United With Christ

Ephesians 1:11 NLT says, “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

There is so much rich truth in Ephesians chapter one. My wife always brings up these verses because they speak to the heart of our identity in Christ. I encourage you to read the whole chapter today and write down some notes about what God is showing you.

Today we can remember that “God makes everything work out according to his plan.” Other translations say according to his will. This is a central truth about who God is. He brings it together when we are powerless to do so.

We also need to remember that God chose us in advance. This means that he didn’t wait around for us to prove our readiness or worthiness to him. When he created us, he chose us. Before we were worthy of his inheritance, he decided that he wanted to bring us in.

Finally, we need to lock in on the truth that our inheritance flows from our connection with God. It is because we are united with Christ that we receive an inheritance. In fact, in many ways, our connection to Christ is our inheritance. I think of the tribe of Levi in the book of Joshua. Joshua 13:33 ESV says, “But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.”

If you have eyes to see it, we are invited into the prophecy of Malachi 2:5 ESV, where it speaks of the covenant of Levi. It says, “My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name.” If you read on, the Lord’s judgment is that Israel corrupted that covenant, but we are invited into the redemption of a similar covenant. One where we abide in his presence and eagerly await the inheritance that God has promised. More on this tomorrow.

Blessings!

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