5th Sunday in Lent

Ephesians 1:1-14 (NRSV)
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus:/

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he
set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God's own people, to the praise of his glory.

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[God] chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.
- Ephesians 1:4 (NRSV)
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ALL my life I have yearned and worked for acceptance. Getting good grades, working overtime, even accepting unkind treatment from others -- I did anything to win approval. I grew up poor, and my dad left us. I felt I wasn't as worthy of love as other people who came from "normal" families.

Now in my middle years, I understand that even the most confident among us struggle with acceptance. We all need approval for who we are inside. This is why some actors and other public personalities live or die by the whims of a fickle public.

But even if we win applause and trophies, the emptiness we experience can be filled only by God. Why? Only faith in God brings true security. Because God accepts us, we can become whole persons. But this is the work of Christ and not because of anything we have done; we can't be good enough or achieve enough to earn God's acceptance. Out of love and boundless grace -- and regardless of our past, our failures, and our sins -- God accepts us.

Dear Lord, thank you for accepting each one of us as your own. Help us to realize how much you love us. Help us to stop striving for approval and to find our true worth in you. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
God accepts me and declares me beloved.

PRAYER FOCUS:Those Feeling Unacceptable