Study Desk

and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways.

Then when the time is right, God will do all that he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth.

God always does what he plans, and that's why he appointed Christ to choose us.

Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show that you belong to God.

The Spirit also makes us sure that we will be given what God has stored up for his people. Then we will be set free, and God will be honored and praised.

I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God.

My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and that you will understand the hope that was given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all of God's people.

I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used

God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything.

In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God.

You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God.

Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.

But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God's wonderful kindness is what saves you.

God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.

God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.

You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.

God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That's why he sent Christ to make us what we are.

At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises that God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God,

and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.

On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peace between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body.