LEARNING DAILY

Ephesians 1:9-10, Making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth in Him.

My wife and I enjoy putting puzzles together. The smaller (300 – 500) puzzles are fun, the 1,000-piece puzzles are more challenging, but the 1,500 – 2,000 have become really fun. Pastor Ed Newton used puzzles as an illustration regarding the “mystery of His will” He talked about those great men of God written about in the Old Testament had glimpses of God’s plan (pieces of the puzzle) regarding a Messiah to be sent and about God’s plan for eternity; but they were unable to see the full picture (the completed puzzle) of what was to come. The advantage people have with the New Testament is to be able to see the whole picture – the completed puzzle. As Believers read the New Testament, they can see how all the pieces fit together instead of seeing only a few pieces and wondering how they fit.

When Jesus came to walk on the earth, He opened the eyes of those who came to follow Him. Colossians 1:27, “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This mystery was for the Jewish people first and then for the Gentiles. The glory of this mystery is that Jesus came to live in those who would believe and be changed by Him; with Christ in you, you can be confident of eternity with Christ in heaven.  The Believer’s heart is changed because Christ lives in them. Ezekiel 36:26, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” This is not only a promise to change our actions and behavior but a promise to give Believers a new heart and spirit, a change to righteousness and desire to be in His will. (Verses from the Listener Guide).

When Jesus changes us and we can see the entire picture (“according to His purpose, which He set forth in Christ”), Believers find purpose in their lives. What is their purpose? Pastor Newton said the mission of Jesus is found in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Jesus was sent to take the place of all who would place their faith in His sacrifice for their sins; their mission would them be to “go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).  “You did not find Jesus; He found you!” (EN).

As a Believer, you are living in “Divine Moment” (Listener Guide). God’s timing is perfect. He sent His Son at the right time in history (Galatians 4:4). He is going to have His son return to establish His kingdom on earth at just the right time. “It could happen at any time, at any moment.” (EN). As believers, we need to not only be ready for the trumpet to sound to be taken to meet King Jesus in the clouds, and we must be ready to share our story about what Jesus Christ did to save and change us. We have been given authority on earth to proclaim the Good News (the BEST NEWS EVER) (Matthew 18:18) and to set others free from the bondage of sin through Jesus Christ (Luke 4:18).  Pastor Newton emphasized that this is not about getting God to do our will but about each believer doing God’s will.

We best be about doing the work the Father has for each of us to do!