Beloved
In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
Ephesians 1:5-6 (HCSB)
The word caught me by surprise and enthralled my heart. I guess it’s something every little girl wants to feel, “beloved by her father.” I remember a tender moment while visiting my grandmother’s home. For some reason, I saw my father standing with hands in pant pockets, and head tilted back studying the 8 X 10 groupings of Granny’s nine infant grandchildren. I heard him ask my mother, “Are those our babies?” I realized he was trying to identify the faces of his own babies among the display. As a young adult, I suddenly realized I had once been his baby. I do have pictures of him peering proudly into the bassinet at little, swaddled “me.” Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to continue communicating that adoration throughout the rest of my life—but tender expressions are absolutely no problem for God!
In this powerful sentence, Paul captured the essence of God’s love for us—His glorious grace of adoption through Jesus Christ. God referred to His Son as the Beloved. First century Jewish believers used it as a Messianic title for Jesus. Paul indicates that same title transfers to us through adoption as adopted sons and daughters. You, too, are one of God’s beloved ones. Say it out loud if you need to, “I am God’s beloved!”
Do you feel beloved? If not, ask God to open the eyes of your heart to the reality of His love and tenderness toward you. If you have accepted Christ as your savior, you too are God’s child. You have been washed clean through God’s glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.
If you have never taken that step of demonstrating your belief in this amazing grace available through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, you can by simply yielding your heart. Words aren’t important. God listens to our heart. “Father, I believe Jesus died for my sins, please accept me as Your beloved and open my eyes to the depth of Your love.”
Linda Les
