Appropriate

Image credit
NOTE: This is Day Three of the devotional guide (Volume 1, Issue 2) of our church, Filinvest Community Christian Fellowship, for the message last Sunday, March 8, on “Know How Much You Are Worth Part 1” (“Significance” series, a verse-by-verse study of the book of Ephesians).

Usually, we use the word “appropriate” to refer to something proper or suitable. But, according to the dictionary, there’s another meaning. The word is from a Latin word that means “to make one’s own.” So, “to appropriate” is “to take something for one’s own use.” 

We have heard stories of rich art collectors who, after searching far and wide for a rare artwork, found that they already have it in their possession. In the same way, there are Christians who feel there’s something missing in their spiritual lives. But we already saw in Ephesians 1:3 that God “has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing”. Colossians 1:10a also declares that “in Him [we] have been made complete” (NASB). So, all we have to do is to appropriate what God already gave us.

Image credit
We need to brace ourselves up and to realize that we are responsible for our thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We need to reckon on the fact that we died to sin’s reign, that it no longer has any dominion over us, that God has united us with the risen Christ in all His power, and has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us. Only as we accept our responsibility and appropriate God’s provisions will we make any progress in our pursuit of holiness. [1]
If we are struggling with a low self-esteem, then we have to take hold of the fact that “He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:6b, NKJV)  We should not try to be accepted by God. He already accepted us. Even if people reject us, God won’t. Somebody wrote, “There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.” We can and should be secure in His acceptance of us.

Image credit

If we are haunted by guilt feelings for past sins or failures, then we have the assurance that “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses” (1:7a). That’s why Paul prayed that we would understand and experience the love we already received from Him.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. (Ephesians 1:18-19a, NLT)
In a word, appropriate.

Significant Step

As you look at the list of spiritual blessings you made based on Ephesians 1-3, reflect on how it applies to our present lives and which blessing you can appropriate now. 

Image credit

[1] Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness (CO: Navpress, 1978, 1996, 2003). iBooks edition. Emphasis added.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

God Knows Judas Not Pay

In the National Geographic Magazine (May 2006 issue), in its cover story, The Judas Gospel , Professor Eliane Pagels of Princeton University claimed that the so-called gospel of Judas “ changes the history of early Christianity. ” Even UP Professor Randy David took notice of the Judas Gospel: “Strictly from a sociological standpoint, I think the discovery of the Gospel of Judas makes Christianity a far more interesting religion than what centuries of metaphysical theology has made of it.” (A Gospel for the Postmodern, Phil. Daily Inquirer, April 16, 2006) That’s why I spoke in our Young Pro Fellowship a few days ago on God Knows Judas Not Pay (A Biblical Response on the Judas Gospel). I believe opportunities like this hype on the Judas Gospel or the Da Vinci Code opens a door for us to share the true Gospel. For those who did not attend last Thursday, let me share briefly why we reject the Judas gospel. I came up with the acronym J-U-D-A-S. J udas was portrayed as a traitor in the Bibl...
Read more

“Ubus-ubos Biyaya, Bukas Nakatunganga”

Image
That’s what my mother always told us when we were still kids. (Translation: “You spend everything today, you will have nothing tomorrow.” ) Image source: So, What's New ? Dionie did just that. Last April 2008, he won PHP14,125,032 in the Lotto 6/42 draw. Excitedly, he “lived the life of a millionaire, something he had been longing to experience. He lived in a P4-million house in a posh subdivision, drove around in a sports utility vehicle [which he bought the very same day he claimed his prize] , and gave goodwill money, ranging P1,000 to P 850,000, to relatives and friends. He also gambled daily, womanized, and went on regular drinking sprees.” (Source: Manila Bulletin ) He estimated that he squandered a minimum of P100,000 almost every day. He also lent money even to people he did not really know. “I just gave them and told them not to pay me back.” (Ibid) His bank had to issue him a special card so he can withdraw huge amounts of money quickly from the automated teller m...
Read more

Detour, Not A Dead End

Image
A dead end is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” Image credit A dead end, according to a dictionary, is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.”  According to another dictionary , it is “a situation, plan, or way of doing something that leads to nothing further.” Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary There were times in my life when I thought I was in a dead end.  Impasse. No way out. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was like Moses. There’s the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptian army behind me. Only this time, I can’t part the sea.  I failed. Many times. My dreams became a nightmare. And my nightmare came to pass. (Of course, I can always blame others. The fact is, it’s not entirely my fault. But why waste time blaming? So, I’ll just take responsibility for where and why I failed.) I got burned out. I got myself into stress-related disorder when I pressure...
Read more