… According to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace … | ||
| Ephesians 1:5-6 | ||
| Here’s why God adopted you; here’s why He predestined you; here’s why He chose you; here’s why He’s blessed you in Christ in heavenly places: because it’s His good pleasure to the praise of the glory of His grace. Period. Like Israel, we are called a chosen people (1 Peter 2:9). Why are we chosen? According to the verse before us, we are chosen to the praise of the glory of His grace. That is, we are chosen to showcase God’s grace. This means that in the ages to come, millions of angels, living creatures, and all of creation will look at you and me who have been chosen, who have been adopted, who have been elevated to be with Christ in heavenly places — and they will say, ‘Look at the people God chose to be joint heirs with His Son. They’re just a bunch of rag-tag renegades. Truly His grace is unbelievable, unfathomable, incomparable!’ That’s why Paul said, ‘Look around you. There are not many wise, many strong, many noble among you’ (1 Corinthians 1:26). When I was in high school, I thought the key to an effective ministry was to get the quarterback and the cheerleader saved, to go for the head honchos, the big guns, the beautiful people. But that’s not what Jesus did. He turned the world upside down with the street people, the outcasts, the forgotten folks. In other words, He used people just like us. | ||
