Chosen & Wanted

5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ~ephesians 1:5-6~

observation

We are not a by-product of time + matter + chance, God chose us, before we ever knew of His redemptive love, the grace that we know was something that made Him happy because we have come to accept His Son, Jesus.

Application

Loving on others and hoping we, too, can share of God’s love and what it means to us, has done for us, and what it can mean to those He has placed in our lives.

Identity & Promise

13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. ~ephesians 1:13-14~

Observation

We, you and I, are called as His own - people, family, child, all because we came to believe that Jesus was the Christ, the Savior of the world and us. He provided us His Spirit, as a gift, ultimately to help guide our lives so that He gets all the glory and praise - whether from us and those who do not believe.

Application

How can we not accept this awesome gift and not live out our lives to honor him. That we can be a blessing to others by sharing it with them.

Ask & Understand

17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. ~ephesians 1:17-18~

Observation

Like the other books where Jesus says we lack simply because we do not ask, nor believe it can be done - why do we not simply just do it. We, too, need to ask for wisdom, for discernment and understanding so that we can take the hope we have and share it with others.

Application

We must learn to ask, in all situations, whatever is our hearts - that is as long as it is in alignment with The Word, and believe. With the hope that springs forth, the living water that never ends we live out our lives that others can know we rules our hearts.

Prayer

Father God, may all of what you teach in this book be lived out by myself and my brothers here in this group. We are chosen, you want us for yourself, our identity is in you, we can trust your promises, and we humbly ask to help us live out our lives that you receive all the glory, honor, and praise, from our lips and those whom we are around. In Jesus’ matchless name we pray, amen!