For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world, to be holy and blameless in
His sight.
In love, He predestined us for adoption to Sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance
to His pleasure and will, to the praise of His glorious grace for which He has freely
given us in the one He loves.
Ephesians chapter 1 verses 4 through 6.
Before you did anything to try to earn it, before you even knew His name, God made a
decision about you.
He chose you, He adopted you, He accepted you, and He did it according to His pleasure.
Not reluctantly, not as some backup plan, it pleased Him to make you His.
Ephesians 1 reads like a legal declaration, chosen, predestined, adopted, redeemed, forgiven,
lavished with grace, included, and sealed with the Holy Spirit.
This is not a wish list, this is not just an ideal, this is a verdict.
And it was settled before you even took the stand.
The world teaches us, you know, to build our identity through performance and successes
and achievements, really through how others will perceive us.
But God settled your identity before you even took your first breath.
You're not building an identity, you're receiving one.
And He didn't give it grudgingly.
The verse said it was given to us in accordance to His pleasure.
It delighted Him to choose you, it pleased Him to adopt you.
You are not an afterthought, you are His desire.