Called and Chosen - Understanding Your Identity and Destiny in ChristНамуна

Chosen

Have you ever played a team game where the captains select in turn who they would like to be on their team? We all like to be one of the first ones chosen, don’t we?

Ephesians tells how God chose us to be on His team and not as an afterthought. He chose you even before He said, “Let there be light.”

We are going to look at how and why we have been chosen and what implications our new DNA in Christ has on how we live.

Verse 3 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

Thanksgiving is always a good place to start.

What is Paul thanking God for? He is thanking God for our amazing salvation. Let’s make it a practice to thank Him daily for our great salvation.

Who is this God, and why does Paul say "God and Father?"

Paul could have said God only, and it would have been enough. God is God of the entire cosmos. However, God moves from being the God of the universe to our God.

When did God become our Father?

God became our Father when we received Christ. He was not our Father before that. The sin of Eden had eternal ramifications on mankind. Sin separated us from God and broke our relationship with Him. Jesus, who is God, became a man and lived a sinless life. He died a horrible death on the cross as we should have. But he took our place to break the sentence of damnation that hung over each of our heads. His death restored us into a relationship with Father God. We have been purchased by the blood of Jesus. Once we lived in hostility to God and were doomed to hell and were cut off from any access to His presence.

"..Who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ."

He is not just any Father. He is a good, good father who has blessed us more than we can ever imagine with every spiritual blessing.

Our life as Christ-follower starts and ends with God at the center of our very being. We are “in Christ.” Where is Jesus right now? He is at the right hand of the Father. So, if we are in Christ, we too are seated in heavenly places in Christ. We are blessed and have access to unlimited divine favor because we belong to Him

That is why we can call God Father just as Jesus calls Him Father.

REFLECT:

Thank God that you can call God Father.

Can you name five things that you have been blessed with because you belong to Jesus?

Make it a habit to start each day thanking God for five things.