God the giver…

We need to remember past verses:

1 v. 3-4 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, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.

v. 7  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

v. 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

v. 13-14 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,¹⁴ who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

v. 20-21  that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.

2 v.1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

We have to realize how sinful we are as a human. Even though we try to understand, I do not think we can fully understand how sinful we really are, compared to a holy and righteous God. But even then, God stills shows up! He is the one that works in us and for us. Without “But God” where would we be today? Where would the human race be if God did not step in and act for us? What if God gave up on us? What if there was not flood that took place and God just let us go? In light of those questions, it should develop a deeper sense of awe and silence. God stepped in with His mercy and love, even when we wanted nothing to do with Him….What? Even when we were walking in sin and wanted nothing to do with Him, He actively worked His mercy and love, to the point of His only Son, nailed to a cross and killed?

How can our minds make sense of that? How radically different then our human sinful thinking! God actively shows mercy and love to the point of death, even though we do not deserve it, but actually deserve death. Humans may show mercy and love only if the other human deserves it and never to the point of death. Humans are  not even close to giving oneself up for another out of love or mercy. How glorious and praiseworthy is the King of Kings!

Why would God show us love and mercy? So that we could be made alive through His Son, who is the ultimate expression of true mercy and love. So that we could be raised up with Him and seat in heaven for the purpose of being able to show us His “immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness in Christ Jesus.” My mind is melting and the logic does not compute.

How is this all going to happen? By God’s grace through faith, which is also from God. This not anything we do, as it says “it is not my own doing.” It’s a gift, given by God! We did not do anything or give anything to get this! Because of this, we can not brag or boast in what we have done or will do, but we can only brag and boast in who He is and what He is doing in us!

What do we do now? God is still the one giving and has created and setup good works that will come our way, which we can do as a worship and to bring glory to Him, who is the giver of all. In all of this, we bring nothing to the table. We give nothing. We are the receiver of all these unfathomable gifts from God, while not wanting anything to do with Him in the beginning!

O may we be reminded of this every moment! Help us to fully understand how sinful we are so that we can begin to understand who You are, what You are doing and what You will do in our life! Let our life be of obedience, worship and humility to bring glory and honor to You, our God and King!

Ephesians 2:4-10

Chapman Center to be Built on Moody’s Chicago Campus

A generous gift from Dr. Gary and Karolyn Chapman has been given to Moody for the establishment of the Chapman Center on its Chicago campus.
The historic announcement was made by Moody Global Ministries’ president, Dr. Paul Nyquist, during a Sept. 16 town hall meeting with the staff, faculty and students. It took place in Torrey-Gray Auditorium on Moody’s Chicago campus, with campuses in Spokane, Wash., and Plymouth, Mich., and owned and operated Moody Radio stations around the country, joining via a live video webcast.

Preleminary artist rendition of the Chapman Center.
Dr. and Mrs. Chapman were on hand for the announcement, along with their daughter, Shelley, whose presence and touching tribute was a surprise to her parents. Dr. Nyquist announced that just north of the Sweeting Center on Moody’s Chicago campus, the new four-story, 50,000-square-foot Chapman Center will house the following.
Gary D. Chapman Library and Exhibit:
This will include a full collection of Dr. Chapman’s works and counseling resources. A multi-media exhibit celebrating the life and ministry of Dr. Chapman in the area of marriage and family will be open to the general public

Moody Theological Seminary (MTS) Counseling Clinic and Study Center:
Featuring a separate, private entrance for clients utilizing counseling services, the clinic will provide valuable practicum experience for students enrolled in MTS’ Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) and Moody Bible Institute’s (MBI) Pre-Counseling major.

The Gary D. Chapman Chair of Marriage and Family:
Current Chair Dr. John Trent will be located in close proximity to the counseling clinic, Moody Publishers and Moody Radio. This will help foster collaboration as Dr. Trent serves as Moody’s voice on marriage and family.

Global Media Center:
Moody Radio and Moody Publishers will reside and collaborate in this state-of-the-art space in the areas of digital publishing, multimedia production and Internet technology. It will also serve as a hands-on laboratory for training MBI’s Communications students in a real-world media environment.
“The Chapman Center will help propel Moody into an unprecedented expansion of education, radio and publishing ministry in our 129-year history,” said Dr. Nyquist.
“The Chapman Center will build on the Chapman’s legacy in marriage and family, as well as media and conference ministry,” said Dr. Nyquist. “We are extremely grateful for the Chapman’s gift, along with the gifts and prayers of many others toward this effort, which will result in an unparalleled number of people here and around the globe being reached with Christ’s message of hope.”
After the announcement, Dr. Chapman addressed those in attendance, reflecting on his heart for Moody and appreciation for the ministry. “Karolyn and I are grateful for the opportunity to have an impact on the next generation, and the vision for the Chapman Center that Dr. Nyquist and the leadership at Moody presented to us was exciting,” said Dr. Chapman, a 1958 graduate of Moody Bible Institute and author of Moody Publishers’ #1 New York Times bestseller, The 5 Love Languages.
“We know that God’s blessings are always so that we can bless others,” said Dr. Chapman. “Our prayers will always accompany our gift. We appreciate all that Moody does for the Kingdom.”
Dr. Chapman speaks to thousands of couples nationwide through his weekend marriage conferences, and he also hosts a nationally syndicated Moody Radio program, A Love Language Minute, and a Saturday morning program, Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, on almost 400 stations.
Following Dr. Chapman’s address to the staff, faculty and students of Moody, assistant professor of music at MBI Desirée Hassler sang “Find us Faithful.” Moody Board of Trustees member Richard E. Warren prayed, and a time of worship concluded the historic town hall meeting.

A construction timetable for the Chapman Center is currently being developed, with more information to be announced in early 2015.

http://www.moodyglobal.org/news/gary-karolyn-chapman-center/#sthash.y8Aeo7r9.dpuf