What is God Like?


Image result for God chose you

 Ephesians 1:3 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. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

 Paul starts his letter to the church in Ephesus.  Ephesus was Paul's home for three years.  It was located on a strategic trade route and attracted many visitors and had a high culture. It was a leading center of the Roman empire.  Most commentators think Paul is in prison when he writes this letter.  Unlike Paul's letter to the Galatians, his letter to the church at Ephesus didn't focus on one particular issue, but was a letter applicable to all the churches in this area of Asia Minor.   Ephesians starts with the beautiful verses above which highlight how God has chosen us and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 

 What strikes me in this passage is God's overarching purpose in creating us was to show us his great love and desire to share with us all things.  Look at the some of the ways Paul writes about this. 

 1. God chose us before the Creation of the world.  
2. In love he predestined us and adopted us.
3. In accordance with his pleasure and will. 
4. The riches of God's grace lavished upon us in Christ. 
5. He made known the mystery of his will, according to His good pleasure. 

 Do you see in these verses a stingy, miserly and judgmental God?  No, you see a God who delights in the crown of His creation, you and me.  You see a God who doesn't withhold goodness and grace but freely lavishes on those he loves. God has a plan and purpose for our lives and has set us apart to be holy and special.  

 I wish more people in the world saw this side of God.  Maybe they might be more open to learning about His Son.  Maybe if our churches talked more about this kind of God, more people might want to listen.  Maybe if more young people developed their identity around this kind of God who loves them and adopts them as their own, there would be less suicide.  This is the God we need to proclaim and live our lives for.  Why settle for any lesser version of God?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

Image
6  “About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.   7  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me,  ‘Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?’  8  “‘Who are you, Lord?’ I asked.  “  ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth,  whom you are persecuting,’  he replied.   9  My companions saw the light,  but they did not understand the voice  of him who was speaking to me.  10  “‘What shall I do, Lord?’ I asked. “  ‘Get up,’  the Lord said,  ‘and go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. This is the famous story of the apostle Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus.  Paul was going there to persecute Jewish Christians and throw them into prison and he meets Jesus is a spectacular way.  Not only is he blinded by a briliant light, but he hears the Lord's voice audibly.  And the Lord asks him, "Lord, Lord why are you persecuting me!"  Paul thought he was serving the Lord, but he was persecuting him b
Read more

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Click Here to Read or Listen to 2 Timothy 4 4 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. Paul gives a closing charge to Timothy. First of all, he is to preach the word. God's Word speaks to all situations and seasons. The Word of God will sometimes correct us. Our lives can get of out alignment with God's will as outlined in
Read more

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?

Click Here to Read or Listen to Hebrews 6 6 Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so. The author once again picks up with the theme of moving on to Christian maturity.  He teaches them to move on from the "elementary" teachings about Christ. What does he mean by that?  He gives clues by citing repentance, faith, cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, and teaching on the judgment and resurrection from the dead. We might call these the basics of the Christian faith. If you read through the Apostle's Creed, which our church confesses in our 8am service, it contains many of these core doctrines.  Click here to see the Apostle's Creed Written Around “When we consider the
Read more