How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.

And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.

Ephesians 1:3-5, 13-14 (New Living Translation)

1. If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. What might some of those "blessings" be? V3

2. What does it mean to be adopted? V5 How does knowing you are adopted change your view of yourself & God? What does this have to do with being chosen?

3. On what basis does God accept you? V7-8 "According to the richness of God�s grace" what does this mean to you?

4. Do you feel as if you�ve never done enough? It goes with the logic that if you work hard enough you�ll be received with open arms. Read Turning Points. How does this make you feel - to know God loves you just as you are? Read Grace + Rest. What do you think of this prayer - that you are already received by the Lord? Read to end.

5. Look at the final verse again. V13-14 Because salvation comes through Christ God has provided you with some promised proof of Jesus changing your life. What is it?

6. How can the Holy Spirit in your life affect the way you live and pray?
   Gal 5:22-23 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.