City Life Starter

Written by Nate Warren

The Word

…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…

Ephesians 1:4 (NKJV)

Analysis

The introduction to the first book of the Bible is a shockingly concise creation account: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen 1:1) Simple as that. The following chapter breaks down the process in a beautiful poetic depiction of God’s direct involvement and care as he created everything that has been made, including mankind. However, what is not mentioned there is what God was doing before creation.  In the Ephesians passage above, Paul shows us a glimpse of what God was up to before “In the beginning,” and it’s magnificent! He tells us that God was thinking specifically about us, planning our redemption story — the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This made the way for us to be rescued from our captors, allowed us to freely love God without any reservation, and provided us a full inheritance in His glorious Kingdom. 

Application

Take a moment of silence, perhaps a minute or two, to ponder that Jesus because of His love for you, chose to enter human life and die for you before there was light. Allow your mind to be open to the words of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

God of infinite love, I am amazed at Your elaborate plan that was set before the world was formed. Your gospel–the good news–restores in all of us profound dignity and worth, regardless of wounds and failures. May Your supernatural power continue to form us to be set apart for Your glorious plans, and may God-Father, Son, and Spirit- get all the credit. In the name of our Messiah and King, Jesus, amen.