Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

June 9
Monday


LIBERATING
TRUTH

READ:
Ephesians 1:3-10
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He made us accepted
in the Beloved.
__Ephesians 1:6
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An unmarried missionary had been disparaging herself. She was unhappy with her life in general, but she was especially displeased with what she felt was her low level of spiritual growth.

One morning she looked searchingly at herself in the mirror. Then, very slowly, she said, "God, I thank You that I am myself and can never be anybody else."

That was her moment of liberating self-acceptance. she realized that by God's design she was an absolutely unique person, a Christ-redeemed human being who could never be replaced or duplicated.

Do you condemn yourself because you aren't as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking the gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service? We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. "In Him we have redemption through His blood, [and] the forgiveness of sins" (Eph. 1:7). We are accepted and chosen by Him. (vv.4-6).

If the Lord has accepted us, surely we can accept ourselves! That's the liberating truth. __Vernon Grounds
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```````````````All praise to the Lamb, accepted I am,``````````````
`````````````Through faith in the Savior's adorable name;```````````
````````````````In Him I confide, His blood is applied;``````````````
`````````For me He hath suffered, for me He hath died. __Wesley`````
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Accepting Jesus' free gift of salvation
frees us to accept ourselves.

***************Today's Bible Reading __ Ephesians 1:3-10**********

3 Blesed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in
Christ, 4 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, 5 having predestined
us to adoption as sons by
Jesus Christ to Himself,
according to the good
pleasure of His will, 6 to the
praise of the glory of His
grace, by which He made
us accepted in the Beloved.

7 In Him we have
redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of
sins, according to the riches
of His grace 8 which He
made to abound toward us
in all wisdom and prudence,

9 having made known to us
the mystery of His will,
according to His good
pleasure which He purposed
in Himself, 10 that in the
dispensation of the fullness
of the times He might
gather together in one all
things in Christ, both which
are in heaven and which are
on earth--in Him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

In Ephesians 1:3-10 the apostle Paul gives us a profound list of
the benefits that come to the believer as a result of knowing God
through Christ. We are described as blessed (v.3), chosen (v.4),
adopted (v.5), accepted (v.6), and forgiven (v.7). Little wonder then
that he began by telling us that our heavenly Father "has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (v.3).
"Every spiritual blessing" indeed! __Bill Crowder