Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
— Ephesians 1:9-11
And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church.
— Ephesians 1:22
God’s desire is to gather together in one—or head up—all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10, 22). This is His pleasure. It grieves Him when we are not headed up in Christ. It seems that the Lord who created the heavens and earth and can conquer any obstacle in His way cannot conquer us. We who are His satisfaction are also His frustration because we rarely allow Him to head us up in all things.
Sometimes we tell the Lord that we belong to Him because He died for us, but that is not what is meant by being headed up. That is only the beginning. It only changes our position so the Lord can begin to head us up. We are predestined by the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will (Eph. 1:11). He wants to head us up so He can inherit us.
Adapted from Joshua: A Life of Service, page 36.
Tomorrow: “God Desires Us to Grow Up Into Him”