Wednesday, April 23, 2008
PTTS: Ephesians 1:3-6
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."
May all praise be to You, the great and mighty God, who alone has the power to bless His children. Sin and the forces of darkness may offer temporal things that seem to benefit me, but they are illusions; they are designed to distract me from the hope of glory to come and also to make me dissatisfied with the provision of Your perfect gifts. Grant that I may seek pleasure in You alone.
Selah.
What splendor!!! Through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been blessed with every blessing. May that thought sink into my heart…'every' spiritual blessing! There is no good gift that I lack. Indeed, should I be discontent, should I think that God has forsaken me in any way, then I sin against His goodness and the promise of His Word.
Father, let me be a testimony to those around me of this great truth. Let my actions show that I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. Let me not complain of my lot in life. Let me not show forth greed and lust for things that are contrary to the holiness of the Law of Christ. Forgive me for sinning in this manner and for giving the world another reason to think that the Christian faith is just another mere religious institution. Let me be convinced that nothing good will ever come from sin and that the perfect supply of blessing for every need in my life has been supplied by my Lord Jesus Christ.
Should I ever wonder how I am blessed in so great a measure, use Your Word to convince me. Let me know that as a believer in Christ, I have been chosen by You before the foundations of the world. As such, my assurance is secure. There is nothing I can fail to do to lose your love, for You have not chosen to bless me so richly based upon my own actions, but by Your sovereign grace. It is through this grace that I stand before you holy and blameless, for I have been united with Christ, the Holy One.
Let me know that I have been adopted as a son by You through the kindness of the will of Jesus Christ. Therefore, even with the Apostle Paul, I cry out with praise to You for Your glorious grace to me. Loose my tongue that I may sing and speak of Your glories. Glory to God for the every blessing bestowed upon all believers in the Gospel freely through the Beloved, Jesus our Lord!
Amen.
Posted by
Steve
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Praying Through the Scriptures