”…he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:6 ESV

There are countless ways in which God blesses us, but one of the most personal ways He shows His love is by providing for us in every possible way. He gives us the ability to work and earn money, and He also blesses us with food - sometimes even in miraculous ways. He blesses us with good health and healing, as well as providing us with healthy relationships.

Speaking of relationships, the Apostle Paul referred to how God has blessed us in the Beloved. The term "Beloved" in this context refers to the body of Christ, or more specifically, our fellow believers. The Father has blessed us through our relationships with other believers, and we can see this through the voices and actions of our brothers and sisters in Christ, who serve as His ambassadors.

Paul is once again emphasizing the idea that Christ is the hope of glory that resides within us. (Colossians 1:27) Whenever we come together and gather with our fellow believers, Jesus manifests Himself in our midst. As Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." It's true that whenever brothers and sisters gather with the intention of seeking Christ, He appears among them if they truly desire His presence.

We worship because the Father is worthy of our praise. At the heart of it, there is no other reason for worship than this purpose. The amazing thing about worship is that when we gather with others to worship the Father together, the Holy Spirit shows up and takes pleasure in our worship. In other words Christ s manifested, 'there am I among them'.

Verse six of the text starts with the phrase "To the praise of His glorious grace". While I have covered the topic of grace in other places, I will briefly mention that grace can be compared to an ocean in terms of its depth and supply, it never runs out, but the ocean is infinitesimal compared to God’s Grace. Grace is the favor that God gives us because of His generous love for us, and it is entirely unmerited on our part. Paul makes another point to say that God's grace is glorious. "Glorious" has many meanings in the New Testament, but in this context, it refers to splendid array, pomp, magnificence, and radiance. This grace obviously comes from the Father and is all of that and more, it is superlative, wonderful, magnificent, and radiant.

When we combine the thoughts of grace in our brothers and sisters in Christ, it becomes an unstoppable force. As human beings, we are limited in many ways due to our weaknesses and failures. However, God has the power to overcome these limitations and express Himself through us. Paul talks about how God's strength can manifest in us, even when we are at our weakest. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV he quotes the Lord saying, …“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Being in Christ, lies the beauty of realizing that our strength has its limits. However, when we let go and trust in Him, Christ steps in and becomes our strength, empowering us to accomplish much more than we ever could with our own abilities. Through this realization, we come to understand that we could never reach the heights of what God can do through us on our own. Therefore, it's vital to let go of our desire for control and trust in God's plan for our lives. By doing so, we allow Him to work in and through us, leading us to achieve greater things than we ever thought possible.

As believers in Christ, we must navigate the delicate balance of trust and transparency with discernment. Our brokenness and imperfections can make it easy to cause pain or hurt in each other, and so we must always guard our hearts and the hearts of others so that our words and actions reflect the heart of the Lord towards each other. It is also important to establish proper boundaries of communication beforehand to ensure that everyone feels safe and protected from careless words or actions that could cause harm. Let us approach each other with kindness and compassion, and a desire to build relationships that reflect the love and grace of Christ. 

Stephen Barnett