Prayer
– Lord, it feels wonderful to be chosen. Like in grade school—we’ve been chosen
for a special team—God’s team. His family. We haven’t been rejected…or chosen
last. He chose us before the world even began! Additionally, we were bought with a price--but not as slaves. Thank You.
Furthermore,
because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for
he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
God's purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would
bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth,
the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he
identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long
ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he
promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we
would praise and glorify him.
Ephesians 1:11-14
NLT
Traditional place of Golgotha
Site of Christ's crucifixion.
Jerusalem. Israel
Meditate.
Consider your inheritance from God.
Usually
only family members…close family members…receive an inheritance. Here Paul is
telling the Ephesians, and us, that we are chosen to be part of God’s family.
Because we believed in Jesus as our Messiah, He gave us the Holy Spirit as part
of this promise. God keeps His promises. He didn’t keep the whole salvation
plan just for His chosen people, the Jews, but He offered it to the Gentiles as
well. Hooray! I’m so glad to be a part of the family of God. That inheritance
that we are promised is eternal life with God…the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…in
Heaven. It cost God a lot for us to be His family. His only Son, Jesus, had to
die on the cross to take away our sin. We couldn’t ever become pure without the
blood of Jesus. Purity is what God required if we are to stand before Him
someday in Heaven.
God chose
us…but we still have to make a choice, too. If we want to have this eternal
life that He promises, then we have to be united with Christ. We have to
accept Him as our Savior, give up our sins (repent), and choose to obediently
follow Him. Is that a choice you have made…why not today?
Verse
of Salvation ~ But the Scripture has imprisoned everyone [everything—the entire
world] under sin, so that [the inheritance, the blessing of salvation] which
was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe
[in Him and acknowledge Him as God's precious Son]. Galatians 3:22 AMP
©
2024 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.
Scripture
quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),
Copyright ©2015
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org
Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights
reserved.
Scripture
quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),
Copyright ©2015
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
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