This Is The Plan

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And this is the plan...
Ephesians 1:10

The first chapter of Ephesians is full of the most amazing truths about the gospel. Here in this short chapter, the 'mysterious plan' that was hidden since the beginning of the world, has now been revealed!

And the plan goes something like this:

God chose us before time to be holy before Him (v4), because He loves us. He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus. This gave Him great pleasure (v5). This plan reveals how rich God is towards us. How kind! How generous and merciful! (v7-8). At the right time, God is going to bring everything under the Lordship of Jesus, and we are receiving an inheritance with Him because we are united with Jesus (v10-11). The Holy Spirit is given to us as a guarantee of that inheritance so that.... we would praise Him (v14). God has now placed Jesus above all things for our benefit, and we the church are His body (v22-23).

I love that all this gives God pleasure (v5). It is completely stunning that God has such amazing purposes for the church, and that the constant focus of the Bible is on one thing; the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Often I cannot get my head around the fact that a man who walked the earth for 33 years is in fact the One who was present in Genesis 1 and receives the cries of Revelation, 'Worthy is the Lamb'. He is now placed in authority above all things, and will receive worship for ever and ever. The wonderful plan of OUR salvation will result in endless worship and praise in heaven directed towards one Person. We recite these truths often in our creed almost weekly and yet the mind can barely grasp it.

Today I am challenged to remember that it's not about me. It's not about my fulfillment, healing, blessing, but about Him and Him only. I need to let go and forget about my petty desires and complaints. I need to remember that He is God. He is not there to serve me and my needs, but my life should be made nothing in order to make Him increase. Come Holy Spirit!
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Comments

Regina said…
Amen. Wonderful post.
Have a great weekend.
12 June 2010 at 03:41
Suz. said…
"Today I am challenged to remember that it's not all about me" -- this is the hardest thing, I think. We can worship and adore God, and yet, since we struggle in human-land, we remain in human day-to-day living with all its self-serving tugs and gravitational pulls. It is hard, yet he is good and he has given us a helper! Amazing.
12 June 2010 at 16:14
Pietro Brosio said…
"Often I cannot get my head around the fact that a man who walked the earth for 33 years is in fact the One who was present in Genesis 1 and receives the cries of Revelation, 'Worthy is the Lamb'. He is now placed in authority above all things, and will receive worship for ever and ever".
I fully agree with your words. I'm amazed too. A good 2000 years have passed and Jesus has been, is and will be the basis of the world.
12 June 2010 at 19:19
Steve said…
Where did you get the boat plan from? Is it meant to be Noah's Ark?!
15 June 2010 at 22:57
deena said…
Well written Mike.It is indeed all about Jesus.God's intention is to form a body which is the church to express Christ's fullness on earth-His wisdom ,power and love.I do like the sequence the blessings are enumerated : chosen. blameless, adopted, accepted, forgiven, predestined and sealed.
18 June 2010 at 13:27
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