By Pastor William Y. K. Brown Ph.D
(Resident Pastor)
Seventh-day Adventist Church
Osu-Bethel.
Tel: 0244165628/0243310773.
wykbrown@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY
THEME: CONFIDENCE: A HYPE TO OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD“
SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 3:11-12
“[11]According to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, [12]in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
REFLECTIONS
We begin our meditation by affirming that our salvation is a mystery. How God could come in human flesh to die in our stead is incomprehensible. That a sinner is saved by a kind, loving, generous, and all-powerful God without our effort is a revelation we are yet to grasp fully. But that is the beauty of salvation: Though we do not understand the full details and the depth of God’s love and Christ’s self-abnegation, by faith, we accept it and live to experience the details of it. Every believer is a product of hope and the eternal plans of God.
We access eternal life with boldness and confidence because we trust what Jesus Christ has wrought for us. Salvation and eternal life are mutually inclusive events in human history that we may never fathom yet cannot toy with. That we are included in God’s plan for eternal life is endearing and exciting. Whatever sacrifices we must make to attain His ideal for us is worth making. Forever, our salvation has been established through Jesus Christ. What remains is for us to demonstrate our interest in the gift. When the choice is made, God will work with us and ensure our salvation, character transformation, devotion, a life of service, and dedication are intact. Our salvation qualifies us to be enlisted to partner with Jesus Christ to dismantle the kingdom of darkness through our faithfulness in serving the Lord, suffering for Him, and sharing the everlasting gospel with others.
Because God through Jesus Christ has made us saints, Paul prays for us in Ephesians 3:14-19 – [14]For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, [15]from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, [16]that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, [17]that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, [18]may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— [19]to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
That Christ has died and saved us alone is good news that encompasses every other good news. This is why Paul boldly and confidently says in Romans 8:31-32 – “[31]What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32]He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Therefore, affliction, suffering, hardships, disappointments, ill health, poverty, or anything else that can nullify our privileged calling and recognition do not warrant our giving up. Stand with Christ for victory. Confident in His love, we shall remain and abide in Him.
MY SONG OF COMMITMENT
462 – “Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine!”
LET US PRAY
– Praise and thank God for the salvation in Jesus Christ; thank God for making such a huge sacrifice for you; pray to remain in Christ and live for Him every day;
– Pray for those who have accepted Jesus to remain firm in faith, witness to the truth in Christ, and be prepared to endure affliction, deprivation, and hardship for His sake;
– Pray for unreached communities across the world, believers in countries where they are hindered from practicing their faith, and a revival among Christians worldwide;
– Pray for people who are persecuted for their faith; pray for the peace and prosperity of the country; pray for the needy, poor, ailing, street children, and people living in slums.
