Category: Pondering Ephesians

This Week’s Passage: ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

“For this reason” – Which reason is Paul talking about? Why is it that Paul is not only compelled to pray for his Ephesian friends but determined not to miss this opportunity to come to the Father on their behalf? Go back to verse 12: “In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Paul is absolutely confident that God will not only hear his prayers but also answer his prayers. And what’s not to answer…

I mean look at what Paul is praying – he is praying that the Ephesians would be strengthened with POWER so that they would be fueled by faith and grasp how glorious is God’s love for them. What’s not to answer in a prayer like that. He is not praying for their safety or their health or their financial situation or their employment status or that they would be happy. He is praying that these Christians in Ephesus would experience from God something that would transform their lives on the inside not just change their circumstances on the outside. He is praying that the Ephesian believers would be radically changed so that the watching world stand up and take notice.

I do not meet many believers who are fueled by the power of God and daily live faith-filled lives. I do not meet many believers who who have such a thorough, all-surpassing grasp of the love of God that that they are “filled to the measure of all the fulness of God.” Nor would people say these things about me.

So here’s the deal. I need people praying these kinds of prayers for me because I want to be empowered daily by faith and I want to grasp God’s love in this way. If you want this as well then comment back or send me an e-mail or a FB message and let me know. My covenant with you will be this: I’ll pray for you in this way for the next 30 days if you will pray for me. And together let’s watch and see what God does in us and through us as His power strengthens us to live vigorously potent lives that honor and glorify God.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 3:20-21

This Week’s Passage:  ⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of  his power. ⁸Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ¹³ I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Today I will comment on three phrases in 3 different verses…

v 7. Hard for me to get past verse 7 because it pretty much sums up my life and calling. I could write  a very long post about how God called me to be a “servant of the gospel by the gift of (His) grace…” . I have detailed some of this in 4 posts that I wrote back in  November of 2010. If interested, just go to the archives and look for the “Defining Moments” posts. (I’ve linked to the first one). Let me just say here that Paul’s sentiment is one of gratitude and humility – which I echo. I am very very grateful that God rescued, redeemed, and reconciled me through the power of the cross and the preaching of the gospel. I am grateful for the privilege of serving Him which I would do whether it was my job or not. It just so happens that I am able to get paid to do what I love which is an incredible blessing. It is also with great humility (and hopefully not false humility) that I serve the gospel. I know that God has a calling upon my life and yet there are times when I feel so inadequate for the task and wonder how could God use me to do something as prodigious as investing in people with the glorious gospel. There are certainly people more gifted, more charismatic, more outgoing, more passionate, more compassionate, better speakers, better thinkers, better administrators, better visionaries. And yet…. Humbling indeed.

v 10. “through the church” – When Paul wrote this the idea of church was less than 30 years old. He is telling the Ephesians that it is not through apostles such as himself that the gospel will be declared and advanced but through the church. Why is this? Why would God choose to use flawed people who make up our churches rather than super saints to tackle the task of reaching the world with the gospel. A few thoughts: 1) We live in a world that is made up of flawed people – who better tho reach these people than flawed people who have experienced the life changing grace of God. 2) Scripture gives us two metaphors to describe the church – the body of Christ and the bride of Christ. Both of these, when understood and communicated clearly, give a powerfully inviting portrayal of the gospel and a bold testimony of the great love of God for harassed and helpless sinners. 3) People need community. We were not created to live isolated lives. We were created for relationship. Church provides a great place for people to gather and find friendship – both with other people and with God. 4) People are by nature worshippers – Some people worship the gods of self or success or money or beauty – all of which leave people ultimately feeling lost and empty. Church provides a place for people to worship a God who can fill their lives with joy and hope and fuel their lives with strength and purpose.

v 12. “may approach God with freedom and confidence” – Our faith offers a completely different approach to God than any other world faith. We can approach Him with freedom and confidence. This is because our faith is based on relationship not rules. We don’t have to do anything to earn His favor, He has already done it all. We don’t have to do anything to get His attention, we already have it. We don’t have to do anything to be forgiven, He has already offered forgiveness to us. Because he is the initiator in the relationship, because we come to Him at His invitation we can come with freedom and confidence. Not as slaves, but as sons and daughters. Not in trepidation but with courage knowing that he absolutely delights in our coming and that he eagerly waits for us to enjoy the relationship that we were created for.

Such a great passage. Still so much to ponder.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 3:14-19

This Week’s Passage: ¹ For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

 ² Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴ In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶ This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Perspective. That’s what hit home with me this week as I pondered this passage. Think about it… Here Paul is sitting in a jail cell. If I had been called as an apostle and church planter I’m sure I’d be thinking that there were better ways to spend my time then sitting in a stinking prison. I’d no doubt wonder if God knew what He was up to. Paul had a different perspective. He didn’t even see himself as a prisoner of Rome but as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus.” He had been captured by the gospel. It was not his call any longer concerning how he spent his time. He was told what to do and he did it. He no longer had rights – because the righteousness of Christ was now fueling his soul. He was nourished not by the delectable foods of this world but by the Word of God.

And God redeemed the time Paul had while in prison. It was while Paul had all this time on his hands that he wrote what are known as the prison epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Sacred literature for believers. Books that have been used for almost 2000 years to encourage the church and convict the unchurched.

Perspective. Paul got it. It was not about him and what would make him happy or what would make him comfortable. It was about what God wanted to do through him no matter what the situation or how bad the conditions.

Perspective. That’s what I need so much of the time. I need to realize that when things aren’t going the way that I would like for them to go, that God is still in control and He may have plans for me that I know nothing about. And He may want to do things that I can’t even imagine. God has a unique knack of taking bad situations and bringing good out of them. He knows how to redeem. It’s  the best thing that He does.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 3:7-13

This Week’s Passage:  ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

You’ve heard the phrase, I have no doubt, that it is not about us, it is all about Him. The passage this week illustrates this to a tee. Beginning with the word consequently. This word looks back to the previous few verses which talk about how it is because of Jesus that we have gained access to the Father. Then goes on to say that because of Jesus we are no longer alienated from God. Because of Jesus we are considered first class citizens of the kingdom of God. Because of Jesus we are a part of the family.

Verse 21 then says that because of Jesus Jews and Greeks together – who have been redeemed, adopted, chosen, forgiven, predestined, (all words that Paul has used earlier to describe what God has done )- can come together to display the gospel in the form of the Church. Together they can reflect the magnificence of God’s holiness to a world that languishes in sin and desperate hopelessness.

Then verse 22 concludes the chapter by saying that because of Jesus God’s Spirit dwells within us – in fact He lives in us so that we can be a walking talking example of what a God filled, God fueled new creation looks like.

We should never forget that it is all because of Jesus we’re alive. The band Casting Crowns put it like this:

This Week’s Passage:  ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The focus of my pondering is verse 10.

Poiema – Workmanship. Work of art. Masterpiece. The Greek word sounds like our word for poem. Our God is a creative God and we are His crowning achievement. “Good” was the word in Genesis used to describe everything else God created. “Very good” were the words used to describe His creation of man. God was a VERY good artist and as an artist He takes great delight in His works of art – namely us. This explains why He loves us so much; why He is jealous regarding us; why He is angered when His creation is marred; why He went as far as the cross to restore His masterpiece and make us “new creations.”

We were created to do good works – The question that begs to be asked is this: What good works has God prepared in advance for me to do? This is a part of the great adventure of walking with God – figuring out the answer to this question. I think we make it a lot harder question than it should be. We fret over what God’s will is for us. We wonder what it is that God wants us to do with our life. There is an easy way to know the answer. Walk with God. Abide in Him. Pay attention to His Word. Give a listening ear to Him in prayer. God will make it clear to us what we should be doing if we are walking close to Him. So if you perhaps are wondering what good works God has in store for you – then my suggestion is to draw closer to God. Do what you need to do to make this happen and I suspect that you will be presented with lots of opportunities to “do good works.”

Then do them!

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 2:11-18

This Week’s Passage: ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature  and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

I’m a grace guy. I love to think on God’s amazing grace. I don’t often think on God’s amazing wrath. We don’t sing “Amazing wrath how sour the sound that condemned a wretch like me.” And yet this passage reminds us that we are by our very nature, down to the core of our being, objects of God’s wrath. Before God speaks of God’s amazing grace He speaks of God’s amazing wrath. This week as I pondered, I found a few noteworthy quotes that I thought I would share and let them speak  mostly for themselves.

A.W. Pink said:

“The wrath of God is a perfection of the Divine character upon which we need to frequently meditate.

First, that our hearts may be duly impressed by God’s detestation of sin. We are ever prone to regard sin lightly, to gloss over its hideousness, to make excuses for it. But the more we study and ponder God’s abhorrence of sin and His frightful vengeance upon it, the more likely are we to realize its heinousness.

Second, to beget a true fear in our souls for God: “Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28,29). We cannot serve Him “acceptably” unless there is due “reverence” for His awful Majesty and “godly fear” of His righteous anger, and these are best promoted by frequently calling to mind that “our God is a consuming fire.”

Third, to draw out our souls in fervent praise for having delivered us from “the wrath to come” (1 Thess. 1:10).”

***

Propitiation is a really cool theological word that speaks of the satisfaction of God’s holy wrath.

Here is what J.I. Packer said in his book Knowing God:

“The wrath of God against us, both present and to come, has been quenched. How was this effected? Through the death of Christ. ‘While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son’ ([Romans] 5:10). The ‘blood’—that is, the sacrificial death—of Jesus Christ abolished God’s anger against us, and ensured that His treatment of us forever after would be propitious and favorable. Henceforth, instead of showing Himself to be against us, He would show Himself in our life and experience to be for us. What, then, does the phrase ‘a propitiation . . . by His blood’ express? It expresses, in the context of Paul’s argument, precisely this thought: that by His sacrificial death for our sins Christ pacified the wrath of God.”

In order to totally appreciate the magnificent grace of God (which we’ll ponder this coming week) we need to grasp how awful is His wrath. So think with me on these things.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 2:6-10

This Week’s Passage: That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

“That power…”

This is what I’ve been thinking about this week… “That power”. Paul says that the same power that raised Christ from the dead and then exalted Him to the heavenly realms is available to believers and to the Church. So where is “that power?” To be quite honest I don’t see it manifested in the lives of many believers or in the work of many churches. I don’t see it manifest in my own life. So here are the questions I’ve been thinking through:

1) What would this power look like in the life of a believer – in other words, how would it present itself?

As I peruse the book of Acts and think back on the 4 gospels here are the things that are readily apparent:

Boldness in speaking, preaching, and praying – All of these are evident in Acts 4. I especially love Acts 4:13. This verse kind of sums up for me what power in the life of a believer looks like to unbelievers: “When they say the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Where is the astonishment that seemed to follow these guys around after Pentecost?

Transformed Lives – You don’t have to look far in both the gospels and the Book of Acts to find people who’s lives were radically changed. As people came in contact with Spirit empowered believers their lives were never the same. Can that be said about me? Can that be said about us?

Miracles – Do miracles still happen? I believe they do! But we see so few things that can only be explained by a miraculous work of God that we have gotten to the point that we don’t expect God to do the miraculous. Shame on us as the people of God. You certainly see the miraculous happening in the gospels and Acts.

2) Why are so few believers filled and fueled by the power of God?

• There is little dependence upon God – Here in American we have been trained from the time that we were pups to depend upon our ourselves – our money, our talents, our personality, our family, our intellect. We have never really had to depend solely upon God and therefore have never learned how to depend upon God. God’s power is thwarted by our independence.

• Unconfessed sin and unrepentant hearts short circuit the power supply and bewilder the Power Supplier – Unfortunately we tend to have a high tolerance for sin. I include myself in this statement. We have view of God that says God is a forgiving God therefore I can do whatever I want and He will still love me and forgive. We take lightly the parts of the Bible that talk about God’s hatred for sin because of His absolute holiness and we gloss over the idea that “we were by nature objects of wrath.” Because of this we deal with sin like we deal with clutter. We let it build up until we can’t stand it anymore then try to clean it all all up – then let it start building up again. Did you catch that phrase, “until we can’t stand it?” We need to understand that sin is something that God cannot stand – therefore we need to deal with it immediately and turn in horror away from it.

• A hunger for soul empowering food has been replaced by a ravenous hunger for worldly things – There seems to be little hunger for the Word of God among believers. Our appetites have been satisfied by other things – much like junk food has filled our bellies but added little to no nutritional value. We need to develop a craving for the pure spiritual milk of the Word. (1Peter 2:2)

3) How can I be a Spirit empowered believer?

The answer to this flows pretty naturally out of the last question if we buy into the reasons we are so powerless. To sum it up in for me my action steps would go something like this: 1) Become a man who knows how to pray – then to pray as often as I breathe, 2) Worship God in the splendor of his holiness so that I see sin the way that He sees sin, 3) Wean myself away from the things that give me more satisfaction than God and His Word.

It’s not rocket science. It just will take willful intent. Do I want to live a power fueled life or am I content to be content with the way that I am?  Do I want “that power” flowing through my spiritual veins… or not? Hmmmm.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 2:1-5

This Week’s Passage: ¹⁵ For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ I pray also 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 the saints, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Paul prays for people different than I pray for people. But I’m trying to change that. I love the things that he specifically prays here for his Ephesian friends: that they might know the Lord better, that they might know the hope that they have, that they might know how rich they are in Christ, that they might know His great power in their lives.

But WHAT he prays is not what struck me this week. What struck me is the way that he identified WHO he was praying to. He could easily have said “I keep asking that God would give…” Instead he uses two descriptive phrases to identify God.

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ – He is writing to people in a city that is inundated with gods of all kinds. I think he wants to make it clear that the God that he serves and prays to is not like the gods that they are familiar with. I wonder if we are as clear in our praying, if we know who the God is that we call upon. There are just as many gods and faux-gods in our day as there was in Ephesus. It’s just that we don’t call them gods. Yet we worship them none the less. We do not pray to a god who is at our beck and call nor a god who’s job it is to give us whatever we want. We do not pray to a god who exists to serve us nor a god who overlooks sin. We do not pray to a god who just wants us to be happy nor to a god who wants us to be wealthy. We do not pray to a god who is capricious in his ways nor to a god who is limited in what he can and cannot do. We pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One who triumphed over sin. The One who came to seek and to save that which was loss. The One who even the winds and the waves obey. The One who humbled himself on a cross but then triumphed over death. The One who is declared to be the Alpha and Omega, the Way the Truth the Life, the image of the invisible God. The One who is Savior, Messiah, Lamb of God. The Good Shepherd. The Bread of Life. The Light of the World.  The One who is Redeemer, Prince of Peace, Lion of the tribe of Judah. The One who is the King of Kings and the Great I AM. We pray to the God of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, the God who is also…

The glorious Father – Glorious!! This is an idea that has captured Paul’s mind as he writes and thinks about all that God has done for him. In verse 6 he speaks of God’s glorious grace. In verse 12 he speaks of “the praise of God’s glory“. In verse 14 he repeats this again. Here in verse 17 he he refers to God as glorious and then in verse 18 he talks about God’s glorious inheritance. It’s as if Paul has seen God in a way that I have yet to see Him. Perhaps it was that encounter that he had on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). Perhaps it was the vision he had of God that he talks about in 2 Corinthians 12. I don’t know how he came to recognize the awesomeness of God’s glorious nature. All I know is that he does. And I don’t. But I want to. And I would prefer that I “get it” before I see Him in all His glory upon my homegoing. Because I see what a difference it made in Paul’s life and ministry to be captivated by the One that he refers to as “the glorious Father.” It made a difference in the that he prayed. It made a difference in the way that he preached and taught. It made a difference in the way that he endured trials and persecution. It made a difference in the way that he dealt with difficult people. It made a difference in the way that he died.

Check out these lyrics from Third Day’s song Show Me Your Glory. Click here if you want to see their You Tube performance.

I caught a glimpse of Your splendor
In the corner of my eye
The most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen
And it was like a flash of lightning
Reflected off the sky
And I know I’ll never be the same

Show me Your glory
Send down Your presence
I want to see Your face
Show me Your glory
Majesty shines about You
I can’t go on without You, Lord

When I climb down the mountain
And get back to my life
I won’t settle for ordinary things
I’m gonna follow You forever
And for all of my days
I won’t rest ’til I see You again

Show me Your glory
Show me Your glory
I can’t live without You

As the song suggests, the reality seems to be this: Just a glimpse of God’s glory can change us forever – “never be the same… can’t go on without You…won’t settle for ordinary things… won’t rest til I see You again”. This was def true for Paul. May it be so for me … and you!

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 1:19b-23

This Week’s Passage: ¹³ And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

In verses 4-5 we see one side of the divine free will/not free will paradox. In verse 13 we see the other: “heard…believed.” Scripture affirms BOTH that God chose us before the creation of the world AND we willingly choose to believe when confronted with the gospel. Some people have difficulty believing that both can be true. I do not. I may not understand  it completely but that is what “mystery” is all about (verse 9). I think I would have difficulty believing in a God that I could completely figure out. The fact that there are mysteries fuels my faith to believe more.

The phrase “promised Holy Spirit” made me think – where in Scripture was he promised. So I started looking for references. Here are a few:

Ezekiel 36:26-27 – ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Joel 2: 28-29 – ²⁸ “And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. ²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” (This verse is echoed by the apostles in Acts 2)

Isaiah 44:3 – ³ For I will pour water on the thirsty land,  and streams on the dry ground;  I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

Acts 1:8 – ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Much can be said about the work of the Holy Spirit. Suffice to say here that he is our GUARANTEE from God that we are saved and that we will receive an eternal inheritance from Him. So the question that this passage begs to be asked is this: Is there evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in my (your) life? As Romans 8:9 says, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 1: 15-19a

This Week’s Passage: ⁹ And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

 ¹¹ In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, ¹² in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

Sometimes as I ponder my mind thinks like a preacher who is who is putting together a sermon outline. With that in mind you will understand why the four words in this passage that stood out to me all begin with the letter “P”.

Pleasure – It is somewhat astounding and overwhelming to realize that the magnificent and glorious God of the universe takes great pleasure in me. I am the delight of His heart. And just as my own kids bring joy to my life so I brings joy to the Father. It pleased Him greatly to lavish His grace upon me and rescue me from the dominion of darkness and depravity of sin.

Purpose – God acts with intentionality. I am a part of His grand purpose. There is a reason why He has given me new life. He has plans for me. He wants to use me to be a part of fulfilling His purposes. Rick Warren says this in his book “The Purpose Driven Life”:

“If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity. You can be busy without a purpose, but what’s the point?”

A good reminder. Often I confuse busyness with productivity. We do the same in the church. I need to remember to consistently ask “why am I doing what I am doing?” if I want to live with focused intentionality.

Predestined –  “…according to the plan…” Here’s an analogy that comes to mind to help me understand this. When it comes to draft time the General Manager of a football team does not draft just anybody that is available. He drafts someone that will fill in the needs that the team has. If they are weak on the defensive line he might draft a tackle. If they need someone fast that can catch a football he would draft a wide receiver. Predestination, or the fact that God chose me specifically, is kind of like this. He has a plan and he wants me to be a part of  specifically filling a role in bringing about that plan. Predestination, rather than being a confusing doctrine, ought to be a biblical truth that fuels believers with a great sense of purpose and joy as they anticipate how God will use them to bring about His purposes.

Praise – The reason that God has done what He has done in my life is that I might be a testimony of resounding praise to His greatness. It would be foolish to think that anything I do could possibly add to the glorious nature of God. God is fully glorious. That is who He is by nature. But my life can and should point others to Him so that they too recognize just how gloriously resplendent He indeed is. This is what it means to live to the praise of His glory.

I’m just sayin’!

Next Week’s Passage: Ephesians 1:13-14