A Lenten Reflection
The Security of Being Known
"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. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us." Ephesians 1:3-8
When I was a teenager, and suffering the self doubt and recriminations that I am sure *most* teenagers face, when I had one of those "ah-ha" (epiphany) moments. I was in the midst of wondering about my worth, both to God and to people, when a verse (the one above) resounded in my mind. I knew enough of the Bible to go looking in Ephesians for it, and pondered the phrase, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world " over and over again. The words washing over my soul, calming the tempest I had roused....(don't we all often make our own storms of the soul?)
As I repeated the verses silently, a hope, a glimpse of profound grace, bloomed inside of me.....that God, who had chose me to be His *before* the creation of the world.....held me as having value. He knew before He made me, before He created the stars and planets, what my faults, foibles, follies and wretched moments would be. He knew how I would stumble, how I would sin, how faithless at times I would be...and chose me anyway.
He knew everything and still showed me grace and mercy.
He knew everything and still offered forgiveness.
He knew everything, and still Jesus went, willingly, to the Cross for my redemption.
He knew everything, and still chose me, accordingly with "His pleasure and will" to be in His family, given redemption and forgiveness....and lavishing love upon me.
Those verses above gave me then, and give me now, a reason for rejoicing and a celebration of my foundation of who I am in the Lord. The whole of the Good News is told in those verses....that we do nothing to save ourselves, but that it is " in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us."
God has set us apart, He has saved and redeemed us, because of His grace, which is glorious. He "chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ."
In love and grace.
God gives us so much.....in love and grace.
He accepts us, warts, faults and all, .....in love and grace.
He redeems us.....in love and grace.
He calls us His children.....in love and grace.
Are we worthy? Of all He has done for us? On our own merit....no; but through Christ's righteousness, draped over us, God gives us love, adoption, redemption, forgiveness and grace.
Yet because of Christ, we are now free to approach the Throne of God with confidence, surrendering to Him our hopes and fears, sharing our confidences through prayer, and seeking forgiveness in repentance. God is eager for us to come to Him, indeed He has provided the very means in which we can go to Him with love, calling upon Him as our Father in heaven. He wants us to carry no burden alone, but to bring it before Him. He wants us haunted by no fear, He will help us face them.
As loving, as tender, as gracious, as brave, as protective, as kind, as merciful as any mortal father can be, God is and more. He made us for Himself, and lavishes His love upon us. He knows all about us, what we think, what we love, what we fear, what we hide, and that changes His love not; He is completely faithful.
There is no one else who knows you, all of you, as He does....and there is no one that loves you more.
"Never be ashamed to go and tell God about all your troubles. He knows all about your troubles anyway. We often carry about burdens we do not have to carry. He has not forgotten you. He still wears in His hands the nails of the cross." A.W. Tozer
On towards the Cross,
-Beth Haynes Butler
The Security of Being Known
"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. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us." Ephesians 1:3-8
When I was a teenager, and suffering the self doubt and recriminations that I am sure *most* teenagers face, when I had one of those "ah-ha" (epiphany) moments. I was in the midst of wondering about my worth, both to God and to people, when a verse (the one above) resounded in my mind. I knew enough of the Bible to go looking in Ephesians for it, and pondered the phrase, "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world " over and over again. The words washing over my soul, calming the tempest I had roused....(don't we all often make our own storms of the soul?)
As I repeated the verses silently, a hope, a glimpse of profound grace, bloomed inside of me.....that God, who had chose me to be His *before* the creation of the world.....held me as having value. He knew before He made me, before He created the stars and planets, what my faults, foibles, follies and wretched moments would be. He knew how I would stumble, how I would sin, how faithless at times I would be...and chose me anyway.
He knew everything and still showed me grace and mercy.
He knew everything and still offered forgiveness.
He knew everything, and still Jesus went, willingly, to the Cross for my redemption.
He knew everything, and still chose me, accordingly with "His pleasure and will" to be in His family, given redemption and forgiveness....and lavishing love upon me.
Those verses above gave me then, and give me now, a reason for rejoicing and a celebration of my foundation of who I am in the Lord. The whole of the Good News is told in those verses....that we do nothing to save ourselves, but that it is " in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us."
God has set us apart, He has saved and redeemed us, because of His grace, which is glorious. He "chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ."
In love and grace.
God gives us so much.....in love and grace.
He accepts us, warts, faults and all, .....in love and grace.
He redeems us.....in love and grace.
He calls us His children.....in love and grace.
Are we worthy? Of all He has done for us? On our own merit....no; but through Christ's righteousness, draped over us, God gives us love, adoption, redemption, forgiveness and grace.
Yet because of Christ, we are now free to approach the Throne of God with confidence, surrendering to Him our hopes and fears, sharing our confidences through prayer, and seeking forgiveness in repentance. God is eager for us to come to Him, indeed He has provided the very means in which we can go to Him with love, calling upon Him as our Father in heaven. He wants us to carry no burden alone, but to bring it before Him. He wants us haunted by no fear, He will help us face them.
As loving, as tender, as gracious, as brave, as protective, as kind, as merciful as any mortal father can be, God is and more. He made us for Himself, and lavishes His love upon us. He knows all about us, what we think, what we love, what we fear, what we hide, and that changes His love not; He is completely faithful.
There is no one else who knows you, all of you, as He does....and there is no one that loves you more.
"Never be ashamed to go and tell God about all your troubles. He knows all about your troubles anyway. We often carry about burdens we do not have to carry. He has not forgotten you. He still wears in His hands the nails of the cross." A.W. Tozer
On towards the Cross,
-Beth Haynes Butler
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