"But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:4-7.
"But God ..." These two words are easy to gloss over in reading the text, but we must not overlook how vitally important they are. If we read verses 1-3, which precede these verses, we can easily see that we were in a precarious position were it not for God's intervention. We were dead in the truest sense of the word, as children of disobedience subject to the wrath of God. Unless something was done, we were in a hopeless, helpless situation. But God ...
Our God, who is rich in mercy, performed "spiritual CPR" to revive us from our dead condition. Motivated by His great love, He not only rescued us, He elevated us to the high position where His beloved Son, Jesus, is. He wants to "make an example of us" in an ultimately positive way, that He might forever display His boundless grace for all to see in the age to come.
Sometimes we hear of someone famous or wealthy who adopts a child in a poverty-stricken country. These children, who would otherwise be destined for a life of suffering, hardship, poverty and early death, are given wealth and privilege beyond their imagination. And so with us: aside of the grace of God in Christ, we would only live in the poverty of this hard and disappointing age.
But God ... The trials and troubles of this age surround us, but God has intervened and raised above these to victory and riches beyond measure. And to think that our Father will spend eternity showing us His wealth and favor is too amazing to imagine. In all of eternity on a renewed earth, God will not exhaust the storehouse of His blessings and favor toward us.
May we keep your exalted position in focus today, not matter what temporary reality life presents to us. You and I are raised up and destined for so much more than this age has to offer. We are destined to receive and manage the vast riches of God as we administer His government in the coming age. But God ...
©Steve Taylor, 2023 --Used by permission
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