In review of Ephesians 1:4-5 it says, “Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us .... His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us”
Bottom Line:
Before anything, God chose us to be his adopted family through what Christ would do for us.
What this means to me:
Before the world was created, God had Christ chose me to live with him and to be one of his holy, innocent and loving people. His plan all along had been to adopt me into his family by sending his Son Jesus Christ.
If I want to be used by God, I need to understand the purpose of my life. Today’s verse makes it clear in Ephesians 1:4-5 that: “Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us .... His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us” (TLB).
God made me to be a part of his family. He made me to have a relationship with. He made me to love and to be loved in return. There is only one way to get to be a part of God’s family and that is faith in Jesus Christ. When I put my faith and trust in Jesus, I became a part of God’s family.
Not only did God want me to be a part of his family but he also wanted me to spend eternity with him.
Ephesians 1:10 says, “This was his purpose: that when the time is ripe he will gather us all together ... to be with him in Christ forever.” Therefore, God’s purpose is first that I become a part of his family, that I get to know him, and then that I spend all of eternity with him.
History is moving toward a climax. One day, God’s going to take everybody who’s put their faith in him and bring them all together to spend eternity with him in Heaven.
This life is merely a preparation for eternity. Ecclesiastes reminds me that God has “set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11a NIV). This means I was made to last forever. I was made for eternity. I am going to live forever. Every human being is going to live forever, however it will be in one of two places: with God in Heaven or apart from God in Hell.
God didn’t just create me for the years I have on this planet. God has long-range plans for my life. Since life here on earth is more about preparation for eternity, God is more interested in preparing me for that time (eternity) than he is in simply making me happy here and now. He loves me and wants me to be happy, but not at the expense of having me be ill-prepared for his eternal plans for me.
All of the experiences I’m having in this life and the opportunity to use my gifts are building my character. So today, I will look at my life and what I experience as a dress rehearsal, prep time and warm-up act for the bigger event. I can get prepared now for eternity by getting to know God, becoming more like Jesus, and letting God use me to fulfill his purpose on Earth.
0 comments:
Post a Comment