He chose us!

Ephesians 1 4-5 tells us "for He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will.

He chose us??? He chose me???? He chose you??? How amazing is that to you? to me it is unimaginable to think that the one who created the universe and all the people in it, who knew in advance who I would be, actually chose me? oh wait a min, that is not the end of the sentence is it... He chose us to be holy and blameless in his sight... well there goes that, right? No way can I be holy or blameless... sigh.... I knew it was too good to be true. So now what? How could God who knows everything choose me to be holy and blameless? it goes on to say he predestined us to be adopted as His sons through jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will. Did I mess that up too by not be holy and blameless? sure seems that way. Sure feels that way... huh?

This is what makes what Jesus did the most amazing thing! this is where we need to look at Jewish laws and customs... Scripture tells us that Jesus is our High Priest, what does that mean? and how does it relate to these verses? Well, in the Jewish temple prior to Jesus death and resurrection the High priest was the one who took the sacrifices into the holy of holies, which was into the presence of God himself. If God was satisfied with the sacrifice and he accepted it on behalf of the people the priest returned to bless the people. if God did not find the sacrifice (or the priest) acceptable God struck him down. Jesus being our High Priest was to say he was our sacrifice. God did find Him an acceptable sacrifice and High Priest, so when God looks at us (or as it says in verse 4 above) that we are holy and blameless in His sight. it is because He (God) is actually looking upon Jesus and not us. that means that I do not need to feel like I cannot live up to being holy and blameless, because I have accepted Jesus as my high priest, He goes before God on my behalf. AMAZING!!! That is the love it talks about in verse 5 when it says in love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ! it is through Jesus Christ that I become like Him, a child of God!!! So much more than I can comprehend... so much more than I could ever live up to... so much more!!!!! Love.... Imagine a love like that.... He chose me and knowing I could not be all I needed to be, to be His child, He provided a way though Jesus for me to become all that He wanted me to be! it is Him not me... this verse says it was in accordance to His pleasure and will... He did it for His pleasure and because He willed it. I will never understand why it was that He believed it would bring Him pleasure to have me for His child...

So let me ask you this... what are you going to do today to bring God pleasure? did you do something yesterday that you know brought pleasure to God? spend some time thinking about that. Join me in making a list of all the things you would like to do to bring God pleasure. then pull out your calendar and add one or two of them to your calendar. schedule time this week to do a couple of things that you know will bring Him pleasure. What a joy to do things for one we love that we know will make them smile. I love the idea of making God smile!!!

Blessings,