Newsletter Devotional: God Verbs Part 1 by Cole Harper

In Ephesians 1 there are seven grand verbs. These seven verbs describe how God acts to save and love his people. They form the basis of the life of the church. Ultimately, the church is not something we do, but something that God does. He blesses, chooses, predestines, lavishes, makes known, works together, and seals with the Spirit. These actions are what lay the foundation of our faith and what we'll be exploring for the next few weeks together, one by one.

1. God blessed you.
I don’t mean blessed you with “good health,” or a “roof over your head,” or whatever. Those are good too. But so not the point here. In Ephesians 1 it means you’ve been marked as one who will participate in Jesus ruling the earth. That yours is a future of bliss, Every minute better than the one that came before it. Forgiven, and alive. More alive than you’ve ever been. But that hope doesn’t stay put. It spills over to the present. Now. This kind of blessing is one that trains you to rule with Christ. In the small things first. And in the big stuff later.

2. God chose you.
There’s no other way to say it, really. He picked you. Your being a Christian was God’s idea before it was your idea. Did you meet Jesus through a preacher, or Sunday school teacher? Lovely. But God didn’t need them. They’re not the reason you believe. They’re the instruments God used to make his grace believable — to make you family. God dreamt you up before there was a you; a dream older than the “foundations of the world.” Before God bothered with gravity, continents, thunder, or lightning, He decided that you’d stand with him in the sun with a clear conscience and a full heart.

3. God predestined you.
Take a breath.
God made sure you wouldn’t mess this up. That he’d bring you back if it killed him. Are you bad at being a sheep? Maybe. But that’s so not the point. You’re His sheep. And God’s better at shepherding than you are at um...sheeping. It really isn’t about you.
Now let it out.