I invite you to take a few moments with me to reflect on today’s Upper Room Devotional below.
Thank you for sharing this early moment of your day with me, with God, and with the thoughts and words of this reading that I hope you will carry with you throughout the coming day and night.
Today’s Scripture:
Ephesians 1:3-12 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ[a] before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,[b] having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.
Tim’s Devotional Reflection for Today
“In Christ,” Ephesians 1:11 says, “we have also obtained an inheritance.”
The writer of Ephesians reminds us that part of that inheritance is the great legacy of faith that we share as Christians. Before us have gone many believers in Christ whom the New Testament calls saints, who have passed the faith down to us.
Hebrews 11 has a list of the great people of faith in the Old Testament. It lists all of those folks, or many of those folks who are heroes of the faith. But the writer of Hebrews does not paint them as super heroes or possessing something that you and I don’t possess. But rather the writer says, “They were weak, but through God became strong.”
Another aspect of the inheritance we have in Christ is “the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” Paul reminds us in Galatians 4 that we are, as Christians, heirs together, we’re joint heirs with Christ, we inherit the riches of God’s grace and the riches of the abundant life Christ came to offer us.
John 1 says, “We have received grace upon grace.”
Thanks be to God.
Thank you for sharing this early moment of your day with me, with God, and with the words and music that I hope you will carry with you throughout the coming day and night.
I am so grateful for you, for our church, and for the Love that will see us all through this very difficult time. Please stay safe and well and we’ll be together again in spirit tomorrow morning!
Grace and Peace,
Dr. Tim Bruster
Senior Pastor
Here’s more about this passage of scripture via Upper Room devotionals:
RICH INHERITANCE
I can model faith for others as it has been modeled for me.
