Ephesians 1:14
“who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”
We've spoken of how we and the Lord are one another's inheritance. Looking at the middle of the verse it says we are "God's own possession". That is a neat way to say it and it's another say that we can see God's love for us.
We know what it's like to own something that has our attention. We can't wait to have some time to use it, improve it and have others see it. That's us. The Lord wants to spend time with us. Think of the excitement we had when we first met our spouse. That's the enthusiasm God has towards us.
God cares for us. He wants us to feel that. As we walk with Him we learn to develop our spiritual senses which discern Him, His presence, His love and guidance (Hebrews 5:14). Romans 8:16 says, "His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God." This is such a comfort. It's part of what gives us confidence that we are saved. It's not just a set of beliefs, but we sense Him.
Going back to when we first met our spouses. We would float through our days as we were so excited about them. We felt absolutely great about ourselves. We would think back to our time together and reflect on conversations, funny things said and would anticipate when we would see them again. The Lord wants to replicate that with our relationship with Him. He compares His relationship with His people, the church, to that of marriage (Ephesians 5).
True, God is the invisible partner, but it's to be cultivated and marriage is the model. The longer we walk with Him, the more we sense Him in our lives. An aspect of relationships is appreciation. Relationships are a team in which we help each other. In it we learn to express appreciation for each other. We are better together. When we tell each other, "thank you", it encourages them/us in those tasks. We want to bless our partners. Worship is our showing God our appreciation. Church services include a time to give thanks. However most of our thanksgiving is done as we go throughout our days. We see the cool things the Lord does for us. Prayers answered, scrapes delivered from, parking spots found, and so on. Our hearts brim with gratitude.
We are God's possession. There is much He wants to do in and through us. We've been on the topic of the relationship. That's His primary aim, to develop and cultivate that relationship. Sure, He wants us to pass on the blessings we've received to others. That's because He wants to have that relationship with those we bump into. They are in all different states. Usually some sort of need. God wants them to be His possession as well, so they can be blessed and happy.
Another aspect of owning something is that we want to improve it. Home owners are always seeking to improve it. So the Lord wants to improve us. Not like a disapproving parent constantly criticizes a child. But He wants more for us. We will be more effective, more fulfilled and can reach others better.
Betterment usually begins with a problem. We stress about it, seek to resolve it and pray about it. Many people who aren't in a biblical relationship with God pray. The Lord is drawing everyone to Himself (John 12:32). Not all respond, but like a fisherman lures a fish, He is putting all sorts of things in front of people to draw them.
We are God's sculpture (Ephesians 2:10). The chipping away of stone is the difficulties in life. We do get upset, but we turn to Him for assistance and He turns it into something beautiful. He tells us to be trusting and thankful in all things. He is improving that which is His passion, us. This is the what we all search for, to be the object of one's attention. Our relationship with Him fills it.
Thank You, God for Your wanting us as Your possession. Thank You for what You do in in and the fullness You bring.