All praise, blessing, and honor belong to You, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You are prepared to bless all who come to You through Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
But rather than come to You, like a sheep that has gone astray, I have often chosen to go my own way. I have not been holy as You are holy. I am not blameless in Your sight. All of my righteousness is filthy rags.
Yet long before You laid down earth’s foundations, You had me in mind, had settled on me as the focus of Your love, to be made holy and to be seen as without fault through Christ.
In love You predestined me to be adopted to be Your child through Jesus Christ. You took pleasure in doing this, fulfilling Your plan for me, to the praise of Your glorious grace. You have blessed me immeasurably through Your Beloved Son.
In Christ, I have been redeemed through His shed blood. I have been forgiven of my trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He has lavished upon me.
Your plan to save me is a display of Your wisdom and understanding. You have made known to me the mystery You took such delight in unfolding. You revealed Your long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in Christ, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
Because I am united with Christ, I have received an inheritance from You, for You chose me in advance, and You made everything work out according to Your plan so that I might live to the praise of Your glory.
And now that I have heard the truth, the Good News, You saved me and enabled me to believe in Christ. You have identified me as Your own by giving me the Holy Spirit, whom You promised long ago. Your Spirit is Your guarantee, the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that I will inherit everything You have planned for me.
So, today, help me to live a life to the praise of Your glorious grace. Give the a passion to show and share Your gracious gospel to a world so desperately in need of You.
Amen
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This prayer is based on the truths found in Ephesians 1:3-14. Some of the words and phrases are taken directly from the English Standard Version, The Message, and the New Living Translation.
