living for the future

Good evening friends,
Today's reading is a difficult one, but the point Paul emphasizes several times is that in Christ we have redemption. By this he means not only that our sins are forgiven, but also that we become God's children by adoption and get a new start in that way as well. While we already have this new life as children of God, we also look ahead to an even better future, what Paul calls "a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth..." When things have run their course we will be part of the redemption of the whole world. We see that future now in the love we know in Jesus and we hope for God's plan to be fulfilled. 


Knowing that future guides us in our actions. God calls us to fit in not with the twisted world around us now, but with the redeemed future we hope for. God calls us to love other people as Chris has loved us, to live like the blessed future is here already. In hope, we follow Christ each day.

God bless,
Sam

Ephesians 1:3-14

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. ⁵He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 

⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight ⁹he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹²so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 

¹³In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

groaning in hope

Good morning sisters and brothers,
Today Paul writes that we aren't meant to be God's slaves who obey out of fear. Instead we are God's children who seek to do God's will out of love. When we open our spirits in prayer to God, the Holy Spirit living inside us joins in our prayer calling out to our Father in heaven.

As things are now, being children of God is hard because we also feel a separation from God. We are separated because the world we live in is still in rebellion against God, even though we have come to rely on God. The world itself feels that separation too, Paul says. The land and seas are torn up not only by the pollution our sinful greed pours out, but also by the fact that our separation from God brings the world with it. One day our separation from God will be healed. Until then we, who know we are God's children, groan as we wait for the full reconciliation of the world with God. The Spirit strengthens us to wait with hope.

God bless,
Sam

Romans 8:14-25

14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.


18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.


22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.