Read: Ephesians 1:1-10 (challenge… the whole letter)
Watch: https://bibleproject.com/videos/torah-genesis-2/
Pray: Jesus, help me to know I am chosen and how much you love me!
Do you know, really know that you are chosen?
Do you truly understand how much God loves you?
These two concepts seem to speak to both our deepest longing and our deepest fear. Who among us has not known the fear of not being chosen as children on the playground or in a park? Our hearts silently scream, “Pick me, pick me!” Oh, the relief of being picked, or the defeat of feeling “nobody wants me.” Don’t we experience this over and over again in life? We wait for a call from that person we like, or for the news of whether or not we got the job. Even the daring act of “taking a knee” and asking her to marry you… “What if she says NO!?” But out of that risk comes the joy of the wedding day, of everyone knowing they have found their special one! Then life sets in, and we spend years wondering, “Am I really loved?”
You are chosen! You are loved! The challenge comes in your understanding of God. Is God really big enough to love everyone with that special one-of-a-kind love? How can I be His chosen one out of all the billions of people on the earth?
The Good News is, and Paul begins his letter to you (the Body of Christ), with, you ARE blessed. That means every promise in the Word of God, truly in the Kingdom, is yours! Everything Jesus said, is yours! You can be who He says you are! Why? Because, you are “united with Christ!” When you heard the Good News and received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you became His. You received a new birth certificate, a new name, a new nature, a new reality!
You are holy… that means you are set-apart! You are special! You are unique! There is no other person exactly like you! Even deeper than that, you are without fault in God’s eyes! That means when God looks at you, He sees His beloved child (son or daughter)!
So, who are you going to believe?
The world says, “You’re just a number, a pawn in the game of life.”
Jesus said, “You are mine!”
The world says, “Nobody loves you, you are on your own, look out for number one.”
Jesus said, “God loves you so much He sent His Son to die for you!”
The world says, “Eat, drink, and die…”
Jesus said, “In me, you have everlasting, never-ending life.” “I will come and get you, so that we can be together forever!”
So, who are you going to believe?
Discussion Questions:
- The question, “So, who are you going to believe?” pits the world’s cynical view against the promises of Jesus. What is the most difficult lie from the world for you to reject, and how does your understanding of God’s choice and love for you help you combat that specific lie in your daily life?
2. Highlighting the contrast between feeling chosen on a playground or in a job interview and the profound reality of being chosen by God “before he made the world.” Given this contrast, what does it mean to you, personally and practically, to live a life that reflects you are truly known and chosen by God, rather than simply being a number in the crowd?
3. Being “united with Christ” means you are “holy” and “without fault in God’s eyes.” This stands in opposition to the world’s view that we’re “just a number” or “on our own.” Where do you most struggle to believe this truth about your identity in Christ, and what practical steps can you take this week to live out the reality that you are God’s beloved child?