“I pray you will know the hope to which you have been called…” (Eph.1:18)
“You are among those who have been called to belong to Jesus.” (Rom.1:6)
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” (1Thess. 5:23-24)
Holy and loving Father, these Gospel-soaked passages expose our unbelief, fuel our joy, and intensify our hope. From beginning to end, our salvation is from you, by you, and for your glory. Our past, present, and future are totally in your heart and hands, Abba. How did we miss all this Gospel-goodness for so long? Why do we still struggle to believe that it is true and that it is ours? But, Hallelujah, it is!
Little wonder you’re called “the God of peace,” for nowhere else can such peace be found. By the riches of your grace, you claimed us by your sovereign generosity and called us from death to life. Now and forever we are Christ’s. Hallelujah a gazillion times over!
This gives us a calm in our hearts that isn’t tied to our spiritual maturity, net worth, anybody’s approval, or world peace. Though we can’t always see it, you are changing us by your grace—not by our grit. We are destined to be 100% like Jesus on the eternally chosen Day written into the calendar of grace.
From the first day you set your affection on us, Abba, until the day you will finish your work in us, we are cherished by you. You don’t “put up with us”; you “put us” in Christ—hiding our lives in Jesus and making his righteous ours. Hallelujah! We are so blessed, so loved, so yours. So Very Amen.
