January 4 - Olivia Seeley
Ephesians 1:3-14
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
This passage is one of Paul’s letters to the church and mainly discusses spiritual blessings. It opens by praising God for blessing us with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” because we are united with Christ. What a wonderful reminder of how God always provides, and does so abundantly. In verses 7 & 8, it also reminds us that God not only bought our freedom with His only beloved son’s blood but forgave us and blesses us with His kindness, wisdom, and especially understanding. It is kind of a beautiful parallel with how Jesus is often referred to as “beloved” and in verse 6 some versions have us labeled as beloved.
While there are multiple note-worthy verses, verse 4 is the first one that really stood out. It is truly incredible to think that before God even created the world he knew us, loved us, and chose us to be His people. That He not only knows us fully, but in His eyes we are faultless. Another thing is many times in the Bible we will see Jesus doing works and while many come to Him, some do not. They may have given up hope or do not want to be a bother/problem. But Jesus calls out to them (sometimes by name) and He goes to them. We are seen and we are known by God. So, as verse 5 says, long before we even existed God knew He would bring us to Him through Jesus.
It can be a challenge to trust in God’s plan. It can be hard to comprehend how some things could ever be used for good. However in verse 10 & 11, it states God’s plan to bring everything in heaven and on Earth together under Christ and that He will make everything work out according to His plan. Even in the dark times or when something goes “wrong” because of a mistake you made. God uses us and every flaw that we have. We have to trust that God knows the situation and that instead of hoping God will “fix it”, He will use it. God knows it can be hard to trust, which is why Paul is telling us of His plan. Another interesting thing in verse 11 is how in some versions it says we have received an inheritance from God but in others it says we have become God’s inheritance, which really speaks about our role in God’s plan.
The last thing I would like to touch on is verses 13 & 14. I love how it says that God claims us as His own and fulfills His promise of gifting us with the Holy Spirit. He wants to assure us of His commitment and such a spiritual blessing can be a guide to help us connect with God and others.
Dear Lord, thank you for all your unending love, wisdom, mercy, and understanding. You know all and you always do what is best for us. You never have or will abandon us. Help us to trust you and use the Holy Spirit to lead and connect with others. Please watch over everyone’s health over the holiday and help us find peace. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.