God of all days and seasons, may this special season of Advent as it winds down, prepare this dear reader for the joy and wonder of Christmas; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text today is from Ephesians 1:3-14: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. 5 He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 which he lavished upon us. 9 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 11 In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 which is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
How many times do we pray, "Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven?" Probably most of us at least once a week. For some of you, I know possibly more, some even pray it daily. It's an awesome prayer of faith and it is the prayer taught us by Jesus. It was His prayer. That phrase talks about the unity that should be here on earth with the heavenly things. In today's passage, verse 10 speaks of God's purpose being "to unite all things in him, things in heven and things on earth." We know Heaven to be a perfect place for it is truly the place of God. We know that earth, because of us, is far from perfect. But we should also know and should also declare that earth, too, is the place of God. And the place of God begins in our hearts. One of my favorite Christmas hymns I learned in Spanish, "Tu Dejaste Tu Trono." It's based on the English hymn, "Room for Thee." In having compared the two hymns, the refrain in Spanish is a bit different but the message is the same: Christ found no room at the inn, but may He find room in our hearts this Christmas season. His coming did indeed fulfill all promises and accomplished all things that God desired for the earth. May we live for the praise of God's glory, being thankful for the good news of salvation and living in such a way that our lives are praise to Him!
PRAYER: Loving God, may I indeed have room for Thee in my heart today and all days. May I stop long enough each day to say a simple prayer that removes the clutter of my heart so that You might come in and give me peace, love, and joy. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
