Ephesians 1:1-14 Romans 8:18-30
This first chapter lays out what a life in Christ consists of. For one thing, through choosing Christ, we have become part of His chosen people. Our destiny in God’s love is to be Christ’s adopted sisters, withour wills united to his Divine Will. Not only that, but we are free from sin and death through Jesus’s death and resurrection.
This doesn’t mean that our lives will always be perfect. Being a Christian means that we will encounter hardship in our lives. But the hard things we endure and the unimaginable things that we suffer don’t take away from our calling or the promise that God made to us.
Romans 8:18 says
“I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.”
I particularly love this part of today’s reflection:
“In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:11-12 NRSV
There’s a difference between acting like you deserve something just because you want it (entitlement) and the inheritance that the letter talks about here. Inheritance is something freely given whereas something we feel entitled to is something we want to take or grasp at.
We don’t deserve God’s forgiveness or redemption, let alone eternal life and a share of the riches of Heaven, and yet that is what we will receive when we live a Christ-filled life.
Romans 8:28 says
“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
While we are waiting to receive our inheritance of eternal life, the graces that we have been given us right now call us to bring good things into the world, to shine a light into the darkness.
Make the most of the inheritance we have received now, sisters in Christ!
Reflection: What do you think it means to be a Christian, to have a Christ-filled life?
Reflection: Think about a time when you encountered entitlement and compare that to when you were given something freely. What was the difference in those situations?
Act: Say a prayer of thanksgiving for all that God has given to you that you didn’t ask for.
