Ewald Schmidt

“In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” Ephesians 1:4b-6 (NIV)

Like the first Christians in Ephesus we might sometimes struggle with questions about God. If there is a God, what can we know about Him? Is He an impersonal force somewhere out in the universe, not caring about my existence at all? Or would He be interested in knowing me, being personally involved in my everyday life? Does He see my joy, and my pain when I go through the different stages of my life?

The Bible introduces God as a Father, who has lovingly planned my life, even before He created the heaven and the earth, according to verse 4. The one attribute of God that Paul exults in this hymn is God’s love for us. It is through this love that God wished to create us as the crown of his majestic works. His wish was to create us after His own image, with the ability to return his love, and to enjoy his company forever.  God is our Father, and his desire is for us to be his children.

We as God’s people have the tendency to turn our backs on Him, and to do our own thing in our lives. We follow our own minds, and we tend to get lost along the path of life. Through God’s grace he does not leave us to continue on our path of self-destruction. He has sent his beloved Son to come to our world, and show the Father’s love in action. He became the message of our Father’s love by taking our sins upon Him, and paying the price for us on the cross of Calvary. Through faith in Jesus we become God’s children, sons and daughters of our loving Father.

What is the desired response when we realise that God loves us, and that Jesus has paid so high a price to save us? Our response is a life of praise. A lifestyle where we demonstrate our gratefulness through every word and every deed.

Prayer: Father, your love has really changed my life! Help me to grow in faith, that my life will be a song of praise to honour you! Amen.