“Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure… Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as He decided long ago.” Ephesians 1:4-5, 11
Have you ever felt inadequate? Untalented? Unworthy? Probably most of us have felt that way. Maybe it began on the school playground with a pickup game of softball basketball. Each side’s captain was choosing the teams and you were picked last. Whatever it was, the feeling of “not measuring up” can haunt us long after we graduate from sandlot sports. In the workplace, in the classroom, at home, we've asked, "If they had it to do all over again, would they choose me? Would they hire me? Would she marry me?" Maybe you've wondered the same thing about your Christian life. "If God had it do over, would He still save me?" Some of you believe that you have been such a disappointment to God that He never would have saved you if He had it to do over again. But Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells us the exact opposite. He emphatically states that God chose and accepted you into the body of Christ not because He had to, but because He wanted to. You are part of his plan. From the beginning, He chose you to be part of his family. His unchanging plan has always been to bring us to himself thru Christ. Paul says...(v. 4) Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Whether or not you think it's possible for you to become "holy and blameless", the Bible makes it clear that God thinks it is possible. You may wonder, “How is that possible with all the mistakes and blunders I have made?” Well, the key is that it’s not your plan, it’s God’s. And it’s not because of your efforts on your own, it’s all about who you are “in Christ”. Nothing in your life has ever caught Him by surprise. And yet, verse 11 tells us, “...for He chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as He decided long ago.” That means that long before God made the Heavens and the earth, He knew all about your life – where you would be today, all of your disappointments and mistakes, all of your “inadequacies” and shortcomings. He knew that you would fall short of His glory. Maybe you’ve felt like giving in to regret and giving up, but He has never given up on you. His love for you has never changed. Your past may be littered with failure and defeat, but it doesn't change the fact that God loves you, He chose you, and He believes in you. You have been on his mind from the very beginning.
