Musings on Ephesians 1:7,8

      

I had an epiphany of sorts this week, on the day it became easier to remember all of the verses together.  Each verse so far in Ephesians 1 talks about some facet of God's relationship to His children (us) and vice versa.  Must be important then. :O) 

7.  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

The emphasis on Jesus' blood has always made me a little squeamish, but it's one of those things that have to happen the way they do.  I mean, I would have liked to avoid some of the bad experiences in my life, but if it meant not having my family today ... I'd go through it all again.

It reminds me of a story I read about a man who worked in a big train yard, who had to choose between saving his son or saving a trainload of people.  It was an allegory to the relationship between God, Jesus and us.  How important must we be to God that He would sacrifice His Son for us?  It makes one thing.

8.  Wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence;

God wants to pour out blessings on us.  But He doesn't want to throw us in the deep end of the pool when we're just learning to walk.  It is not wise to get all the good things we will ever have in our lives all at once.  We would not be able to handle it.  Like the lottery jackpot winners who are broke a year or two later.  We learn, we grow day by day, just like plants in a garden.  Our abilities to handle both good and bad grow the same way.

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The October Daily prompt for today, Sunday, October 13, 2013 is:

Comment on the following:  If you cannot find a way out, look up.

That is like a story I heard at church:  we spend so much time looking around at our neighbors and comparing ourselves to them.  We need to be looking up ... to God.