Dear Brethren,

MEDITATION
8  which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
9  having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself,
Ephesians 1:8-9

OBSERVATION AND INTERPRETATION

1. The riches of God’s grace is in view Ephesians 1:8
2. God’s grace abounded wonderfully

a) In all wisdom

i) To all who seek wisdom
ii) To all who have proven themselves well (Cf. Proverbs 2:1-5)

b) In prudence

i) Carefulness
ii) Correctness

c) God has His wise and prudent reasons

i) To give
ii) To withhold

3. The wisdom of God manifested

a) The mystery of His will

i) His will cannot be understood by mere human intellect
ii) His will has to be revealed

iii) That which is hidden must be revealed by God Himself

4. A special and profound thought to note

a) God will do things according to His own good pleasure
b) This part of it cannot be fully fathomed by God

i) Some of His reasons are revealed
ii) Some are withheld

e) God reserves the right to disclose or not to disclose

APPLICATION TO LIFE AND MINISTRY

1. There are things that are hidden from man (Cf. Deuteronomy 29:29)

a) They cannot be known
b) They are withheld by God’s own wisdom

2. But there are things that have been revealed to us in the Scriptures

a) These must be studied
b) These must be understood carefully

3. Our challenge

a) To know thoroughly what has been revealed to us
b) To see to know even more deeply that which has been manifested to us
c) To seek to deepen our understanding of God

4. Ministry

a) Let us serve the Lord with appropriate humility
b) Let us seek to teach confidently and faithfully what has been revealed to us

Prayerfully,
Pastor Charles Tan