Ephesians 1:7-10
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
This passage reminds me of two great quotes from two great men. One is a paraphrase from Ernest Hemmingway, “all true stories end in death.” The other is from Martin Luther King Jr.; "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that."
Have you ever recorded a program or sports event only to have someone tell you the ending before you’ve had the chance to see it unfold for yourself. If we are honest with ourselves and we face the reality of life, we know how our story ends. We know how everyone’s story ends. No matter how rich, successful, or fit we are, all our stories end at the grave. Sitting in the darkness of the natural, that is so depressing.
But this passage is not about the darkness. This passage snatches us up out of the darkness by enlightening us and challenging us to see and accept the supernatural. This passage is rich with the essence of what we believe that our story does not end at the grave which approaches with every single breath and heartbeat. It is by the grace, mercy, and great love of our GOD that we have an eternity in front of us as well, beyond the grave and just as certain. For those of us who believe we know the end of the story. Yes the tomb is there but it is empty because of the ONE who wrote the ending before we drew our first breath.
The love of our GOD and the sacrifice of our SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST turned the end, our end, on its head. That is the reason our Pastor leaps with joy and excitement during his messages as should we. This is incredible news and it is all contained in this passage. Redemption, wisdom, understanding, purpose, fulfillment!
As a child watching my favorite TV shows which was usually a cop or cowboy show the hero always endured unspeakable horrors including beatings and shootings. In virtually every episode the hero met his end and I agonized with him until the end. But wait, somehow miraculously the hero would always survive. Because of the love of GOD and the sacrifice of JESUS this is our story. Because of HIS awesome unimaginable love for us we know how our story ends. Because of our GOD we get to live happily ever after!
Great GOD of the universe, FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, thank you so much for graciously and lovingly inviting us to share eternity with you. Whenever we are tempted to doubt remind us that we know the end of the story and give us the courage and strength to live accordingly.
Jim L.