After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your Son, so that the Son may give glory to you. For you gave him authority over all mankind, so that he might give eternal life to all those you gave him. And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I have shown your glory on earth. I have finished the work you gave me to do. Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made."

John 17:1-5

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 a 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.

Ephesians 1:4-9

The Apostles Creed begins with, "I believe in God." That is the affirmation of our faith and it is the only way in life to build a solid foundation. Once we understand the basis for our faith we can realize how truly amazing God is. No matter that He has saved us, but He has also given us talents. Each one of us can do something special to glorify the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our God, the only one true God. What can you do in life to give something back to the one who created you in His image?

Our Daily Bread - February 17, 2002