Thoughts for the Day

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today we look at another letter from Paul to the churches around Ephesus. Addresses on "letters" (ie on scrolls) were not written until much later, so this was likely sent as a "round robin", and written while Paul was a prisoner in Rome. He argues that these new Christians have been "chosen" by God.

Our Bible shows that God has always chosen people. He chose Abram, as the father of His people and made a covenant with him. He chose Isaac to renew the covenant and not his half-brother Ishmael (although God made an agreement with his mother that he would "greatly multiply your offspring"). Centuries later Jonah was chosen - to call the warlike Assyrians in Nineveh to repentance - and at first he chose to ignore God's command.

In his Epistle Paul reminds us that we too have been chosen by God, and he points out the good things we have been given:

• We have been chosen through Christ to be God's children.
• We were slaves to sin but have been 'bought back' (redeemed) through the death of Jesus.
• We have been forgiven our sin.

Our response is to this must be to praise God each day.

Heavenly Father,
we praise You for all Your blessings to us:
that You chose to rescue us from our sin,
and unite us with Yourself as Your children,
through the death of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
even though we did not deserve such a rescue;
that You forgive us again and again;
and that You call us into a close relationship with You.
May we grow to be worthy of these blessings,
and continue to worship You each day.
Amen.