Notes on Hope Devotional

 Lavish Grace

Ephesians 1:3-6 (CSB) Christian Standard Bible
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

We’ve all had this experience in our lives to some degree. Whether in elementary school or during adolescence, we’ve known the feeling of being picked last. I have a memory of standing alone on the sidelines with one other child after the teacher had two cool kids pick their teams for dodgeball. Recalling the feeling of rejection evokes my sense of not being chosen as a child.

These verses in Ephesians contradict my childhood experience. Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus, encouraging them in their faith. His introduction describes the source of their faith; “Blessed is God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” defining the source of “every spiritual blessing.” God bestows on us what we have been given, both here and in heaven.  

Then come the words we all have been longing to hear; “He chose us, before the foundation of the world.” We are chosen, not rejected; adopted, not abandoned; accepted, not dismissed. We have received the full benefit of being God’s child, handpicked by our loving Heavenly Father to belong to Him. We are His beloved child. Henri Nouwen said, “The truth, even though I cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting embrace... We must dare to opt consciously for our chosenness and not allow our emotions, feelings, or passions to seduce us into self-rejection.” We must choose to believe we are chosen.

Next, Paul goes on to give us a “behind the scenes” look at why we’ve been chosen. Verses 5 and 6 give us the answer, “according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.” We didn’t earn it or behave perfectly in order to be chosen. We were chosen according to the pleasure of God’s will. It was and is all grace.

When I’ve said thank you to someone, and they respond, “It was my pleasure,” I notice a deep satisfaction in my spirit. It means they were delighted and enjoyed doing whatever I thanked them for. We are chosen because it brings God delight. It brings Him pleasure, and it brings Him praise; “to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.” We are lavished in this glorious grace, fully immersed and completely saturated. Grace “dunks” us in the tank where we can know, believe, and walk in our chosenness, no longer rejected but accepted by our loving, gracious Heavenly Father who delights in calling us His beloved child.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for calling me Your child. Help me to accept, believe, and receive my chosenness deep in those places that have been wounded. Let Your lavish grace fill me as I walk in my true identity of being Your chosen child.
In Your Beloved Name, Amen.