Thought for July 12, 2023

 1843: Joseph Smith, Mormon, says God allows polygamy

Born: Thoreau, George Eastman, Bill Cosby

Died: Erasmus, Alexander Hamilton, Charle Rolls [Rolls Royce], 

Thought:

Reading Ephesians 1:3-14 again today. Sorry for being stuck, but these verses are so rich and deep. Paul told us that in Christ we were blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. Then he listed some of those blessings: chosen, adopted, redeemed, given an inheritance, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Now go back through these verses and notice with me some motivating words:

  • God has a purpose. We were chosen with a purpose. [1:4] God's purpose for our lives is that we live holy and blameless. Rick Warren wrote a book called "A Purpose Driven Life." In this verse, God tells us what our purpose should be--be holy and blameless before Him. How can we do that? Only through the resurrection power available in Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit. Praise God--He gave us both of those. And notice, when we live holy and blameless we are living praises to His glory. [1:12]
  • God is love. Love drove our adoption by God. [1:4-5] "God so loved the world." This makes me ask myself, "what drives me every day?" Is it love? 
  • God is kind and His kindness directs His will toward us. [1:5] Read Psalm 136 today. This was a song to be sung antiphonally--one choir would sing "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good" and the other would respond, "His lovingkindness is everlasting." I am reminded that Galatians 5:22 says that the fruit of the Spirit includes kindness. Years ago a commentary said that the word "kindness" had a root word of "kin." We Southerners know about kinfolk. The point of the commentator was that we are to act like out kin--if we are born again, if we are new creatures in Christ, if we are adopted children of God, then we should act like our kin. 
  • God is gracious. [1:6] Choosing us and adopting us was an act of the grace of God. We could not earn it, never deserved it--it was grace alone. My mind is singing "Grace Alone which God supplies; strength unknown He will provide; Christ in us, our cornerstone; we will go forth in grace alone."
  • God is wisdom. [1:8] There is no wisdom aside from God. He makes the wise of the world foolish, and the wise of the world call His way foolish. God, in His wisdom, has a plan for us--summing up all things in Christ. For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. [Romans 11:36]
Blessings
Larry

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