Accepted in the Beloved by Laura V. Hilton

Ephesians 1:6 KJV

To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

 

One of the elderly ladies in our church claimed this as her very favorite verse in the Bible. She was a war bride, marrying her American sweetheart whom she met in England during WWII. She said that in all her years in Great Britain, she’d never heard the message of the saving grace of Jesus. She heard it for the first time in America after she was married. And that knowledge changed her life.

 

It didn’t matter what she had done. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, she was accepted in the beloved.

 

Sometimes, one of the hardest people to forgive is ourselves. And Satan loves to throw our past failures in our face. “You are a bad person because…” “God will never forgive you because…” “I don’t want anyone to know this about me because…” Even as I type this, my past wrongs are coming to mind. Things I’m ashamed of, that I would do over if I could.

 

Good news! (Because) God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall be saved. (John 3:16)

 

God loves us. And because of Jesus, because of His death on the cross, we’re accepted in the beloved.

 

Thank you, Jesus, for Your amazing gift.

 

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with thirty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs. Her most recent series is set in Mackinac County, Michigan, and includes Firestorm, The Amish Candymaker, and Married to a Stranger

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.

When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.