Ephesians 5:5

he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will

I struggle with the balance between conviction and grace. Lately it feels like God wants me to be painfully aware of how short I come from being holy and pleasing in his sight.

For those who can relate, all I can offer is as the angst of awareness of how deep our sinful nature goes washes over us, we are offered grace through His word that tells us it is because of His promise of sonship that we are experiencing this call to holiness. Our Father in His great love chose us in this time and place to be hearers and doers of His word, to thirst for more of Him, and to desire to work out our salvation with fear and trembling so that we may carry out the good works He planned for us before creation.

If you find yourself on your own journey of redemption, a journey to press towards being someone of greater purpose, value, strength, and honor; to be filled with a compassion and love never before experienced, then we can rest in the knowledge that it is God who began the works in us and it is He who will complete it.

I used to think it was my mother who loved me more because she let me do just about anything and my father was a tyrant because he punished so severely. His methods may have been abusive in nature (leaving welts with a belt across the body of a small child is abusive), but the mere fact that he desired better for me and attempted to admonish my evil ways (I was a rebellious and head strong kid) does reflect that he wanted better for me.

My whole life I rebelled against correction, but today I am learning to take great joy in being admonished by our Heavenly Father in healthy, grace-filled loving ways, for much as a coach pushes his players really hard, the goal is not for their suffering but for the players individual growth which then favors the whole team toward victory.

Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.

Proverbs 13:24
Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

Hebrews 12:6
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

Revelation 3:19
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.

I am so grateful for His word which reveals the darkness inside that I have effortlessly followed for all of my life, that He loves me enough to place the mirror in front of me and let me not look away.

No, the journey of redemption, this path of sanctification is not easy, but it is necessary in the building up of His children in the ways of His Son, that we may live out as co-heirs.

We should rejoice for the convictions that draw us to a deeper holiness, for the world is dying with each passing day, but we who are given an understanding of the magnitude of Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, His sacrifice on Calvary, and life-giving resurrection for all who believe, we are the ones He predestined to point the world toward His plan and purpose for all mankind.

To be convicted of our sin and to desire and strive to live differently is proof we are being saved.

Those who are still blind and pursuing death without conviction have cause for worry. Even as a self proclaimed Christian who attended church occasionally, in hindsight I now realize I was in denial, thinking I was a good person and having no conviction of the life I was living.

Romans 8:29
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Romans 8:30
And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Ephesians 1:5
he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Ephesians 1:11
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will

Father God, I come to you with an incredible joy this morning, one filled with the knowledge that this painful journey of true self awareness is not for nothing, that it was pre-planned for your glory. I know that you did not choose the suffering I experienced as a child, but I know that you have an incredible plan of redemption, that a broken life can be resurrected in the flesh and be filled with purpose and power that transcends man’s possibility to accomplish on his own will. I am coming to love the fact that we can not surrender to You what we do not acknowledge exists, and it is in Your incredibly love and mercy that You give me the willingness to continue to press deeper into my broken soul, to wade through the lies of decades that have encased my heart in stone so that I can find You at the center, where you have been all along pointing my ways toward pure love. Help me this day Lord live in your grace and not feel condemned by what you reveal, but instead rejoice that Your sacrifice on the Cross covers my sin and that my only call is to rejoice in what You have done, are doing, and promise will be done for Your glory. Please fill my heart with an overwhelming desire to be holy and pleasing in your sight so that I may live in peace and purpose through all situations, people and problems that may arise this day. I will strive to keep my eyes focused on You and let you work out the world around me. Thank you Lord Jesus for my life, in Your precious name I pray…