Saturday, May 13, 2017

blessed, accepted, adopted, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, loved

artwork by Tamara Peterson
This delightfully beautiful work of art by Tamara Peterson illustrates so well the joyous, loving, and encouraging Truth from God’s Word contained in the first chapter of Ephesians.

When I was recently asked to speak to a ladies Bible study group, I shared this Truth that encourages me on a daily basis. Because I have been so encouraged by the study of Ephesians Chapter One, I wrote a series of 12 word studies on that chapter here.

These Truths from God’s Word encourage me, and I pray they will be an encouragement to you, too!

You are who God says you are…

In Christ, you are...

BLESSED with every spiritual blessing, 
         ACCEPTED in the Beloved Son of God, 
                 ADOPTED as a child of the King, 
                         CHOSEN before the foundation of the world, 
                                 REDEEMED by His Blood, 
                                          FORGIVEN by His Grace, 
                                                   LOVED with an everlasting love, and
                                                   underneath are the everlasting arms.

When you feel betrayed, God says: You are BLESSED
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

When you feel ignored, God says: You are ACCEPTED
"According to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:5-6)

When you feel abandoned, God says: You are ADOPTED
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. (Ephesians 1:4-5)

When you feel inadequate, God says: You are CHOSEN
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Ephesians 1:4)

When you feel rejected, God says: You are REDEEMED
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

When you feel condemned, God says: You are FORGIVEN
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.” (Ephesians 1:7-8)

When you feel forgotten, God says: You are LOVED
“Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” (Ephesians 1:4“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)


Lord Jesus, Thank You for this encouraging Truth from Your Word, that in Christ, we are who You say we are. Thank You for the free gift of salvation, that we are justified on the basis of Your finished work on the Cross. Thank You that, right now, we are under the completely sufficient imputed righteousness of Christ. Because we have placed our trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are redeemed by Your precious blood. The threat of failure, judgment, and condemnation has been removed. Knowing that God’s love for us and approval of us will never be determined by our performance is the most encouraging promise to which we cling—what great things You have done! We love You, Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.

Look Up—meditate on Ephesians 1 …pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

Look In—as you meditate on Ephesians 1 …pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

Look Out—as you meditate on Ephesians 1…pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.


* If you liked this post, you’ll love this book – 
Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26 Alphabetical Names of Christ


Weekly LinkUps…

28 comments:

  1. I just finished reading Eugene Peterson's Practice Resurrection which covers the book of Ephesians! I love hearing the truth of Chapter 1 again here, especially with such a beautiful backdrop of art!

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    1. Thank you, Michele! I so appreciate you stopping by with your always encouraging comments. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  2. Beth, so wonderful to be reminded this morning of who we are in Christ. I have those very words written on an index card and pulled it out this morning after reading this post. Have a blessed day!

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    1. Joanne, thank you so much for sharing this...I so agree with you...I tear down the lies from Satan, and re-wallpaper my mind with Truth from God's Word...index cards with became my Truth cards! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  3. Hi Beth. I was drawn in by this beautiful image at #testimonytuesday. Thank you for weaving it together with these verses!

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    1. Thank you so much, Sarah. It is so energizing to share encouragement with others, amen? Many blessings to you ❤️

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    1. Lisa, I so agree with you. Thanks for stopping by...many blessings to you ❤️

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  5. I am a huge advocate of becoming a student of all that God says we are, and I so appreciate your word studies here. Ephesians is one of my favorite books for the richness of our inheritance. So glad to see you here again at Fresh market Firday!

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    1. Crystal, I so agree with you! Ephesians is such a multifaceted jewel in God's word. Thanks so much for stopping by...many blessings to you ❤️

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  6. Beth thank you so much for joining is this week for #TeaAndWord. I absolutely love this post (and the artwork is gorgeous!). This looks like something that would make a great printable to hang in plain sight. I (and I am sure we all do) have to remind myself I am included in these promises too (not just the people of the Bible or people I am helping). I want to lay down the feelings of unworthiness and pick up the free gift God has given me. I pray you have a blessed week!

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    1. What a great idea, Meg! I'll have to work on your idea of a printable to hang in plain sight--wonderful wallpaper for our minds! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  7. Love the book of Ephesians! So much truth! Thanks for highlighting so many of the wonderful truths that are written in God's Word about us! Blessings to you!

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  8. Beautiful artwork and such encouraging words.

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  9. Lovely artwork and inspiring words. Thank you for those today!

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  10. I've been meditating a bit lately on who I am in Christ, and more specifically whose I am. So grateful for all of these incredible attributes that make me His. Glad to be your neighbor at #porchstories.

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    1. I so agree with you, Tiffany! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  11. I love this post, and how you pointed us to scripture. I needed this reminder this week. Thank you so much! It's a joy to follow you at Suzie's today.

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    1. What an encouraging comment, Julie...thank you! Many blessings to you ❤️

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  12. Thank you, Beth,for the beautiful artwork and the words from Ephesians securing us in how the Father views us when the world and the enemy say differently. Definitely worth putting on index cards.
    Visiting from Fresh Market Friday.

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    1. Janis, thanks so much for your encouraging comments. I did put these scriptures and more on Truth Cards, those 3 x 5" index cards that are bound at the top with a spiral. Many blessings to you ❤️

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  13. Beth, beautiful artwork and beautiful words! In a world with so much going on, it can be easy to forget that we are blessed, accepted, adopted, chosen, redeemed, forgiven, and loved by God! Thanks for linking up with #TuneInThursday this week. See you next time!

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, Debbie! Many blessings to you!

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  14. Goes perfectly with Lauren Daigle's You Say. Thank you for reminding us that though we, or the world, may have negative thoughts about us, God says what we really are in Him. LOVED! ACCEPTED! CHOSEN! Thank you for the reminder and for sharing on Traffic Jam Weekend at LIfeasaLEOWife.com!

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    1. Oh I love Lauren Daigle’s music, especially You Say! It’s so good to be able to sing our praise and our prayers. Thanks so much for taking time to stop by and leave such encouraging comments. Many blessings to you 💕

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