Ephesians 1:4
Long ago, even before he made the
world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for
us; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single
fault—we who stand before him covered with his love.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
This week, my family
welcomed a new addition. Our cousin, Hudson Edward, arrived early on
the morning of March 30th. We knew he was coming this week. We even
knew his name. At a recent baby shower, there were all sorts of darling
cowboy-themed items that heralded Hudson. He will be one well-dressed
lil’ cowpoke!
My cousin and his wife wanted another baby, and
they may have even somewhat planned for Hudson. But they had no control
over whether they would give birth to a “Hudson” or a “Hannah!” While
they could do all in their power to stay healthy and produce a “perfect”
baby, there was ultimately no guarantee that Hudson would arrive will
ten fingers and toes, two eyes that see and two ears that hear. All of
these things…and thousands more…lie totally in the hands of God.
When
we stop and think that God planned for us even before Jesus walked the
earth…that He knew every detail about us…it is astounding. When we try
to wrap our brains around the fact that God knew that we would be unholy
– and He chose Jesus to rescue us and stand in the gap so that we could
become faultless in His eyes…well, that’s nothing short of astounding!
To think that God would go to such great lengths for each of us is also
incredibly humbling – at least it is for me.
So as I look at
Hudson Edward…and our little ones… the man on the street who appears
disheveled and down on his luck…that person who gets on my last
nerve…and so many others on the whole “spectrum of life,” I will remind
myself of this verse from Ephesians. I will think about how each one of
them is equally important and precious to God. He chose THEM, too!
And hopefully, this will change how I look at them…how I treat them.
What God did – and does – for me, He will do for others, as well.
My
prayer is that we would each live in a way that demonstrates
appreciation for the fact that God chose us…humility that He sacrificed
His Only Son to save us…and gratitude in the form of grace and mercy
toward others. May we truly be Jesus’ hands and feet on this earth –
and at least try to live up to His incredible gift and sacrifice. And
may we do so in a way that others want in on this “holy inheritance” for themselves. This is the mission for which we have been selected…are you up to the call?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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