Daily Devotion | Day 304
“He [God] chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:4, NKJV).
Why are you in this world? What’s your life purpose? Why were you born the day you were born? Why are you a Christian and not an atheist? I hope today’s message helps you to reflect deeply on the above questions.
Your destiny gives you purpose and direction. If you know your destiny it means you know your destination. And, knowing your destination will guide you to make choices that agree with the known destination. Fortunately for us Christians, the Father has revealed to us our destiny and life purpose. This destiny provides the framework within which all our choices (should) fit. You will find our destiny stated in different ways throughout the Bible.
But today, we’ll look at what Paul said in Ephesians 1:4. The passage is an excellent, succinct description of the Father’s plan for us. As children of the Father, it’s important that we know our destiny and be guided by it.
God chose us before the foundation of the world. This choice, we’re told, occurred before the world was created. Pause for a moment and think about that. Imagine what it means to be on God’s mind from all eternity. God knew you, chose you and planned a great life for you long before the universe existed.
Paul adds an important detail about God’s choice. He says, God chose us in Christ. This means God has planned that your life should be as glorious as the life of His Son. When God looks at you, He sees you in His Son. In a sense, when you see Jesus, you’ve seen you because you are in Him. And when Jesus looks at you, He sees Himself in you because He is in you. Listen to Jesus in His own words, “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:20). What an amazing life!!!
Next (and this is crucial), Paul tells us the purpose for which God chose us on Christ: “that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”
Holiness is the quintessential attribute of God. The Bible spares no effort to emphasize this point. At the time Isaiah received his call to be a prophet, he saw a vision of seraphim crying out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). In the Book of Revelation, John too, saw a vision of heaven in which the four living creatures “do not rest day or night, saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come” (4:8). Not surprisingly, we’re told, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
Our purpose in life is to be holy and without blame to the glory of God. This means God wants us to be as He is. He wants us to be essentially God-like in our being and in our conduct. Is this possible? Yes, it is. Anyone who affirms the contrary is either willfully ignorant of the Scriptures or is lying.
We’ve been given all the grace and ‘tools’ we need to answer our calling and to fulfill our purpose. The Holy Spirit Himself testifies to this in 2 Peter 1:3, “His [God’s] divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” If we don’t live holy lives, God is not to blame. Nor is Adam. But rather, it is we who have chosen to go our own way.
Remember who you are. Remember your destiny. And fulfill your calling, in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
For further study: 1 Peter 1:1-25
Higher-Self Realities 