In HIM...we have... - Ephesians 1:7-14

When growing up, there were many things that I took for granted and did not realize that I had. However, it was because I was a child of my parents and a part of the family that I benefited from their love and provisions. Because of my parents, I had a roof over my head, food on my plate, clothes on my back, shoes on my feet, education, transportation, a church, etc. Nonetheless, all that was nowhere near the blessing that God bestows upon us through our inheritance in Him. 

What are we doing with our inheritance, our inheritance in Christ? 

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Ephesians 1:7-14
⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸ which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
¹¹ In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹² so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
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Redemption…through blood. We see that Jesus paid the ransom, the full cost, for our sins by suffering and shedding His blood on the cross. He delivered us by paying the ultimate price for our sins, which resulted in forgiveness. Moreover, Jesus ‘lavished’ us with the riches of His grace. Because of His ‘undying’ love for us, He has bestowed upon us the abundant, excessive, and profuse riches of grace. We are so incredibly undeserving of His grace, but that’s why it is called grace. We can take joy in the claim that we are now children of God.

Not only are we richly blessed with grace, but God provides us the wisdom to see the mystery of His will. As we see in James 1, we only need to ask, in faith, for wisdom. God will grant it to us; however, this may be through trials where God stretches our boundaries to grow us and gain wisdom of His will in our lives. Again, all this leads back to Christ, the Son of God. The freedom of God’s grace was once hidden from all because sin separated us from God, but now it is revealed, and all have equal access. But why does Paul tell us these things? Because all things are to be united in Him, both heaven and earth. It is ALL things UNITED in Christ because of Christ. God desires to spend eternity with us because we are His adopted children. We, as Christians, need to be encouraging to one another and love without exception.
 
Furthermore, we are the praise of His glory. We obtained the ultimate inheritance from the Father, who gives so abundantly. Additionally, we are the inheritance of God, and He paid an incredible price to adopt us as His children. We are that valuable to Him. So, do not be discouraged when trouble or tough times fall upon you. You have been paid for and bought with the blood of Christ. He will meet you where you are at. But, we must trust in God when we are tested. We much confide in Him with prayer and come humbly to Him. The more we align with His will, the more we live in Him. 

The best part of all is that we are promised the Holy Spirit once we believe in Him and the truth of the Gospel. The Holy Spirit will be with us until we are called home to be with God or when Jesus returns. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee from God. He provides one of the Divine Trinity to be with us always. As we saw in Galatians, we are to be led by the Spirit and walk in Him. God stamped and sealed our adoption paperwork once we submitted to Him in faith. We are officially His.

Therefore, let us remember that God did all of this for us. He wanted to adopt all of us, but He can richly bless those who submit to Him in faith. He will provide His will for our lives, and we only need to seek Him and ask. We are His prized purchase and are encouraged to make disciples and spread His love to all the world. So, encourage those around you and build each other up in unity through Christ because it is all for the praise of His glory.