MONDAY 15th
Ephesians Chapter 1
Ephesians 1:3 ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’
Over the weeks that I have been preparing the devotions, I have touched on this verse as it is a reminder to us as the children of God that we are a blessed people. God has blessed us in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The whole realm of redemption is God at work through Christ to redeem and to reconcile mankind back to himself. Christ’s coming into the world and dying on the cross and rising again was God’s way of undoing or reversing the fall that happened way back in the Garden of Eden. Back then in that garden our fore-parents Adam and Eve, disobeyed Gods commandment, but Christ came and he in his garden experience chose to say ‘Not my will, but your will be done’ and he went in obedience the way of the cross to redeem all who would come to believe in him. I have also touched on a few occasions on the second chapter of Ephesians which show to us the then and now, what we were and what we have become as a result of believing faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
We are all different as individuals, my story will be different to your story, what you were like before you were saved will be different to what I was like before I was saved except that we were all sinners, lost and hopeless, as the Scripture says, born in sin and our own righteousness was like filthy rags. But as the one song writer puts it, Jesus came along and he touched me, I have never been the same, touched me by his mighty power, glory to his matchless name, my life was filled with so much confusion, my life was filled with sin and shame, but Jesus came along and he touched me, I have never been the same. In the words of another song that I have previously mentioned, ‘He touched me, he touched me and oh the joy that filled my soul, something happened, and now I know, he touched me, and made me whole.’
We who have been born again have been changed, transformed because we have been touched by the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. For me, the moment I was born again took place 51 years ago, what about you, regardless of how long ago the moment may have been I trust we are still rejoicing and excited about the fact that we are saved, that we have become the redeemed of the Lord, members of the family of God. Has the joy that filled your soul on that momentous day remained?
In Ephesians chapter one, Paul lists many of the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus, it is a good exercise to go through the chapter verse by verse, maybe spend some time during this week doing this and as you go through it be reminded of the blessings and the privilege position we are in as believers, allow the excitement and joy that redemption should bring to you fill your heart and soul again. Let us get excited again about who and what we are in Christ Jesus.
I cannot count Your blessings Lord they’re wonderful
I can’t begin to measure Your great love
I cannot count the times You have forgiven me
And changed me by Your Spirit from above
How I worship You my Father
You are wonderful how I glorify You
Jesus You’re my Lord
How I praise You Holy Spirit
You have changed my life
And You’re now at work in me
To change the world
When I was blind You opened up my eyes to see
When I was dead You gave me life anew
When I was lost You found me and You rescued me
And carried me rejoicing home with You
I cannot count Your mercies Lord they’re marvellous
I can’t begin to measure Your great grace
I cannot count the times that You have answered me
Whenever I have prayed and sought Your face
Whenever I consider what I am to You
My heart is filled with wonder love and awe
I want to share with others that You love them too
And tell the world of Jesus more and more
© 1988 Thankyou Music CCLI788682