Morning By Morning #267

…accepted in the beloved.

Ephesians 1:6 KJV

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Accepted! What a privilege! Being accepted includes our justification before God, but the term acceptance in the Greek means even more than that. It signifies we are also the objects of God’s divine pleasure and delight. How miraculous that we—mere mortals and contemptible sinners—could be the objects of divine love! Yet it is only because we are “in the beloved.”

Some Christians live as though they are “accepted in their own experience.” At least that is their perception. When their spirits are upbeat and their hopes are bright, they think God accepts them. At those times they feel so elated and heavenly minded, they seem to float above the earth! But when their spirits are down and their souls seem to be trudging through the mud, they become victims of the fear that they are no longer accepted.

If only they could see that their highest joys do not exalt them in their Father’s eyes, and that their lowest times of depression do not lessen them in His sight! If only they could understand they stand accepted in One who never changes, in One who is always “the beloved” of God, and in One who is always perfect—”without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” (Eph. 5:27)—how much happier they would be and how much more they would honor the Savior!

Thus, dear believer, rejoice in this: You are “accepted in the beloved.” Don’t look at yourself, for you will have to say, “I see nothing acceptable here!” Instead, look at Christ and see that everything is acceptable there. If your past sins trouble you, remember: God has cast your sins behind His back, and you are accepted in the Righteous One. Although you must continue to battle sinfulness and wrestle with temptation, you are already accepted in Him who has overcome the power of evil. The Devil will tempt you “but take heart” (John 16:33), he cannot destroy you, for you are accepted in Him who has crushed Satan’s head. (See Gen. 3:15.)

“In full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22), know your glorious standing. Even the glorified souls already in heaven are not more accepted than you. Even there they are accepted only because they are “in the beloved.”

You are accepted in Christ in the same way—and you are accepted now!

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Our text verse today comes from Ephesians, chapter one. Notice Paul’s message, reiterated for our benefit in just the first few verses of his letter:

“To the…faithful in Christ Jesus…” (Eph. 1:1).

“God…has blessed us…with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (v. 3).

“He chose us in him before the creation of the world” (v. 4).

“His glorious grace…he has freely given in the One he loves” (v. 6).

“In him we have redemption through his blood” (v. 7).

“He made known…the mystery of his will…in Christ” (v. 9).

“In him we were also chosen” (v. 11).

“We, who were the first to hope in Christ…” (v. 12).

“You also were included in Christ” (v. 13).

Lord, I thank You that “my beloved is mine, and I am his” (Song 2:16 KJV).