DYNAMIS!
A publication of St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral
Wichita, KS
Ephesians 1:1-9
(9/24)
Epistle for Thursday of the Sixteenth Week after Pentecost
Spiritual Blessings: Ephesians 1:1-9, especially vs. 3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ.” The Apostle Paul begins the Epistle to the Ephesians by
blessing God and by describing God’s blessing upon us through our Lord
Jesus Christ. What a difference
between these two blessings! When
we bless God, we resort to imperfect and imprecise words. When God blesses us,
that which was not, comes into being. “Thou wilt send forth Thy Spirit,
and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the
face of the earth” (Ps. 103:32).
Remember in school when there were contests or games? Captains chose members for their
teams. Recall the triumph of being
chosen first or the humiliation of being chosen last. The same occurs in the search for a good
job. How we remember that wonderful
phone call with an offer! How empty
one feels not to be chosen or never to hear a word concerning an application.
All these are earthly choices, but the Apostle reminds us
that “...[God] chose us [in Christ
Jesus]...” (vs. 4). As the Priest says in
receiving a Catechumen: “I lay my hand upon Thy servant who hath been
found worthy to flee unto Thy Holy Name.” We have been found worthy! Thus, each time you come before the icon
of the Lord, look upon the face of the Savior Who has chosen you. In Him there is no humiliating
dismissal, no rejection, no bitter silence, no indifference, and no fading
hope. The light of God’s
choice beams brightly upon us.
Never forget that, as Christ’s own, we are
God’s 'first choice,' honored and beloved, called to be in the
“...Church of the firstborn...” (Heb. 12:23). God called us before there was a world,
before time, before we existed (Eph. 1:4).
He chose to heal us, make us whole and holy, free
of all blame before Him as Adam was.
Above all, hear the blessed and operative word, “...love...”
(vs. 4).
God loves us!
For what are we chosen? Our blessing is “...adoption as
sons by Jesus Christ to [God our Father] Himself...” (vs. 5) All of us were born in this world, as
Scripture says, not “...of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,
but of God” (Jn. 1:13).
Consider the spiritual realm, where the actions that begin
and end are eternal and everlasting.
In this realm, we are among those who please God, those whom He chose to
be His sons and daughters, those whom He brought into His household (Eph. 1:5).
It does not matter if we “feel” unworthy and
cry out, “Wherefore I pray Thee, have mercy upon me and forgive my
transgressions.” All that aside, God has arranged our adoption. In Christ, “...we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins...” (vs. 7). We are blessed slaves set free by
God! He gives us the most amazing
standing with Him - His own.
Finally, He has illumined our hearts and minds to
understand all of this. He has
revealed a wisdom to us that surpasses all that earth gives us, a knowledge
that is both eternal and practical.
It lights up the way before us in today’s darkness and forever
(vss. 8, 9).
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who
has blessed us... (vs.
3).
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