In the Shadow of the Cross

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April 2007 | November 2007

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Many of us have seen the bumper sticker that reads; “The person who dies with the most toys, wins “. I’m not sure if the author of this bumper sticker was just joking, or if there was to be a glimmer of hope in their statement, as if to say- that toys or materialist possessions can fill the void in one’s heart, and that getting all the toys you can, is to be one’s ultimate ambition. By the way, what does the person win? I understand it is just a bumper sticker, and it isn’t meant to convey any real meaning. Either way, it’s not funny, nor true.

We who are believers in Christ are the true winners. Not only do we have the assurance of heaven that is beyond our full comprehension, but we already have a treasure that is beyond the ‘toys’ and materialism that plague our minds daily. These are the wonderful and bountiful gifts described for us in the first chapter of Ephesians.

"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. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. 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 with all wisdom and understanding. And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
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, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession-to the praise of His glory. “ ( Ephesians 1: 3-14 NIV )

Stop! You read that much too fast. Go back, and re-read Ephesians, but this time really read it, soak in every word.

Did you get it? …..You’ve already won, and look… you didn’t need to die with the most toys! You’ve won, assuming of course, that you’re a faithful believer in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God has picked you to be on His team. He wants a family and has done everything possible to put that family together. That is why there is a deep desire in our hearts to be part of a family, a place to belong. There is no better family to belong to. Ephesians- Chapter 1, the apostle Paul tells us that God has chosen us. We are co-heirs with His Son, Jesus. He loves us just as He loves His Son. Stop and ponder that truth for a few minutes. That is awesome!

He is saying, I don’t care about your past, your failures your stupidity. All He cares about is you and you’re now part of His family. Does that give you free license to go on a sinful rampage? Absolutely NOT! Read and think on Romans Chapter 6 for God’s explanation on that subject.

God has already blessed us. This is not a future event, it has already happened. And He didn’t give us just some crumbs off the table. But rather He has blessed us NOW with EVERY spiritual blessing! God has given to us the richness of His grace via the blood of His Son. He lavished this on us with all wisdom and understanding. See that word “lavished” in verse 8? I love that word. It describes very well the extent to which God has blessed us. When was the last time anyone ever lavished anything for your gain or benefit? God has. He lavished on us, while we are still here on earth! Also notice that it is in past tense…“lavished”. Folks, again, it has already happened. No toys here, just wonderful grace, grace beyond our comprehension.

King Solomon, the wisest man to have ever lived was also a wealthy man. He had a bunch of “toys”. He considered all the toys, and all the wealth, all the worldly stuff worthless. He said trying to acquire it all - was like trying to catch the wind. If the wisest man to have ever lived said that the pursuit of ‘toys’ and wealth was a fruitless endeavor, then why do the not-so-wise still continue on? Maybe they don’t understand the lavishing verse, assuming they read it. Maybe, they are not a believer of Jesus and don’t trust Him. Or maybe to them the Word of God is old, out-dated, worn out, and just another book to be disposed of.

But God’s wealth or blessings that He so generously lavishes to His family of worshippers can’t be lost or burned up or stolen, or worn out or become outdated or disposed of. When we heard the word of God, the Gospel of our salvation and believed, you were then sealed with the Holy Spirit, and then guaranteed an inheritance. This is the same inheritance that belongs to Jesus. Paul later in this same chapter prays that the eyes of the Ephesians may be opened to fully know the riches of His glorious inheritance. This prayer can be extended to all believers; that we all understand just how rich we are in His inheritance.

What should be our response? He tells us what our response should be- in that same passage in Ephesians. We are to praise Him! We are to thank Him, to worship Him, to trust Him, to follow Him, to obey Him and again and again give Him praise. For every ounce of glory belongs to Him.

Look how rich you are- you follower of Christ. You are in the family, you are a co-heir with Christ. Take another look at this section of Ephesians Chapter 1:3-14 and notice the great riches our Lord has lavished on us. As you look at this section, you can list out what Paul has said about these blessings. Remember that all praise and honor goes to God because:

He has blessed you in every spiritual blessing in Christ
He has chosen you
He has predestined and adopted you
He has given His son to you. His Son died a horrible death on your behalf
He has redeemed you
He has forgiven you
He has lavished all His grace on you
He made known to you the mystery of His will
He has given you the great honor of praising Him
He has sealed you as a member of His family
He has given you His Spirit
He has given you a guarantee that all that belongs to Him is also yours.

These are wonderful riches beyond a price, and He freely has given them to us. They are all ours NOW. If you are wondering around and there is a great void in your heart, accept God’s invitation into His family, it’s a free invitation. Accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and trust Him with the details of your life. Blessing will be poured out and you’ll win an inheritance that can’t be described. Life will continue to throw curve balls at you, and when it does – go back and re-read Ephesians Chapter 1, and it will remind you of just how wonderfully blessed you really are.

You can keep your toys and all the worldly material possession, I will treasure these rich blessings and praise our Lord with a thankful heart.

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