"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 1:4-7

Aren’t we glad we have a God rich in mercy? Because of His great love for us even when we were dead in our transgressions, He loved us enough to make a way to reconcile us to Himself, and become the perfect Father to all of us. This act was initiated by Him. We did nothing to deserve it; but we have done plenty not to deserve it! I encourage you to read these verses slowly and multiple times to absorb what God is saying to us. These verses reveal who God really is, and how much He loves us, and what He has done for us.

If you read the previous verses in this chapter Paul explains we are all children of wrath by nature. This simply means children who are disobedient to God’s commandments. If we aren’t walking according to His ways, we are following the prince of this world. He is defined as the spirit working in the children of disobedience. It is a demonic spirit. Satan is called the father of lies, and we are told the truth is not in him, and he is a murderer. (John 8:44).

In Ephesians 1:3 Paul tells us we lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and this is what we are apart from God the Father who created us. What we must understand is there is no neutral ground. We all must make a choice between good or evil during our lifetime on this earth. We either choose truth, or we choose lies and deception striving to only please ourselves. Or an even more profound reality is we must choose between being children of wrath, or the bride of Christ! This is the most important decision you will ever make in your lifetime.

There is only one way to enter into eternal life in heaven, and that is through Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Let’s read verse 8 in Ephesians together:

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

Jesus’ blood levels the playing field. We are all level at the cross. This should be such an easy choice for all of us if we know the truth. God tells us over and over His Word is truth, and the truth will set us free. (John 8:31) But we must walk in faith believing it and obeying it.

The prayer Paul prays in Ephesians 1:15-23 I have prayed over my family and friends literally for years. It is hard to improve upon this prayer. I encourage you to read it, and begin to pray it over your family, friends, and yourself daily before beginning your day. I promise you will make a difference in the lives you are praying over. Prayer is so powerful. I wish we really believed that. It is truth. We have the ability to birth things in the spirit by prayer before we see it manifested in the physical realm. I know this is true. I have lived it, and you can too. I encourage you to try it. When we pray scripture back to God we know we are praying according to His will, and we are coming into agreement with Him. Therefore we know our prayers will be answered in His timing. I pray you will receive this truth and begin to live it. I will close with just a portion of Paul’s prayer as I pray over my readers:

"…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe." (Ephesians 1:17-19)
In His love.

Teresa Roberts

Masterpiece Fitness

www.masterpiecefitness.com

276-237-6680

Grayson Highland called me back this week. I love the playgrounds the Lord so amply supplies us with!