photo: weekly snaps
graphics: Martha G. Brady
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places,
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world,
that we should be holy and blameless before him.
In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ,
according to the purpose of his will,
to the praise of his glorious grace,
with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.
In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight
making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose,
which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time,
to unite all things in him,
things in heaven and things on earth.
Ephesians 1:3-10
As our small Bible study met this morning, a few of us were very down…for good reason. We prayed together over those things, then did our study. This is part of what we were studying. Is it any wonder that when we left, our spirits were lifted despite the fact that nothing had changed in our circumstances?
When we leave it all behind and follow Jesus,
what do we gain?
Some of our benefits are found right in this part of Ephesians!
There are things like In Christ, we have every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
And what about the forgiveness of our sins/trespasses?
The riches of His grace which He lavished on us in all wisdom and insight!
These are just a few of the wonderful things that are ours when we ask Christ to take over our lives. STOP
What did we leave behind?
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked,
following the course of this world,
following the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh,
carrying out the desires of the body and the mind,
and were by nature children of wrath,
like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:1-3
Be encouraged today, as we were in our Bible study, as you read the wonderful resources that are yours in Christ now!
