Choosing Love Today: Ephesians - Part 1: "Who We Are: Redeemed"

Hi everyone! Welcome to this series of messages I’ve titled “Who We Are.” Let me start with a question for you — something honest and personal: Have you ever looked back at your life and wished you could undo something? A moment… a decision… a season… something you wish you could rewrite or take back? I think if most of us were honest we'd say, just one thing?” I sure know I do. Some things fade with time, but others stick with us longer than they should. And sometimes, even years later, they still whisper, “You should’ve done better.” If you’ve ever felt that way, Paul has a word for you — a word about who you are now in Christ. In Ephesians 1:7, Paul says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” That’s not just theology — that’s identity. That’s who you are. You are redeemed. Redeemed means bought back. Redeemed means restored. Redeemed means your past doesn’t get the final say. It means your story isn’t defined by the worst thing you’ve done, or the hardest season you’ve lived through, or the mistakes you wish you could erase. And Paul says this redemption comes “according to the riches of His grace.” Not according to your effort. Not according to how sorry you feel. Not according to how well you’ve performed since then. According to His grace — His generosity, His kindness, His love poured out freely. Let me bring this into real life for a moment. There have been seasons in my life — and you’ve had them too — where I carried things longer than I should have. Not because God hadn’t forgiven me, but because I hadn’t forgiven myself. I kept replaying old moments, old mistakes, old failures. And somewhere along the way, God reminded me: “Mike, you’re redeemed. That’s who you are now. Let it go.” Redemption doesn’t erase the past — it transforms it. It takes what was broken and brings healing. It takes what was lost and brings restoration. It takes what was shameful and brings freedom. It means God can take the very things you wish had never happened and use them to shape compassion, wisdom, humility, and strength in you today. And here’s the part that always gets me: redemption is not a one time event you try to hold onto. It’s a standing identity. It’s who you wake up as every single morning. You don’t “fall out” of being redeemed. You don’t have to re earn it. You don’t have to prove you deserve it. You simply live in it — because God has already spoken that word over your life. So whatever you’re carrying today — guilt, regret, old memories, old wounds — remember this: you are redeemed through His blood, according to the riches of His grace. You don’t have to keep dragging yesterday into today. God has already spoken a better word over your life. Thanks for listening… and His grace is another reason I keep Choosing Love Today.