Here’s what I know for sure: I am chosen by God, I am a child of the King, I am redeemed by His blood, I have an inheritance as a child of God, and the Holy Spirit lives in me. What an exciting and freeing message of the Gospel, and it’s available to everyone.
7-10 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. 11-12 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:7-12, MSG)
As I sat in these verses a second time dig out the information that was there, here is what I found,
| FREEDOM | SLAVERY | GOD’S PLAN |
|---|---|---|
| we’re free because Christ paid the ransom | penalties & punishments because of our misdeeds | sacrifice of the Messiah, death on altar of Cross |
| we possess abundant freedom | absolutely free, no strings attached | provides everything we could possibly need |
| God’s long-range plan for us was freedom | we chose slavery to sin; he redeemed us and paid off all our debts | bring everything today, in deepest heaven and on planet earth |
| we learn who we are & what we live for | we are slaves to sin no longer | God works out everything for everyone |
I wrote what God spoke to me through these verses in the first paragraph of this blog. Here’s my doodle:
Pray with me: Lord, may each of us know that You love us all absolutely, with a value that You assigned to each of us by sending Your Son to die for us. You declared that each one of us is worth the price of our freedom. May we not be passive Christians, but disciples—followers in the footsteps of Christ. Give us your wisdom to think how Jesus thinks, to speak how Jesus speaks, and to do what Jesus does. May we live an abundant, transformed lives. We lift our hands and voices in praise to You. Amen.
Kathleen S Evenhouse 