Our riches in Christ! Just reading those words should be enough to thrill our hearts. Our riches… Yes, they really are ours! And they can be possessed because they are given by the only One in the universe to whom all good and lasting things belong. He alone has the power to make such promises.

The God of all the universe has placed riches in the hands of every trembling believer—young and old—whether brand new and just breaking in their gospel shoes on the road of life, or a seasoned and wise traveler. These are the precious riches we could never in a million or billion years deserve. And because of His unmerited favor to us in Christ, they are ours!

But we so often feel that we are undeserving; we disappoint ourselves, not to mention others. So how do we know this promise of riches is true? And how do we use them?

I remember our dear friend Alan Redpath once asking, “Do you know what God expects of you?” Immediately my mind went to the Ten Commandments and the contents of the Sermon on the Mount. But before I began to sink beneath the weight of my own guilty conscience, he said (with a grin, I might add), “He expects nothing from you but failure.”

Sigh… It’s true. We are, apart from His power and work in our lives, simply failures. Yet when we come empty-handed to His cross, trusting in His grace, we find our lives bound up in the bundle of His everlasting life. My sin for His blameless record, my guilt for His acceptance, my spiritual poverty for His boundless wealth!

If you aren’t yet shouting, “Glory!” you should!

Meditating on these scriptures is like climbing the “Alps” of the New Testament. The books of Ephesians and Colossians contain truths that can energize and invigorate even the most discouraged and doubting among us.

Often on sleepless nights, when I am awakened by troubling thoughts or fears, I have gone through these passages that I have committed to memory. How can I fear if I am so loved? How can I be lonely when I am His child? How can I condemn myself if I have been reconciled and forgiven? Sweet friends, I want to share the good news contained in these amazing passages with every struggling believer I can.

If we understand the fullness of our salvation that was accomplished at Calvary’s cross, we will see our day-to-day lives transformed. Climb with me through these Alpine meadows, breathe in the bracing air of these truths, and you will gain the perspective you need.

Before you can hope to have a fulfilling Christian life, family, marriage, friendship, ministry…before you find the buoyancy needed to stay afloat in times of crisis…before you can defeat those flaming arrows of doubt, you need to understand deeply, meditate on, and rub into your hearts these great truths. Use them as spiritual and emotional resources; they are at your disposal waiting to be put to the test!

Just think of these words that describe your position in Christ and what you already have because you have put your faith in Him. Say these words out loud for all to hear:

I am:

Chosen

Loved

Reconciled

I am:

Forgiven

An Heir

Accepted

I have:

Redemption

Hope

Grace

I am:

A Citizen

Adopted

Sealed

Explore, discover, and luxuriate in (imagine this like warm oil being rubbed into the dry, wounded, or calloused parts of our soul) these unfathomable treasures and you will be transformed. Dear one, if you do this, you will know by experience the depth of God’s great love for you in Christ Jesus.

Join me and say, “Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” (Romans 11:33 NIV).