Good Monday Morning Beloved, I hope and pray that you are well! My name is Antonette Toney-Henry and I am honored and privileged to serve you at Mary E. White Ministries this week!  I have prayed and fasted asking God what he wants to say through me this last week of 2021!  This is what God has placed on my heart to “feed on”  and “share” with you on today !  

Today is the last Monday of the year and as we look forward to 2022 while reflecting on 2021, I asked God, what do you want us to know and how do you want us to go about planning for the new year in this pandemic age?   I was reminded that “He CHOSE US In Him “and set to meditate on the following passage:

SCRIPTURE

Ephesians 1: 3-11 (NLT)

3. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[b] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[c] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

REVIEW & MEDITATION

• Take a moment to grasp that!  Our God,  the Creator of the whole Universe had us on his mind before he even spoke the world into existence! That’s huge! We mean that much to Him, he prioritized us, and CHOSE US before he created the world! Wow, that’s love!

•  There is so much to unpack and chew on in this passage. 
  • In Verse 3,  he blesses us,
  • In Verse 4,  he loved us and chose us,
  • In Verse 5,  in advance, he adopted us,
  • In Verse 6,  he poured his grace out on us
  • In Verse 7,  he purchased our freedom (for us)
  • In Verse 8,  he has showered his kindness on us
  • In Verse 9,  he has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ
  • In Verse 10, he brings everything together under the authority of Christ
  • In Verse 11, he makes everything work out according to his plan
• If he CHOSE US, then he is also FOR US!  We can REST in that on today and know that as we go about the task of reviewing and closing out what for many of us was a tough 2021 behind us, our God already knows the “good plan” for us as we plan ahead for next year amidst many uncertainties. Our God is more than kind enough to reveal to us the wisdom and understanding that what we need to know to prepare well for 2022 at the asking! 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father we Praise you on today!  We thank you for your Word and glorious grace in Christ Jesus!  Thank you for blessing us and for choosing us before the foundation of the earth! Teach us to be ever mindful of your love and choice in us, in advance, even before you spun the earth into motion!  Make us keenly aware of your grace and kindness towards us! Father we thank you for working out everything according to your good plan even in the midst of our fragile circumstances!  As we do the work to plan our day and upcoming year, remind us that you already have a good plan!  Position us to scoot up real close connecting our hearts to yours so that we can hear you clearly as we open our soul to you on today! According to Proverbs 16:3, we commit our work to you Lord, thank you for establishing our thoughts and plans. In Jesus name we pray, Amen! 

REFLECTION

1. In Psalm 8:4 (NLT) David asks the question:  “what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”  What does this question reveal about God’s character and thoughts towards us?
2. Knowing that God CHOSE YOU before the foundation of the earth, how does that prepare your intention to review 2021 and plan for 2022?
3. Ephesians verse 1:11 tells us that God makes everything work out according to his plan. Given that,  how will you go about setting your priorities for 2022?

Have a wonderfully blessed day Beloved!  I will meet you on tomorrow to share more of what God has to say to us during this last week of 2021!

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