Good morning people who never move beyond your greatest need to know God more.

The greatest need in my life is not to have every problem solved (although that would be nice). It is not to understand everything that has happened or is happening (although this too would be nice).

My greatest need is and always will be to see God as He actually is.

The Father is seen in the Son, and the Holy Spirit reveals the Son to us. God Himself works with Himself to reveal Himself to us. This is too glorious for words!

Ephesians 1:15-17 NIV For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

To godly people who had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and who demonstrated love for all God’s people, Paul kept on praying to the Father, that He would give the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that they could know Him better.

I believe that this continues to be at the core of the Father’s heart. He earnestly desires for us to know Him more intimately. This happens through a deepening revelation of seeing Him accurately. This can only be a work of the Holy Spirit.

And so, I echo the words and prayer of Paul today. This is my prayer for you. May we all know God more and more.

Good morning people who were given the Holy Spirit as a down payment of what’s to come.

Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

This marking of the Holy Spirit upon our lives when we believed in Jesus, was ‘a stamp of ownership’ by God Himself. It was a declaration from the Father over us as He declared, “You are My child and I love you dearly!”

And not only that, the gift of the Holy Spirit Himself living in us is actually a deposit that guarantees our full rights as sons and daughters who are heirs of our Father in heaven!

So, what is our legal right as sons and daughters of God?

The following scripture tells us:

Romans 8:17 NIV Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Everything that the Father gave to His one and only Son while He walked this earth as a man, is our legal possession while we are here on the earth! Honestly, I can’t fully articulate this! All I can say is, I encourage you to search the scriptures and ask the Holy Spirit to take you deeper into this truth.

And beyond our natural limited years on earth, the Holy Spirit is given as a deposit guaranteeing us eternity in the very presence of our heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit! The closest we feel to God through the Holy Spirit encounters here is just a small taste of eternity, but at a greatly increased intensity of love!

We have been marked by the Holy Spirit, and He is a guarantee of much more to come!

Good morning people who live in the finished work of our resurrected King.

Yesterday, we talked about the word ‘redemption’ which means ‘ransom in full.’ I don’t think that this truth can be overstated. I definitely need to hear it time after time.

Here is another passage of scripture that unpacks this further today:

Romans 5:15-17 NIV But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

God’s grace is so much greater than our sin! What Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross of Calvary and in His resurrection far exceeds what Adam & Eve caused in the Garden of Eden.

And herein lies a truth that we should never forget: Who God is and what God has done is always far greater than what the devil or any person could ever be or do! There is no contest!

I love the way that this scripture tells us that God’s grace came through Jesus, but it goes further to tell us that this grace brought a gift too.

Do you know what the gift that comes from God’s grace is?

It is the gift of God’s righteousness that has been imputed to us through Jesus! In the Father’s eyes, we look like Jesus! That’s right!

And it is because of this gift of righteousness – being in right standing with God – that we can reign in life through Jesus Christ.

The longer I live, the more I am convinced that our greatest need is an increased revelation of who Jesus is and of all that He has legally purchased for us through His life, death and resurrection.

The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing!

Good morning people whose sins have been paid for in full by the blood of Jesus.

Ephesians 1:7-8a NIV In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.

In Him – In Jesus – such powerful words!

The blood of Jesus brought about our redemption. This is an important word for us to understand as believers in Jesus. It literally means ‘ransom in full.’

A ransom is a payment that is demanded in order for someone to go free. You and I were slaves to sin, and as such, the payment demanded was death.

Jesus Christ took our sins upon Himself, and now the statement of His resurrected life is, “Paid in full!” As I type this, I feel emotion rising up within me. My debt has been paid in full by the precious blood of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

This means, I have nothing left to pay for! I don’t have to add to Jesus’ finished work! “It is finished!”, actually means, “It is finished!”

I love this scripture that we read in Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:18 NIV And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

I don’t need to add to what Jesus did – I just need to receive it and walk in the freedom that His sacrifice brings to me.

The same is true for you my friend.

Good morning people who find your worth in the Father’s foreknowledge of your existence.

Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

No person is an accident or an after-thought. Every single person was chosen by the Father before the creation of the world. This is a huge statement and yet it is undeniably a scriptural truth.

God’s foreknowledge is a spiritual reality that goes beyond human comprehension. The realm of the Spirit is not contained to, limited by, or subject to the natural world. Everything created was exactly that – created – and it was created by a limitless and timeless God.

Therefore, it is one hundred percent true that God has always known you! And His foreknowledge of you came with a deep desire for you to live in Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

It’s God’s love that draws us to Himself. While He chooses everyone, adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ is reserved for those who accept the Father’s invitation. Therefore, it is not salvation itself that is predestined (because it’s God’s will that none should perish), but rather, it is adoption to sonship that is predestined for those who choose Him.

And the most wonderful and beautiful part of this adoption to sonship is that it is in accordance with God’s pleasure and will. It is God’s desire for you and I to be deeply loved by Him!

This is part of the spiritual blessing that we have in Christ.