Mon., 3/21/16 Devotion (Eph. 1:5)

Today's encouragement comes from Paul's Holy Spirit-inspired words of Eph-esians 1:5:

"Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, ac-cording to the good pleasure of His will."

Have we ever heartily (like Paul) thanked God for the gracious doctrines of predestination and election? Without this sovereign work of God no one would ever be saved, and we would all be forever bound to sin, death, and hell. Those who exalt human "free will" over the powerful gospel of Christ de-spise God, and His grace.

Let us recognize this humbling truth: unless the Lord had first loved and chos-en us—even before He created the universe—there would be no way we would ever have been irresistibly and effectually called to Him in and through Jesus, the One who is our only access to God.

[Puritan quote of the day: "The church is a distinct race that originally came from God. Other men are of the earth—they are of earthly derivation, the pos-terity of men—but the church is the posterity of God.” —Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "Christians a Chosen Generation"]