Our Salvation, Our Foundation - Eph. 1:1-14
"...to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory." (Eph. 1:12)
We exist for the praise of God's glory! This first section of Ephesians is all about God's glory and what causes His glory to be praised. What is it? Us! Our salvation is supposed to point to God's magnificent glory. Why? Because when Adam and Eve sinned it looked like we would be separated from Him for all time. He couldn't walk with Adam and Eve anymore, but He has orchestrated everything so that He can again be with His people for the praise of His glory. Not only can He walk with His people once again, He has made us His dwelling place!
"...to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory." (Eph. 1:12)
We exist for the praise of God's glory! This first section of Ephesians is all about God's glory and what causes His glory to be praised. What is it? Us! Our salvation is supposed to point to God's magnificent glory. Why? Because when Adam and Eve sinned it looked like we would be separated from Him for all time. He couldn't walk with Adam and Eve anymore, but He has orchestrated everything so that He can again be with His people for the praise of His glory. Not only can He walk with His people once again, He has made us His dwelling place!
Paul emphasizes God and His work - no praise goes to us for being saved. We play a very small role in our salvation (just listen and believe [v 13]), but the love and grace that He pours out on us is lavish indeed! We are redeemed, forgiven, blessed, chosen to be holy and blameless before Him, predestined to be His adopted 'sons', given knowledge of His will to give Christ authority over everything, given an inheritance by Him and sealed as one of His with the Holy Spirit. It doesn't seem fair, and is overwhelming, but His plan was never meant to be fair. His plan to save us through Christ was perfect - He alone makes it possible to receive ANYTHING from the Father. Enjoy it! Bask in this identity you've been given through Christ: God's holy, blameless, chosen and redeemed child. This is our foundation. When we stand firm in who He says we are, then we will be able to endure any adversity, all for the praise of His magnificent glory!
Pray:
Father, You are glorious indeed! All Your works are perfect, and Your plan is perfect. I pray that my salvation would bring praise to Your glory and greatness, both from me and those around me who do not know You. Help me believe more deeply that I am who You say I am, not to be shaken by the opinions of others. In Your Name, Amen.
Challenge:
Take a few minutes to read this passage and think about these three questions:
1) What are God's works and His role in our salvation?
2) What does the passage say about us, as well as our role in salvation?
3) Where is Christ in all of this?
CLIMB DAY 1
Are we really doing this?! The Climb 20 team is! As surreal as the thought of climbing Kilimanjaro has been over the past months, today the reality comes closer. Team members not from the Atlanta area flew in yesterday to join in on last minute Wal-Mart and Target runs; making sure they haven't forgotten anything. Forgetting anything necessary for the mountain can cause issues - from simple things like ibuprofen (and they could use a lot) to practical items like extreme weather sleeping bags - this ain't your backyard camp out! Good planning and packing is imperative.
After every bag is packed and good-bye said, our team heads to the airport. They will have to go through security, which has the potential to take quite a while for a group this size. Every passport must be in order and every ticket in hand. The team will be spending hours aboard planes today and tomorrow. Considering the impending hike, they must be sure to maintain good circulation in their legs by walking about and stretching on the plane, and they must try to get as much sleep as possible. Sleeping on the mountain won't be comfortable or easy, so to lose sleep now could really hurt.
Are you ready? Have you been planning and preparing as well as our team? We have 39 miles to go together over the next 12 days. Have you planned when, where and how far you'll go each day? Let's climb this mountain!
Each day we will provide specific prayer requests. God loves our prayers and He loves to answer them. Let's support our team by praying them to the top of Kilimanjaro!
Pray for our team this week, specifically by name. Pray today that the Lord would bring to mind anything they may need but have forgotten. Pray for a short and easy trip to the Atlanta airport, for quick and easy passage through security, and a safe takeoff and flight. Pray that they would sleep well on the flight(s) and remember to move about regularly.