We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. These blessings, though, are not just for us in isolation. When pooled together we become a family.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:114-16 NIV) This family is likened to a body where every part has a job to do and when working together, the body, or family, will work properly. No earthly family is perfect, we all have our squabbles and disagreements. Sometimes they can be bitter and divisive but mostly they are short-lived and harmony and peace is restored. When we live in love there is something in us that does not want to dwell on the disagreement. Instead we seek restoration and relationship. It's the same with our spiritual family, the church. Yes, there are times when we are 'blown here and there' but that does not have to be the end of the story. We are held together by love and as we discover the wide range of gifts and personalities that are amongst us, we truly become the family of God. A family that loves and cares for one another. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4:32-5:2 NIV)
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Here's another promise! We can actually understand the vastness of God's love.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV) When I think of the love of God I think of something that is eternal, something that never runs out or gives up on me. I think of something that is tangible and with me every moment of every day. It's immeasurable. It has to be immeasurable or God becomes finite. It's no wonder Paul prays that we would be strengthened through the Holy Spirit. We simply can't contain the fulness of God's love in our limited state. May this be the cry of our heart. We want to know the presence of Christ living in us, we want to experience the increasing fulness of his love, we want to be filled with all the fulness of God (that's a lot of fulness). We don't understand it with our mind (that's too limiting) - we understand it with our heart. May this become your longing today! In these few verses Paul's joy is overflowing. He knows who he is and he longs that we would have the same discovery.
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Ephesians 1:15-19a NIV) God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ simply because we belong to him, we are his sons and daughters. This is such an amazing truth but one we often miss or see through filtered glasses. In this powerful prayer, Paul prays that the glorious Father will give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation to help us know him better. I believe this is a longing in our hearts. We really do want to know God and walk in his ways although sometimes we're not sure how that can happen. Here is the mystery: God, the Father, gives us the very thing we need to enable us to know him. We don't get to know God through our own effort, instead we receive a gift from him which enables us to know him. Not only does this gift enable us to know him, it also causes the eyes of our heart (often dimmed or closed) to be opened and then we see who we are. We find our place of belonging in the Father's family and can step into the inheritance which is freely given to sons and daughters. My prayer today is that you know more fully who God is and that you see more clearly who you are. Paul's letter to the Ephesians is a tremendously joyful celebration.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will, to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. (Eph 1:3-7 NIV) I encourage you to read chapter one and count the individual blessings that are now ours through Christ. It's not just the ones that have been listed, Paul says; every spiritual blessing is ours and has been given freely to us. There may be times when we don't feel particularly blessed, we may be going through struggles or hardships and feel that life has become a bit of a fight. That's ok! Our inheritance is not dependent on our earthly circumstances but has been secured for us and held safe in the heavenly places. If you like, they're in our heavenly bank account. We are blessed in such an extravagant way simply because we belong to God, not as a chattel or piece of property but as sons and daughters. Before the creation of the world the Father wanted a family and that family included us. We are joint heirs together with him. In our western understanding the word 'adoption' creates an image of someone who didn't belong who then became a part of the family. That's not the way it is for us; we've always belonged but got lost along the way. Perhaps, instead of adoption, being redeemed back into our sonship is a better way of looking at it. The greatest blessing of all is the assurance that our sins have been forgiven and we have been made right with God. How wonderful that he chooses to lavish his love and grace on us. |
Weekly SignpostA Father to YOU is a signpost to the heart of the Perfect Father. When we became Christians we were given the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Sadly, many of us fail to take up that right and instead continue to live as slaves or orphans. But our true destiny is being sons and daughters who have a permanent place in the Father's family. This blog is an encouragement to help you know who God really is and who you really are. Click here to subscribe. |