Morning Devotional 012325 Active Participants

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  January 23, 2025

Ephesians 1:10-14

10 This is what God planned for the climax of all times: to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth. 11 We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design. 12 We are called to be an honor to God’s glory because we were the first to hope in Christ. 13 You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory.

Good Morning. We’re standing on the promises of God!

God’s purpose is to bring together all creation in the likeness of Christ. We are invited to participate in the redemption of God’s people. We might ask, “How do we do this?” 

When an actor is selected for a role, their first task is to learn about the overall story and discern their character’s part in the story. They work to become that person. An Oscar-worthy actor epitomizes every aspect of their part with their thoughts, words, and actions. In this case, the actor creates an illusion. 

Our journey to becoming the likeness of Christ follows a similar path. We learn the story through reading and studying Scripture. We join in a relationship with God through prayer and meditation. We adopt the characteristics of Christ as we develop our faith. Due to our human frailty, we will fall out of character when our thoughts, words, or actions do not reflect Christ, but through God’s grace, we will begin again.

Unlike the actor in my example, who created an illusion and will move to other roles and leave behind the character they worked so hard to become, we are called to be the face of Christ for the world as we journey toward our eternal life. This long-term opportunity allows us to shed our earthly characteristics and fully embody Christ. This transformation is possible because of the Holy Spirit, who came to us through baptism and remains with us to guide and make us into the beings God created. Praise be to God!

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! It is a long process for us to become the face of Christ for the world. Thank you for giving us the tools that allow our transformation. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: The Holy Spirit is the down payment toward our inheritance.

Accept the invitation to be an active participant in God’s plan! Pastor Liz