Before We Were Born

 

 Before We Were Born

“For he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.” Ephesians 1:4-6

Before we were born we were chosen in Christ. Because of Christ we have received grace that is continually lavished on our everyday lives.

Kids are a unique thing. They are made in such different ways but they all somehow display the same characteristics. Working among preschoolers for the last twelve years I have gotten to interact with many different faces and personalities. Being around them for years I can now see new ones and their personality for a bit to recognize one I had many years ago. That one reminds me of fill in the blank. I love watching the way they do things and that is probably one of my favorite things about being in a classroom. Today I got to watch them do an activity involving painting. The instructions were to paint in the dots of an apple. Two different colors and a Q-tip to be set out on their own to accomplish a task. Even before they started I could tell which ones were going to go out on their own and the ones who wanted to do the task according to the instructions.  Some of them mixed the colors together and some just painted their own picture avoiding the instructions all together. At the end their work was hung and once again it reminded me of how unique they each were but how it was accomplished in the way that they all finished the project to their own will. 

Like those kids we were uniquely created in God’s image. God made us different in the way we look at things and approach this world. My sin nature will want to not listen and think I always know better. But I can begin to recognize what my will is and the will of the Father when I invite God into all my everyday tasks.  Like those preschoolers we will constantly want to do things our own way and forget to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. Those preschoolers were all kids and that didn’t change, but as I interacted with them I could see how individually they had been made. Uniquely made by the One who created them in Christ Jesus before the world began. We are the same.

Our entire life is held by our Father. Our position of rest is seated in Christ. We were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when we heard the word of truth of the gospel of our salvation and when we believed. So as One we can be reassured that we are alive together with Christ.

Like those preschoolers that painted together to produce something so unique as one they were working with their different abilities God had given them to accomplish the task. We can do the same when we realize we are His Beloved Ones and accept our gifts given to us to accomplish all the Lord has for us to do here on earth. It is because we have been uniquely created by our Creator He has placed us in classrooms, homes, workplaces to show others they too were chosen in Christ.

Father,

Holy and blameless aren’t things that come to our minds when we look around. You make us Sons and Daughters of the Most High. Our lives are hidden in you Christ Jesus. We get to rest because of what you did. When we look around, help us to see others in the eyes of “before the world began” because you see them. It is all for your glory Jesus.

Amen