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Today’s scripture: Ephesians 1:1-14 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (David Zier):
Today we begin the Letter to the Ephesians. This letter was written to the Christian Community in the City of Ephesus. Some suggest that the first Chapter provides an overview of God’s plan for salvation and then how it is realized, which is continued throughout the letter. Let us begin.
Paul begins this letter to the Ephesians by telling them that Jesus has made known the “mystery of God’s will”; in Christ we have “gained an inheritance” and we have the “word of truth.” To me, God is a mystery. The older I get, the more that I realize I know less than I thought. God is much more a mystery the longer I live. Yet this does not mean that I do not know what God’s will is.
Jesus teaches us many things in the Bible, so we do know the things that mattered to Jesus and what He had tried to teach us: love, justice, forgiveness, mercy, kindness, relationship with God, and living in the now. I’m not trying to boil it down to a phrase, but I am trying to be as inclusive as I can as I think about this passage.
Paul’s words sound serious and complex as I just read the words in the letter. But, as I think about what Jesus was doing during his time on earth, I see that he was unlocking the mystery of God, helping us to tap into that mystery. God is more than words on a page of written commandments. God is more than following a list of rules.
That praise that Paul is offering in verse 3, “Praise be to the God … who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ,” is thanking God for what Christ has unlocked. Paul, at one time Saul, was dedicated to the persecution of the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem in his earlier years. But Paul is praising God for Jesus, for Paul gained understanding. He gained the word of truth; he gained God’s redemption. This is something available to all of us. What an inheritance!
Thought for the Day: What have you inherited through your relationship with Christ?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.