All I can say is, Wow!

Our reading this week gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes. There is a lot you can take away from these verses as you’ll see in your reading this week, but three thoughts really stand out to me.

First, through our faith in Christ, we have access to great and awesome power! The power and strength he provides to us is the same that raised Jesus from the dead. Wow! How often do I act as if I have access to no power at all. Daily. Daily I forget that I have someone to help me, and HE so very capable to handle whatever life throws at me each day.

Second, at the beginning of chapter two, Paul reminds us where we came from–just in case we forgot. He reminds us how lost we were and paints a very dark picture: “dead in our trespasses,” “following the prince of the power of the air,” “by nature children of wrath.”

I think he paints this picture and connects us with it for two reasons. One, to remind us how great God’s grace is toward us, and two, to remind us that we once were like those we now look down on. How often to we see someone on the news or on the street, and look down our nose at them because we think we’re better. Better because we don’t live or act like that. Here Paul points at those people and says, “See them? Don’t forget you once were there. You were exactly like them. And still God saved you.” Because of God’s great love toward us, shouldn’t we want to help him save others as well?

Third, Paul shows us just how awesome God’s love and grace are toward us. Paul points to those we tend to look down on and says, “When you were there, God saved you. Even when you were there, God loved you mightily and was kind to you and told Jesus, ‘Go. Go save them.'” It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that kind of love.

I would never be able to look at one of my sons and tell him, “Go. You’re life will save hers.” Can you imagine how the garden of Gethsemane broke God’s heart? Christ was begging his Father. Pleading with him to find another way. But yet, God said, “Go.” And because Jesus also loved us beyond measure, he went. Wow.

This week’s challenge is to do something with what you learn in these verses. Don’t just sit here with me and say, “Wow, God. Thank you!” and leave it there. In Colossians Paul tells us what he did with it. He says,

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works in me.” ~ Col. 1:28-29

What will you do with it? How will it change your life?

Additional Resources

John MacArthur
Eph. 1:15-23: Our Resources in Christ, Part 1
Eph. 1:18-23: Our Resources in Christ, Part 2
Eph. 2:1-10: Coming Alive in Christ

I have found using different versions and comparing them very helpful during this study, and I think you will, too. My favorite App to use is YouVersion. If you have a smart phone, you can download it for free, or you can access the different versions on their website. Here is my review of YouVersion, and here is the link to their site.