Ephesians 1:3-6 (NRSV)
Read Ephesians 1:3-6 on biblegateway.com
Verse 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, Verse 4just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. Verse 5He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, Verse 6to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Devotion
God chose us "before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before God in love." Wow! Forever, God has loved us. Forever, God destined us to be God's children. Forever, we will live with God in the freedom of forgiveness! These verses, and those that follow through Verse 14, overflow with praise for all of the unbelievable gifts of love God has given us. Even on our Lenten journey, it is good to be reminded that it is precisely because of this abundant generosity that we are dedicated to responding to it--in joy, in a renewed commitment to serve and with a life of praise!
Prayer
We are in awe, O God, as we experience your steadfast, eternal love each day. Amen.