Paul declared
to the Ephesian church that Jesus redeemed us “through his
blood” which provided “the forgiveness of sins”
which was “according to the riches of his grace”, and He
also “abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence”. In
chapter one and verse nine of his letter, Paul shared concerning “the
mystery of his will” where we read:
Having
made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according
to his good pleasure which he has purposed in himself:
The
verse begins, “Having made known unto us the mystery of his
will,...” Paul began with the phrase, “Having made known”
which means “to know, gain knowledge of or recognize” “unto
us” which refers to “Paul and the Ephesian believers” “the
mystery” or “hidden or secret purpose or thing which is not
obvious to the understanding” “of his will” which means
“the Lord's wish, determination, purpose, command, precept, choice,
inclination, desire or pleasure”. Because the “grace” of
the Lord was poured out, we understand it to be the revelation of
what He desired for us.
The
verse goes on to say, “... according to his good pleasure
which he has purposed in himself:” Paul continued with the
words, “according to” or “down from, through out, toward
and along” “his good pleasure” which means “will,
choice, kindly intent, benevolence, delight, satisfaction and desire”
“which he has purposed” or “placed before, set forth,
looked at, exposed to view and determined” “in himself”
which means “within God Himself”. The Lord God intended with
“kindly intent and benevolence” to pour out His “grace”
and “forgiveness of sins” for all who will receive Jesus
as their Savior.
When
we meditate upon these words of Paul, we have joy within to think
that God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe, would pour out His
“grace” upon us because He desired it. Though this was a
“mystery” and unknown before, God intended to be
benevolent even in spite of our sins. We should rejoice in Jesus for
the revelation of His “mystery” and bask in the “grace”
and “forgiveness” He has provided.
Next
time Paul shares about how God will “gather together in
one all things in Christ”, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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