Ephesians 1:3-7
3All 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. 4Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5God 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. 6So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
Ephesians 1:3-7 · NLT · read the whole chapter ↗
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Context
Paul wrote this letter to believers in Ephesus, a big city full of temples and status. he opens with one long sentence of praise.
in the Greek, verses 3 to 14 are a single sentence. Paul piles up what God has already done for people who trust Jesus.
everything in this list is a gift. none of it depends on how well the readers had been doing.
What it means
your identity starts with what God has done. before you earn a grade or a spot on a team, God already chose you and calls you his child.
did you know? Paul wrote Ephesians while he was under arrest, so this praise came from a hard place.
Think about it
what do you usually use to measure your worth?
Try this
write verse 5 on a card and read it before school each morning this week.
pray: God, thank you for choosing me. help me believe what you say about me.
talk about it: what changes when you see yourself as adopted by God?