Created for Good Works -Ephesians 2:10

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

This promise is huge. When I'm sinning, all I see is my fallen nature. However, it's important to remember that God made us to do good!

This verse goes even beyond that and points out that God has planned our good works ahead of time!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ -Ephesians 1:3-6

"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, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

This great passage is full of promises:

• He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing
• He chose us in Him...before the world was even created
• He chose us as His sons
• He made us accepted in the Beloved

And as the passage says, He did this according to His will, to bring praise to Him.

Brought Near -Ephesians 2:11-13

It's hard to do only one verse of Ephesians...Paul always writes really long sentences, and His thoughts usually extend beyond one sentence...so I'm going to preemptively say sorry, this isn't the entire context...

"Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands- that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

I find this really encouraging...to know that we were without Christ, considered sinners and completely separated from God.

But now, through Christ Jesus, we who were separated from God now have been brought near.

Jesus paid it all.