Belonging In Christ
In Christ... YOU BELONG
There's a deep cry in every human heart: a longing to belong. We see it in songs like Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me," and we feel it when we're picked last for the team.
This longing can cause us to live like Leah in Genesis 29, constantly striving to earn acceptance and prove our worth. Many Christians live this way, striving for God's love instead of resting in it.
Ephesians 1 shatters this foundation of striving. It's a declaration of who we already are, not who we must become. This is your true identity.
1. The Father Chose You
Your existence isn't an accident. Before the foundation of the world, the Father chose you in love. His choice wasn't based on your performance; it was based on His grace. You are set apart, holy, blameless, and adopted as His child. You are "accepted in the Beloved."
"...even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ..." (Eph. 1:4-5)
2. The Son Redeemed You
Your worth isn't defined by your mistakes. In Christ, you have redemption through His blood. This means your debt is paid, your sins are forgiven, and your freedom has been purchased. This isn't a small gift; it's according to the "riches of His grace" which He has lavished upon us.
"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..." (Eph. 1:7)
3. God's Plan is to Unite All Things
Your life is not random or meaningless. God has a grand, cosmic plan: to unite all things in heaven and on earth under the authority of Christ. And the amazing news is that He has made this plan known to us and made us a part of it. Your story is part of His much bigger story.
4. You Have an Inheritance
Your future is secure. Because you are "in Christ," you have obtained an inheritance. This isn't just about heaven "one day"; it's about a grand, eternal life that is part of His unshakeable purpose. We are His, and our lives are meant to be "to the praise of His glory."
This Week's Foundation
This is your foundation. It's not something to achieve, but something to believe. This week, stop striving and instead sit and ponder these truths:
The Father chose you.
Ponder this: You are holy, blameless, and completely accepted in the Beloved.
The Son redeemed you.
Ponder this: Your debt is paid by His blood. Your freedom is purchased.
You are part of God's plan.
Ponder this: God's plan is to unite all things in Christ, and you are a part of that plan.
