I have summarized what I am learning from Ephesians 1-3. As I was reading, I placed the individual points into one of the three categories below. (There was some repetition, but I only listed them once.) I've changed the pronouns from "You" to "I" to make it personal.
Because I...
- Listened to the message of the truth of Jesus Christ and believed, now
In Christ...
- I was chosen before the creation of the world.
- I was predestined to be adopted as a son.
- I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
- I am redeemed through His blood.
- I am forgiven of my sins.
- I am a fellow citizen in God's household.
- I have freely been given His His grace.
- I have been shown His will in regard to things to come and the summing up of all things.
- I have an inheritance.
- I have been sealed with the Holy Spirit.
- I have the surpassing greatness of His power and the strength of His might.
- I have been made alive with Christ, raised with Him, and seated with Him.
- I have access in the Spirit to the Father and can boldly and confidently access Him.
So That...
- The glory of His grace will be praised.
- In the ages to come, the surpassing riches of His Grace in kindness towards us will be shown.
- I will be holy and blameless before Him.
- I will walk in the good works He's prepared in advance for me.
- We'd be fitted together to grow into a holy temple in the Lord and into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Wow! What amazing Chapters! It goes back and forth so much in the plain reading of it that I was getting lost - listing things out like this really helps me. I think I will post this beside my bed to read often.
In the midst of that great truth, there are two fantastic prayers. I pray them for all of us this morning:
Dear God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, I pray You might give my friends & I spiritual wisdom and revelation in our growing knowledge of You, since the eyes of our hearts have been enlightened, so that we may fully know the hope of Your calling, the wealth of Your glorious inheritance in the saints, and the incomprable greatness of Your power toward us who believe, as displayed in the exercise of your immense strength when You raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at Your right hand in the heavenly places.
I kneel before You, Father, from whom every family in Heaven and on the earth is named. I pray that according to the wealth of Your glory You would grant us strength with power in our inner man through Your Spirit. I pray that Christ would dwell in our hearts through faith so that, because we are rooted and grounded in love, we might be able to comprehend together the bredth and length and height and depth of Your love. I pray we will know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge and be filled up to all the fullness of You.
God, You are able to do far beyond all that we ask or think. Thank You for Your power that is working in us. To You be the glory in our church in in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
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