Ephesians--What Are You Living For?

Do you ever wonder why we are here?  Do you ever ask what your purpose is?  What is my calling?  Why am I here?  It is man’s way to make plans, write mission statements, set short term and long term goals, and evaluate things and see that you are on track.   I am not against that.  It helps us see the big picture (and the little one) sometimes.    

How exciting to know that we are living according to His purpose! His own will designed how He would get us back.  Never could a man have come up with this plan.  That very thought offers us a great deal of comfort.   

Ephesians 1:11 & 12 (Amplified):   “In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will,

So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory!”

Have you ever had trouble putting your confidence in God and Christ?  Many things happen to us on this journey, and we are not given the truth about God.  We are not given the truth about ourselves in God and Christ.  When I was eleven a teacher told me that I could not go to heaven because I did not belong to their church.  Ouch!  Recently, I thought about that incident and felt such compassion for her because she lived her life not knowing a loving God, and she passed that message on to me.  I have spent the rest of my life undoing that spiritual damage.  

Instead of that message would it not have been wonderful to hear the truth that is in Ephesians in today’s scripture.  I think verse 12 is amazing about putting our confidence in Him so we can live for the praise of His glory!  Glory often means “character” in the scripture.  Puts a different spin on things when you define glory that way.  And it helps to understand that it is living out His character that He planned and purposed for us from the foundation of the world.  Are we excited about God and is our confidence in His love and goodness bringing praises to Him?  

What are you living for?  It is really a funny thing…the greatest joy and happiness we can have is to bring praises to His name.  Scripture has told us to seek first the kingdom of God and all the other stuff that we need will be added.  It is such a paradox this way of living.   How God takes our love and faithfulness to Him and turns it into our heart’s desire is another miracle of the redemption, and it was planned from the foundation of the world.