If you’re like me, you love reminders. I have reminders everywhere; my workspace is full of sticky notes reminding me of tasks. My phone is set to remind me of birthdays, anniversaries and when to pay bills. I even have a reminder to check my reminders. Chapter 1 of Ephesians serves as our reminder of who we are in Messiah and how Mighty our God is! The Apostle Paul reminds followers of Yeshua of two foundational truths.
First, our value is grounded in Messiah:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah. He chose us in the Messiah before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love. He predestined us for adoption as sons through Messiah Yeshua, in keeping with the good pleasure of His will- to the glorious praise of His grace, with which He favored us through the One He loves!
—Ephesians 1:3-6
The second reminder has to do with Yeshua’s (Jesus’) status and position, and who our Messiah really is (Ephesians 1:15-23). He is the Son of God. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is above any ruler, authority, power, leader and every other name that is named! All things have been placed under His feet and He has been appointed head over all things for His community. In a nut shell, I’m reminded that no matter the circumstances we find ourselves in, we serve an awesome God and, through His Son, we are highly favored, blessed, adopted into His family, and have the Holy Spirit as a down payment of our promised inheritance as sons and daughters.
- Do you need reminding of who you are in Messiah?
- Is there anyone in your life that you can encourage with this identity reminder?
- Can you receive the identity the Lord has given you? What is hindering you from receiving this truth?
