Ephesians 1:1-3

"Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the divine will (the purpose and the choice of God) to the saints (the consecrated, set-apart ones) at Ephesus who are also faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 1:1.

Here he is again... Not just Paul! It's Our Father, Jesus... speaking directly to you and I, through Paul. I love how Paul always reminds us who He belongs to... And whom he is lead by. He lets us know, too, who it is he is writing to also... The Christian... those whom Christ has given The Holy Spirit to on the inside... ready to take The Word of God, as you are reading it, and begin a miraculous change in us!

Paul knows this... he has every confidence in what Christ has given him to say to us today. What indication does he have that he can say that he writes "to the saints?" Because they are also faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus! Hmmm... Let that soak in for just a moment, friends. Those three things together, equal "Trusting In and Relying Upon" all that Christ said when He walked among us, and all He is saying now through Paul!

2. "May grace (God's unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ."

I love how this rendering reminds us that the grace we receive from God is honestly not merited... we don't deserve it... except that we stand now, inside The One Whom does, Jesus. Amen?

And the peace? The peace is with God... not canoeing down a calm river, nor getting along with everyone we meet... although He can and does give us moments like that, but it is a peace that is always there, inside us, while flaming arrows and darts are flying all around us. Peace, when all hell is loose, but knowing that God is working all things to His glory! That's what Paul is believing for us.

3. "May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!"

And now, with the Salutation out of the way and before we get into the Body of Paul's letter, he gives glory and honor to the one we love most! Paul kicks this letter off by establishing who we are and how we got here, in one long sentence that starts in verse 3 and doesn't end until the completion of verse 14. The Hebrew word "brk" meant "to kneel" and was translated into the Greek root "eulog" is used three times in this sentence - first, here in verse 3 as an adjective ("eulogetos"), then as a verb ("eulogesas") and finally as a noun ("eulogia").

Because God is blessed and to be praised or commended, those in Christ are also blessed by being spiritually consecrated for God's heavenly purpose to love over His creation. Many believe that it is dishonorable to direct our relations toward God, Himself, however, the bible teaches that it was the purpose of Jesus Christ to restore direct relations with God. In Christ Jesus, we can have direct relationship with God. Amen?

Let's pick up with Ephesians verses 1:4-5 next time.

I love you.