Welcome!
Passage: Ephesians 1, Prov 25
3 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. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. (Ephesians 1, NIV 84)-emphasis added
Love, Grace, (blameless), blessing, (chosen), predestined….all come from God
For some reason, some people get “stuck”/ stumble upon one word-“predestined”
It is clear that God does it out of love; it is not God’s wish that anyone should perish, even as all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory
God calls all; only some respond. That is not God’s fault
It is the same power manifested at the resurrection of Jesus, which God saves us with. It is that power which is manifested in us
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. (Rom 8, NIV)
The spirit that raised Jesus from death is in us; that spirit can heal our spirit, soul and body. We may go through sufferings, but the end is not the cross. There is hope beyond that; there is life-eternal. Cross is only a means to that (eternal) life
The other day, a sister was sharing her testimony of God’s work in her even without a certain (Chemo) treatment
There are many of our own, going through sufferings of various kinds
At the same time, we also hear great stories of healing and deliverance
The basic thing is God’s power and God’s love/grace. The moment we feel we are O.K even without Christ, the big problem starts
The pride, ego and the “competition spirit” in us must come down. That comes from the devil. If Jesus is ruling our hearts, there will be peace and humility
Can we say, “Lord, I will no longer be busy finding fault with the other person; instead, I will only look at you Lord Jesus, and then at myself”
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about[a] himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (Luke 18, NIV 84)
Jesus was more pleased with the prayer of the sinner, than that of the Pharisee’s (which looks very much like what we think of ourselves!)
Let our hearts be filled with the Love and the resurrection power of Christ!
Let that love and anointing fill us and flow through us, to others
God’s peace and blessings!
BG
Prayer: That God will work His way in and through us
Proverbs: Prov 25 (verses below from NIV 84)
2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
11 A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.
15 Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone.
25 Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.
28 Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.