Wednesday October 7
‘Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.’ So said the Apostle Paul in his letter to the people of Ephesus. Originally a Greek city, Ephesus is now near the western coast of Turkey. Paul travelled far and wide throughout Europe to spread the ‘Word of God’ and tell people about Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
What an honour has been bestowed on us – to be chosen by God to be his people! Because of his great love, God had already decided that through Jesus Christ, he would make us his sons and daughters and to this day we are in receipt of his grace and his blessings. This also means that Jesus is our brother!
Spiritual and heavenly blessings are the best blessings, with which we cannot be miserable. We are one family with
God as our Father and we can also share in his glory, along with Jesus who graciously sacrificed His life for us and we are invited to share in that grace, freely given. But, you might ask, ‘What exactly is the glory of God?’ This is a difficult question which many have puzzled over. One definition is that ‘The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.” I would prefer to describe God’s glory as something similar to the ‘Northern Lights’ (Aurora Borealis), a beautiful spectacle, but Psalm 19 v 1-6 explains God’s Glory better than I can. Please read it, if you are able.
God also gave us the Spirit as a seal and a pledge – a seal to mark ownership so that nothing could ever separate us from the love of God, and a pledge or guarantee to confirm all the promises that God has made to us.
The Bible tells us that to be chosen by God, simply means that at some point God made the choice for something to happen according to His perfect wisdom, foreknowledge, and will. We have to remember that God has known, since ‘the creation’, what our choices would be in any given situation. Because of this, He also knows how to accomplish His perfect will, while still allowing people to make choices, either good or bad. Romans 8:28-30
Regardless of our choices, we are the treasured people of God and as such we should love and care for and treasure one another just as we are loved and treasured. Amen.
What an honour has been bestowed on us – to be chosen by God to be his people! Because of his great love, God had already decided that through Jesus Christ, he would make us his sons and daughters and to this day we are in receipt of his grace and his blessings. This also means that Jesus is our brother!
Spiritual and heavenly blessings are the best blessings, with which we cannot be miserable. We are one family with
God as our Father and we can also share in his glory, along with Jesus who graciously sacrificed His life for us and we are invited to share in that grace, freely given. But, you might ask, ‘What exactly is the glory of God?’ This is a difficult question which many have puzzled over. One definition is that ‘The glory of God is the infinite beauty and greatness of God’s manifold perfections.” I would prefer to describe God’s glory as something similar to the ‘Northern Lights’ (Aurora Borealis), a beautiful spectacle, but Psalm 19 v 1-6 explains God’s Glory better than I can. Please read it, if you are able.
God also gave us the Spirit as a seal and a pledge – a seal to mark ownership so that nothing could ever separate us from the love of God, and a pledge or guarantee to confirm all the promises that God has made to us.
The Bible tells us that to be chosen by God, simply means that at some point God made the choice for something to happen according to His perfect wisdom, foreknowledge, and will. We have to remember that God has known, since ‘the creation’, what our choices would be in any given situation. Because of this, He also knows how to accomplish His perfect will, while still allowing people to make choices, either good or bad. Romans 8:28-30
Regardless of our choices, we are the treasured people of God and as such we should love and care for and treasure one another just as we are loved and treasured. Amen.
Prayer: Loving God, who made us in your image, we give you thanks for your many blessings. Help us, heavenly Father, to be the people you would like us to be; faithful, peace-loving and approachable, that we may love, care for and serve your people wherever and however we find them. You made us to live together in community and we pray for our community and the various communities of which we personally are a part. May we shape a community of mutual respect, service and creativity and make us, Lord, a community of grace in all we do and say. Amen
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Scottish Charity Number SC007453
Scottish Charity Number SC007453
