Do you read your Bible as if it’s a personal letter just for you? I hope you do. It’s an amazing book, written personally to each one who reads it.
Although God’s message is universal and to all who will believe it’s also written with specific and individual instruction so that we may each have our own personal relationship with the Father.
The purpose of Paul writing to the Christians at the church in Ephesus was to introduce them to this mystery of God’s amazing grace being given to them. It’s personal.
“ God let me know his secret plan by showing it to me. I have already written a little about this. 4 And if you read what I wrote, you can see that I understand the secret truth about Christ. 5 People who lived in other times were not told that secret truth. But now, through the Spirit, God has made it known to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 And this is the secret truth: that by hearing the Good News, those who are not Jews will share with the Jews in the blessings God has for his people. They are part of the same body, and they share in the promise God made through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 3:3-6 ERV
For thousands of years, the blessings of God were reserved for His people, the Jews. David had confidence as he faced Goliath that God was with Him because of the covenant that God made with the Jewish people.
The three men who were threatened with a fiery furnace were not afraid because they trusted in their promise keeping God. Daniel chose to serve God even though it meant being thrown into a den of lions.
Esther, a young Jewish girl, who became queen, boldly went before the king and his adviser, who was intent on killing all Jews, because of her trust in her covenant keeping God.
And now Paul was telling the Ephesians, and us, that these same blessings and promises of God are made available to us through Christ.
“By God’s special gift of grace, I became a servant to tell that Good News. He gave me that grace by using his power. 8 I am the least important of all God’s people. But he gave me this gift—to tell the non-Jewish people the Good News about the riches Christ has. These riches are too great to understand fully. 9 And God gave me the work of telling all people about the plan for his secret truth. That secret truth has been hidden in him since the beginning of time. He is the one who created everything. 10 His purpose was that all the rulers and powers in the heavenly places will now know the many different ways he shows his wisdom. They will know this because of the church. 11 This agrees with the plan God had since the beginning of time. He did what he planned, and he did it through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In Christ we come before God with freedom and without fear. We can do this because of our faith in Christ.” Ephesians 3:7-12 ERV
We, you and I, have been chosen by God to inherit His promises and through those promises we will be a testimony of the Father’s goodness and love. Our purpose is to never underestimate the power of God working in our lives and to boldly proclaim, like those of old, that God is able and deserves all glory.
It’s personal!