January 19 – To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

January 19 – To the Praise of His Glorious Grace

Ephesians 1:3-6

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 to be adopted as his sons 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.

Grace was real for Paul.  When he wrote about the gifts he received, his heart poured out on the pages.  When he wrote letters to his churches, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and released that into his words.

His opening words to the church at Ephesus have been called a paean of praise. What a beautiful definition of these words.

Paul declared that God was the Father of Jesus Christ.  There is no doubt that the Messiah has come to earth in the form of a man in order to bring salvation.

God has blessed us in the heavenly realms.  His salvation comes through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, in order that we may receive the blessings of heaven.  Without salvation through his work on the cross, we have no access to God, we can not be in His presence.

Before God created the world, He made a choice.  Humanity could either live and die and remain earthbound, or He could draw us to Himself.  Because of His great love for us, that goes beyond eternity, God chose to adopt us as his sons … through Jesus Christ. We aren't servants who are sent away at the end of the day, we are children of God who are invited to stay. He adopted us.

For this, we praise Him.  His grace and love were freely given to each of us.

Praise the Lord.