Remember recess when you were a kid? I remember lining up to play soccer and waiting for the team captains to make their picks. As the captains went back and forth my anxiety went up and up. We all want to be chosen, and not just at recess. We go through life desiring to be wanted and purposeful. We want to know that other people have confidence in us. Verse four of Ephesians chapter one tells us that God chose us before the foundations of the world. Before Genesis 1:1 God already chose you! He chose us even when he knew that we would turn away from him and choose sin. God already had a plan to send his son to die for us so that we would become his children. The fact that we are Christians is a testament to God’s amazing abundant Grace in our lives. The passage also tells us that we were given the Holy spirit as a seal of our salvation the moment that we believed in him. God wanted us to have confidence in our salvation so he sent his Spirit to be a constant reminder that we will be with him in eternity. Paul is excited to remind us of how great God is and what he has done. Verses 3-14 make up one long sentence. In fact it’s the longest sentence in the New Testament. We also get great insight into the way that Paul prays beginning in verse 16. Take some time to pray the things Paul prayed for yourself and others this week. Let’s start this summer with hearts of gratitude for all that God has done. He has chosen us and wants us to grow in wisdom, knowledge, keeping our eyes fixed on Christ and remembering what he has promised. May this week be a great week of thankfulness to God for our salvation!