I united to God in Christ, or am I still straining at his cords of love, rebelling against his loving-kindness, and short-selling his blessings for the things of the world? How can I live into his plan today and this week? I don’t have to grasp for recognition or applause of others for Christ knows me! Christ loves me!

 

P = O Lord, thanks for the assurance that I am loved and chosen in Christ before I was ever made. May I rest in being united to you this week for nothing could be a greater miracle. Show me how I can be a minister of unity and reconciliation.  Amen.