Sit in Heavenly Places with Jesus - Part 590

It is for this reason that Jesus was born in a manger. That is, God who is rich in mercy wanted to reveal to us His great love wherewith He loved us -- who even when we were still dead in sin hath quickened us together with Christ -- so that we -- by His abundant grace can be saved.

Indeed, when we believe in Jesus, He raises us up together and makes us sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Imagine the blessings that come from sitting in heavenly places in Jesus. And that in the ages to come, He might show us -- you and I -- the exceeding riches of His grace in His kingdom toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. (Ephesians 2:4-8)

Up until the birth of Jesus -- God Almighty in the flesh -- we were dead in our trespasses. We had all sinned. The scriptures state that there are none that are righteous -- no not one. God knew that in spite of our willingness, we as humans could not live up to the letter of the law. Even the ten commandments -- as minimal as they might seem -- escaped our capacity.

So God -- even before the foundation of the world was formed -- decided that He would become flesh and shed His precious blood on the cross so that we might have salvation. This is why the apostle Paul who described himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ for us Gentiles -- and then further states that grace was given unto him "who am less than the least of all the saints" wrote:

If you had heard of the dispensation of the grace of God ... whereby when you read, you may understand the knowledge that exists in the mystery of Christ which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of man -- but it is now revealed -- that we be heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.

All so that you and I who once were far away have been brought near to our Lord and Saviour through the blood of Christ. For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:10) Ask Jesus into your heart today. Rest in His peace that passes all understanding, Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Stand in the offering plate.