Breakfast For Your Soul

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.  All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 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. So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us His mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill His own good pleasure. And this is the plan: At the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.  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. 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. Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 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.  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.  I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.  God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church.  And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself.
[Ephesians 1:2-23]

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK pt. 2 

Still unpacking this loaded verse!  Take another look.  Everything Paul said was directed to this Ephesian Church, and I believe it is a Word that speaks to us here in the 21st century as well.  He said they were blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because they were united with Christ… and so are we.  Our position in Him determines our destiny.  No matter what it looks like, if we take another look at the Word of our beautiful Savior we are over-comers. Many in the Body of Christ are beginning to stretch themselves and discover things about themselves they never knew before.  They are starting to try new things, branch into new jobs, learn new hobbies, travel to different places.  All of this, I believe is a set-up to position us where we need to be.  Everyone is not supposed to go into full-time preaching ministry.  Somebody needs to be a power-broker for Jesus.  Somebody needs to be a Godly Chef.  Somebody needs to be a teacher with the heart of God, and a heart for children.  Take another look at life.  Just take a moment to look back and see where the Lord has brought you from.  Now look at where you are and begin to set the wheels in motion for where God is going to take you. He has placed the vision on the inside of us.  Habbakuk said that “the vision will come to pass and it will not be delayed“.  It is for an “appointed” time.  Even before world began, God knew the plan that He had purposed for our life.  The thing is, though He has the Plan, He will not impose or force it on us.  We have to be willing to accept it.  That gives us some skin in the game.  There is a balance.  He will never do what He have given us authority to do, and we can’t do the things that only He can.  Wisdom and discernment will make clear to us what those things are.  I have a friend who wanted a baby.  The doctors had done all that they could.  It looked like his wife would never be able to conceive… but God.. their new little girl just celebrated her 2nd birthday.  God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ever ask or think.  She surpassed the doctors expectations.  They said she would have all kinds of health issues due to deficiencies… she doesn’t.  She is healthy, strong and smart as a whip.  Take another look at our beautiful Savior!  Our Champion… He is doing exploits through those who will allow Him to show Himself strong on their behalf!

Have A Fabulous Day!