Ephesians 1:11-12 NIVUK
11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
This week we started our Alpha Courses. (This was written between the Drop-In Alpha and the Wednesday Evening Alpha. Tuesday stimulated some great discussions which is a real answer to prayer.) Alpha is all about big questions, and one of the biggest is what are we here for. In today’s verse, Paul, inspired by the Spirit, tells us that it is so that we ‘might be to the praise of his glory’. This sounds to me as if it could be understood in two ways, either that having encountered Jesus and his reconciling love we respond with praise, or, that others praise God in light of the transformation that they see in our lives as brought about by Jesus. My suspicion is that both are right; as we discover Jesus, we respond in praise and are transformed over time, a change that others see and so they too discover Jesus , responding in praise and so on and so on, rippling out in place and time.
Ephesians 1:11-12 (18.01.18)
Thank you Father for the impact of Jesus in our lives. May this be communicated in how we live so that others may come to find him too, thinking particularly of our family and friends and those on Alpha at this time.
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