Prayer – Lord, bless me and those who are reading this blog that we would be a blessing to those around us—as we seek and serve You.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God
loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God
decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself
through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great
pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who
belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased
our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his
kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. Ephesians
1:3–8 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Meditate. Consider God’s blessing on you.
We are blessed of God. Blessed to be a blessing. Chosen.
How do you feel about being chosen and adopted, as described in the scripture
passage for today? Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us
in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to
adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.
God had a plan…even before He made the universe…and that plan included us. Wow!
I feel so blessed—so humbled! God chose me! And He chose you! We are like
grains of sand on a beach—but God in His infinite wisdom and knowledge knows
our hearts and “zap” reached down and chose us.
Through Christ
Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to
Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit
through faith. Galatians 3:14
He loved us enough, in spite of our faults, to want to
adopt us. That’s a lot of love. When I think of “love” I think of God.
All who confess that
Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know
how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love,
and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in
God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of
judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here
in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If
we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not
fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loved us
first. 1 John 4:15–19
Israel has a special relationship with God as a chosen
nation. There are many promises still to be fulfilled…and we can only wish that
those would apply to us, too. God’s faithful love is shown in His gracious
mercy, His promises, and the covenant of blessing, as mentioned in this passage
below.
"Just as I
swore in the time of Noah that I would never again let a flood cover the earth,
so now I swear that I will never again be angry and punish you. For the
mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for
you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," says the
LORD, who has mercy on you. Isaiah 54:9–10 (Underlined for emphasis.)
Noah's Ark
Ark Encounter - A life-sized ark built to
God's dimensions
Williamstown, Kentucky
So, we are blessed. This would have been my sister’s 74th
birthday…well it still is, but she died more than thirty years ago as a result
of a domestic dispute. She faithfully loved the Lord…and God loved her. She was
a blessing to those around her. Blessed to be a blessing.
Verses of Salvation ~ Instead, you must worship Christ
as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be
ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your
conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when
they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. Remember, it
is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer
for doing wrong! Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never
sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered
physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. So he went and
preached to the spirits in prison—those who disobeyed God long ago when God
waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved
from drowning in that terrible flood. And that water is a picture of baptism,
which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to
God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of
Jesus Christ. Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor
next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his
authority. 1 Peter 3:15–22
Happy Heavenly Birthday, sister Shirley
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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