By the will of God

Ephesians 1:1-14

¹ This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.

I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

³ 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. ⁴ Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. ⁵ 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. ⁶ So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. ⁷ He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. ⁸ He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

⁹ God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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.

¹² God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. ¹³ 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. ¹⁴ 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.

In reading this passage I didn’t even get past the first line before I was encouraged! Paul starts this letter off with such a declaration of identity, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” What authority there is when we stop and realize that when we live as God has called us to, in His ways, following His leading, then we are in the will of God and what God wills, His purposes, no one can stop. Amen to that!

Bethany, a witness of Christ Jesus by the will of God; Bethany, a teacher by the will of God; a wife by the will of God; a daughter by the will of God; a friend by the will of God…. It goes on and on.

Lord, thank you that you fill me with vision and purpose and thank you that you have given me a life worth living. Help me each day to walk in this reality: as I walk in your ways I am walking in your will and no one can stand in the way of your will. I’m so glad Lord to be a part of your plans, which are so much grander than I can imagine. Thank you that my life counts in the story you are writing. Amen.  

Written by Bethany Waugh

Have a look at this great Bible Project video about Ephesians here.