Praise commensurate with God’s grace.

 

Friday, December 29, 2023


Psalm 145

Isaiah 62

Ephesians 1:1-14


Observance: Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, martyr (d. 1170)


Praise commensurate with God’s grace.


People who look to gain praise from others are rightfully seen with scorn and not a little suspicion; this is because we are all in the same boat, and we understand that praise needs to be earned, not asked for. But in the case of God, it is not pride or arrogance to seek praise. With God, it is a plain fact that He deserves praise. He actually deserves every bit of praise we can give – and a whole lot more, besides.


Trying to capture just how praiseworthy God is escapes words. But Paul gives it a red-hot go. He even makes it a point that he begins every one of his letters with reminding us of just how wonderful God is. Paul also ends each letter with a blessing, affirming God’s praiseworthiness in his actions. And quite often, Paul will even be in the middle of teaching us something, and suddenly break off to sing God’s praises.


This opening to the letter to the Ephesians is a masterful piece of holy writing. Paul gives us an important and edifying lesson about how God works, and wraps it together as a paragraph of praise to God. The lesson: before time began, God chose us to be the adopted children and heirs of the kingdom of heaven through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.


The reason God came up with this plan is so that there would be a people who would give Jesus the praise which is His due; praise commensurate with God’s grace.


This is not a commandment to live holy lives; that comes later, in the application. The primary purpose of our salvation in Jesus is so that God could do the work in making us perfect, for Jesus’ sake. There will be ample opportunity for us to participate in the glorifying of God’s name in our praise. But we rest firmly on this eternal fact: that God has given us the free gift of being chosen as heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Our very existence as Christians sings praises to God, praise commensurate with God’s grace.

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