An Adoption of Epic Proportions

As I headed into week two of our Glorious Grace study I was met with the overwhelming sense of Paul talking to ME. He addresses the believers at Ephesus but throughout the first 14 verses of this book I felt like his words were intended to pierce my heart as well.

Paul's explanation of how we were all chosen before the creation of the earth is amazing to me. Predestination can be a hot topic of discussion in some circles but for me it simply means this:

Every single person has been chosen as a child of God no matter their race, gender, handicap, or socioeconomic status. God sent His son to repair the damage Adam and Eve had done in the Garden of Eden. The one crucial requirement to become God's children in eternity is to believe Jesus died for our sins and to accept him as our personal Lord and Savior. 

Everything seems minuscule to me when I think of the results produced by Jesus' sacrifice.

These truths build the foundation for each of our relationships with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. For once we believe these promises we are given a beautiful gift: 

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, who is given a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14

Sealed with the Holy Spirit to begin a transformation in us that will be completed in eternity...this give me the chills! What an amazing way to show His love for us.

The other truth that is deeply personal to me is God's adoption of us. My first marriage ended four years ago with my ex-husband walking away from me and our three young children for a life of drug addiction. I am now remarried and soon my husband will be adopting my children and they will officially be "our children". I think of the moments in my past when I questioned God's love for my little family. I wondered if they would ever have another earthly father to love them.

God took my fears, desires, hopes and dreams and created a story of monumental healing and redemption. He restored my family and gave us a fresh start to begin anew. He has also given us brothers and sisters in Christ here on earth and a completer family for eternity.

Paul's words resonate with me as I dive deeper into this study. His explanation of God's love for us is beautifully stated and gives me a new hope each morning.

Blessings to you!


Linking up with the Faithful Blog Hop today!

Also linking up with Mel at Essential Thing Devotions!

The Ambassador in Chains

 Hello Mornings began this week and the study has already blown me away. Ephesians is the subject of the 13-week study and Paul has been the main topic of our discussion.

Paul (formerly Saul) was a fearless warrior against Christ. He terrorized believers and dragged them into prison for speaking the Gospel. Paul made it his priority to end the name of Jesus and everything He represented.

Until one day...

The angel of the Lord spoke to Paul and miraculously he listened. This was a lost man in a fallen world and yet he heard a voice and responded. He was made blind so God could give him a new vision. And what a vision it was.

Paul describes himself to the Ephesians as a prisoner of Christ, an apostle by God's will and an Ambassador in Chains.

This particular label has resonated with me all week. When I describe God I do not connect him to shackles, I picture freedom, redemption, and chains left behind.

Yet Paul comes from a different place. God saved him from disastrous choices and offered him forgiveness. He gave Paul a way to redeem his past and make his future one to hold dear.

I cannot fathom how Paul faced the families of those he tortured after being made new in Christ. How did he greet them in the market? Did his fellow Christians accept him with open arms or did they worry he was playing a cruel joke?

We do know once Paul's heart was renewed he possessed a zeal for God that has never been matched. He pleaded with Christians to love, encourage, and support one another and to live a life according to God's plan.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Ephesians 4:1

My heart aches for Paul as I hear the desperation in his words. He longs for others to be passionate for the Lord and for the lost. He uses all of his strength getting the Message to anyone who will listen.

When God pulled Paul from the grips of darkness he gave him a new mission in life. Until his last breath Paul begged believers to speak boldly and pray for one another.

His words are a constant reminder to me of how we should never stop reaching out to those in darkness  and embrace Christ followers from all walks of life.