A Life in ChristSample

LIVE IN ABUNDANCE 

Ephesians 1:3-14

“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence. ”(Ephesians 1:7-8)

You must have seen a beggar. Some people give alms to them, and the others do not want to help them. They might think that those beggars are too lazy to work or fraudsters who get rich from begging. They might also think that those beggars are members of a beggar syndicate. The thought that others will abuse our gifts blinds some of us so we are reluctant to be generous.

That is not the case with God. In Christ, God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (verse 3). Here, we may think that it is only natural that God will bless those who believe in Him. But if we look at the context, it turns out that the Lord chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (verse 4). His generosity is there for us – even before we were on this earth.

Moreover, God made that choice “in all wisdom and prudence.” (verse 8).  He knows everything about us, including our sins, transgressions, and wrongdoings – yet He chooses to "predestine us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (verse 5). Our potential to misuse His grace does not undo everything He has ordained for our lives.

Reflection:

1. Have you ever seen or even met a beggar in person? What do you think about that person? Did you give alms to him?

2. How will you live when you know God's grace abounds in your life?

Application:

Let's learn to live as children of God by giving ourselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we can glorify God by living generously towards our neighbours.