Chosen

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:3-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬
What a declaration, what a deep contemplation, to consider the simple fact that God, in His omniscience, chose us to be His before the world began. God's ways are beyond our ability to fully comprehend. The Amazing thing is that He loves so vastly. No one can measure His greatness! In His love, He sent His Son into the world to redeem us from eternal damnation. All of this was done before the world was created. This is mind boggling, yet so assuring! God has, in His sovereignty, set an order to this world! He has brought redemption in the midst of utter loss. When we submit to Jesus Christ as our Lord, His blood redeems us from our sinful condition. We, who are His chosen people, are adopted sons and daughters. The word "adopt" is a full legal term that the Roman law used in respect to the adoption of a male child. God has adopted us out of the orphanage of sin and Satan and has given us His name! He has, thus, given us full inheritance as legal children of the Almighty. Through Jesus Christ, His Son, our Lord He has picked us up out of the miry clay of sin and has set our feet on solid rock! The bleak and dark future that awaited us has been transformed into a bright and beautiful eternity. All because of Jesus Christ!!!
God has deposited the Holy Spirit within the body of those who are His as a down payment of His redemption. One day, we will experience the full rights that are ours in Him.
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬
He has brought us out of desolation and despair and has destined us to eternal life. There is no greater contemplation of the human mind and heart! Hallelujah!!!!!!!

Curtis R. Norris