I’m starting a 12-week Bible study on Ephesians today along with thousands of other women associated with Good Morning Girls  so I’m thinking there will be a few posts about Ephesians in the coming days. Today we looked at Chapter 1:1-4.

What a precious letter from Paul. He knows he is chosen directly by God to do God’s work of telling others of the unconditional and amazing love of Jesus Christ. You likely remember the Saul/Paul life-changing transformation at Damascus when God struck Saul, the persecutor of Christians, and over time, changed his heart to Paul, the lover of God. Paul knew he was chosen by God.

His words in Ephesians 1:3 sing praises to God. First, because He is the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ. Second, because He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. We are chosen for salvation, adopted as His children, cleansed and forgiven, filled with the Holy Spirit who counsels and guides us in God’s will, and gives us the assurance of the fulfillment of the promise of eternal life with Christ.

There are days when we get down. Life hands us one difficulty after another. One person faces cancer, then medications cause difficult side effects and radiation needs to begin. Someone is unemployed and the temp job is calling others to work and not them. Another is dealing with her parent’s health, their own health issues, preparing for a wedding, while adjusting to financial stressors. Sometimes it’s just the bad cold that hits when you need all your physical and mental abilities to get through the day. It’s at those times that God can often seem very far away.

What really struck me from verse four  was that God loved us and chose us before He made the world. In my systematical thinking, that just doesn’t seem possible. It seems He would have made the universe, stepping through the days of creation and on day six He would start thinking of man, and knowing him. But He had a beautiful masterpiece all planned from the beginning that He alone could see how it all interweaved together.  I know Psalm 139 tells us He knew us before we were formed.  But I was really blessed with the thought that even before He created anything else in this universe, He loved and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.

There’s a song that tells how important we are to God – If I Could Look Through Your Eyes © 1989 Greg Gerguson

If I could look through Your eyes,

I’d see there’s no way to impress You, and I wouldn’t even try;

I’d stop tryin’ to prove I’m worthy, and I’d take off the disguise,

if I could look through Your eyes.

And I would see that I’m precious, I would know that I’m prized;

I’d know Your love never changes, if I could look through Your eyes.

If I saw my value to You,

I’d see Your love for me remains despite the foolish things I do;

and I’d see Your love for what it is: unshakeable and true,

if I saw my value to You.

And I would see that I’m precious, I would know that I’m prized;

I’d know Your love never changes, if I could look through Your eyes.

I want to see what You see – I want to recognize the treasured prize You say You see in me;

I want to give up tryin’ to earn the love You’re offering for free – I want to see what You see.

Lord, help me look through Your eyes.

Praise God for the abundant blessing of being loved and chosen by Him ~ Faye