Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.

Because of his love God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his sons – this was his pleasure and purpose. Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! For by the sacrificial death of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which he gave to us in such large measure!

In all his wisdom and insight God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

Ephesians 1:3-10

Think about what happens when we turn in faith to Christ as our Savior. Before that time, we would have been facing a personal disaster. Our sins put us in danger of an eternity of separation form God. The future would have been dark and hopeless. Then Jesus stepped in and offered to rescue us. When we trust Jesus, our heavenly Father lavishes us with spiritual gifts. And because of that, we will have more blessings than we can possibly use up or know what to do with. The blessings of being a Christian just keep on coming. They never run out.

God’s generous giving deserves thankful living.

Our Daily Bread – March 4, 2003