Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
He knew me from before I was ever born. Before creation, God knew me. He knew every-time I would fail Him, every time I would doubt Him and still chose me to be His adopted Child. He, according to the good pleasure of His will, predestined me to be His Child–to make me holy and without blame before Him in love by covering me with the sacrificial blood of Christ. He then blessed me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places with Christ. This is the hope we who believe can hold tightly to when we are filled with self doubt and feel overwhelmed with our failures. Christ carried out guilt and fears with Him to the cross in addition to our sins. When we wallow in our own unworthiness, we open the door to sin having power over our lives. It is always important that we take our focus off of ourselves and place that focus on the only one who has the power of victory over sin—Jesus Christ. He is the one who can work through us when we Abide in Him, thus bringing the praise of His Glory. He reminds us that we are cleansed by the word. Our salvation did not come from our struggling to become more. We were not able to work our way into the vine of our own doing. We had to be grafted into the vine by God. It was not our labor that paid the price for our salvation. We are cleansed by the Word, that Word being Christ Himself. John 1: “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ..12But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” My Salvation, my justification did not come of my own works; so, how is it that I now want to produce fruit from my own works. In order to rest in and abide in His Salvation, I must remember this. The only part in my Salvation that came from me was my faith to believe that He is God who is worthy of all my praise and to be Glorified for all eternity. Even that I could not have done had God not removed the veils from my eyes that I might glimpse at His Glory and desire it, seek it, cherish it as a treasure above all other treasures.
William Cowper was a missionary preacher to the Indians who frequently fell into depression because he felt that he was so unworthy of God’s Grace. Then one day he was reading Romans 3: "21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
William Cowper wrote to describe that moment as follows: "
Immediately I received the strength to believe it, and the full beams of the Sun of Righteousness shone upon me. I saw the sufficiency of the atonement He had made, my pardon sealed in His blood, and all the fullness and completeness of His justification. In a moment I believed, and received the gospel . . . Unless the Almighty arm had been under me, I think I should have died with gratitude and joy. My eyes filled with tears, and my voice choked with transport; I could only look up to heaven in silent fear, overwhelmed with love and wonder. (Gilbert Thomas, William Cowper and the Eighteenth Century, p. 132)"
So those of you who do not know Christ as your Savior? Do you long to know Him? Is there a small little voice or a clamoring noise calling you to Him? Do you see God as desirable; but you want to clean up your life first? I urge you to respond to that voice and come today, just as you are. Don’t wait another day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRgjQwhm9WM