When the early disciples in Ephesus gathered in a home to hear for the first time a letter written to them by Paul (who had spent much time with them earlier on), I don’t think they knew what was coming.

In the first couple of lines Paul gave a standard greeting, but then he suddenly plunged into a depth of spirituality that has continued to excite and boggle mankind for centuries.

It’s within this spiritual ocean where we find two verses that speak to many profound realities. Paul wrote,

“…[God] predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:5-6).

Let’s consider each component and how we benefit from them.

God predestined us. Without his providential direction in our lives, we’d be left to our own willpower to dictate our future. And if you’re like me, willpower can’t be relied on. Praise God for his ultimate power over us to lead us where he desires us to be!
God adopted us to be his sons through Jesus Christ. Without God’s adoption, we’re unsettled and undisciplined children in Satan’s orphanage—with no hope. But God adopted us to himself! How? By putting forth his perfect Son to be the sin-sacrifice for us. Through what Jesus Christ has done, we get the privilege of being united to him—becoming sons of God and co-heirs with Jesus himself!
God has a will that he is purposed to do. God has a plan, an agenda, a will. It’s perfect and holy. Of course, God has standards of right and wrong that are messed with every day by humanity (this is why so much suffering and evil exist), but that doesn’t diminish the fact that he has an overarching will that can be absolutely trusted. In fact, your adoption is in accordance with this will!
God has a goal: for his glorious grace in Jesus Christ to be praised. God’s not aimless in life, nor random in his desires. Everything is fixed on a goal, and that goal is all about Jesus—that he and his Son (and all they’ve done) would receive the due praise worthy of them. Do you want to know what God is up to? He’s up to working things according to his will to ultimately exalt Jesus and his grace demonstrated in the gospel!
God includes you in his goal to exalt Jesus and his grace. Think about it: if God desires that he be praised for his glorious grace, then that would mean those who praise him must have experienced his glorious grace! We praise that which we’ve been positively affected by. In this case, we praise God for his undeserved blessing and favour in our lives! According to God’s will and goal, he desires that many people receive the overwhelming flood of his glorious grace in Jesus Christ, and that in their God-centred ecstasy they praise him all their days!

These observations merely scratch the surface of the depth of these wonders. Maybe you can see more!