What God has made me to be.

Here is a partial list of what God has done in my life according to Ephesians 1-3

You are a Saint (1:1)

You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3)

You have been chosen before creation. (1:4)

You have been Predestined to be adopted. (1:5)

You have been loved. (1:4-5)

You have been bestowed with God's grace. (1:5-6)

You have been Redeemed through HIS blood.  (1:7)

You have been Forgiven of your sins.  (1:7)

You have been lavished with God's grace. (1:8)

You have been told of His will. (1:9)

You have been given an inheritance.  (1:11)

You have been Sealed in Christ. (1:13)

You have been given the Holy Spirit as an engagement ring. (1:14)

You have been the recipient of His great surpassing power. (1:19)

You have been given a savior who is above all evil forces. (1:21)

You have been given a new family, the church. (1:23)

You have been made alive spiritually.  (2:5)

You have been raised up with Christ. (2:6)

You have been seated with Christ in the heavenlys.  (2:7)

You have been secured an eternal future in which Christ's endless, surpassing            riches of Grace will be revealed.  (2:7)

You have been saved by His Grace. (2:8)

You have been given a salvation secured without work! (2:8)

You have been created for Good works. (2:10)

You have been brought near by the blood of Christ. (2:13)

You have been given peace with Christ. (2:14)

You have been given direct access to the Father. (2:18)

You have been made citizens of God's household.  (2:19)

You have been made a dwelling of God in the Spirit.  (2:22)

You have been made a member of the Body of Christ. (3:6)

You have been given access to the unfathomable riches of Christ. (3:8)

You have been given bold and confident access to Christ.  (3:12)

You have been rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. (3:17)

You have been made to know the Love of Christ. (3:19)

You have been joined with Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think... (3:20)

A Moment in the Master's Hand

There abides an infinite challenge in my musings on eternity past as it relates to the Savior and who He has saved, namely me.    I keep trying to piece it together by looking through the lens of time, but I quickly abandon that effort when reminded that  there is no time in eternity.   Time started, as best as I understand time, in Genesis 1:1.    "In the beginning...."    What beginning?  The beginning of time, space, matter.   Or as the anarthrous statement in John 1:1 states,  "Εν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος"  Or you could say, "In (that which is by quality) beginning, the Word was already continuously existing.   Before that beginning, I had existence.    Not materially, but in the eternal mind, purpose, and plan of my savior.    Ephesians 1:4 states that He chose us before the foundations of the world..."     That "us" in that passage includes me.   That is humbling to think that I was in my creator's mind as a future recipient of His saving grace before there was even a me to save!    You know what that means?   He foreknew me, predestined me, then called worthless little me!   He did not make a mistake in thinking of me, creating me, saving me, or sanctifying me!   I find an amazing comfort in God's choices both in what He does and when He does it.   My story started before eternity, and will stretch into eternity future.   I am in a state of being loved by the very God that has always existed outside of time.  And it was in that time before time began that He started my story.   What does the little pot hole I am experiencing  today matter except that it is a sovereign, "Moment in the Master's Hand."