"For
we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
“What
we believe about God and what we do for God have a way of getting broken apart
in our lives. The moment the unity of belief and behavior is damaged in any way, we are
incapable of living out the
full humanity for which we were created”
Eugene Peterson
Ephesians
puts belief and behavior back together.
It teaches us that . . .
· I am chosen by God to be holy and blameless.
· God has preemptively forgiven all my past, current and future sin and failure.
· God has adopted me at a great cost to Him.
· God has empowered me with the Power and GPS of His Spirit.
· God has given me his Word (the Bible) so that we can know him better.
· I am told that I can talk to Him and He will listen and act (prayer).
· I am told that I will live forever and that there’s nothing I can do to prevent that.
· I am told God is my Father and that He will never quit on me.
· I am told that He is working for my good at every moment of my life.
· I am told that I am a member of His Body, the Church, part of His forever family.
· I am chosen by God to be holy and blameless.
· God has preemptively forgiven all my past, current and future sin and failure.
· God has adopted me at a great cost to Him.
· God has empowered me with the Power and GPS of His Spirit.
· God has given me his Word (the Bible) so that we can know him better.
· I am told that I can talk to Him and He will listen and act (prayer).
· I am told that I will live forever and that there’s nothing I can do to prevent that.
· I am told God is my Father and that He will never quit on me.
· I am told that He is working for my good at every moment of my life.
· I am told that I am a member of His Body, the Church, part of His forever family.
The
question then becomes why? Is all of that just for me?
What do I do with all of this?
In
chapter 2, verse 10 I learn that am created for a purpose, one that precedes my
actual birth. There
is a huge implication here.
It is this:
if I am unwilling to live out God’s purpose for me then I will be
living a disjointed, conflicted and misdirected life, one which may bear some
fruit because God uses even the unwilling,
but one which will have missed the mark for which it was created.
AND one which will miss the joy of it’s salvation.
It
is in church with my brothers and sisters in Christ, worshipping God, being
taught His Word, where I have my weekly reminder of who and what I am created to
be and to do.
“you
are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you
belong in
God’s household with every other Christian."
Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)
God’s household with every other Christian."
Ephesians 2:19 (TLB)
For
more:
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