Our being to the praise of God’s glory is God’s doing. He has made us what we are. God has made us His holy ones/saints and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah, “to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Messiah.” Ephesians 1:12
That wonderful spiritual truth is summed us by Paul in Ephesians 1.
Paul, an emissary of Messiah Yeshua through the will of God, to the holy ones (saints) who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Messiah Yeshua: Ephesians 1:1
Then Paul blesses them and us with grace and peace sent from heaven.
Grace has a twofold meaning. Grace is not only God’s unmerited favor He extends to us in His love, it also means the spiritual ability to do what He has created us to do.
12So that, my beloved, as you always obey, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 LSV
But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Messiah. Ephesians 4:7
Since we have gifts/charisma that differ according to the grace/charis given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6-8 NASB
4 I always thank my God concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Messiah Yeshua, 5 that in everything you were enriched in him, in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony of Messiah was confirmed in you— 7 so that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the revelation of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 8 who will also confirm you until the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. 9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Yeshua the Messiah our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Paul attributed grace from God for being an apostle and power to do the work of an apostle. (Eph 3:6-7; 1 Cor 15:9-11; 2 Cor 12:1-9) He urged Timothy to be strengthened by the grace that is in Messiah Jesus. (2 Tim 2:1-2)
Now Paul begins explaining how God conveyed His blessings of grace and peace to us now and for eternity.
He begins with “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.” Blessed is used only of God, blessed (as entitled to receive blessing from man), worthy of praise.
For God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven in Messiah.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love, 5 having predestined us for adoption as children through Yeshua the Messiah to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire, 6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6
In Jesus the Messiah we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
7 In him we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him 10 to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Messiah, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him. Ephesians 1:7-10
The end goal of God’s plan: “that we should be to the praise of His glory.”
11 We were also assigned an inheritance in him, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will, 12 to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Messiah. Ephesians 1:11-12
God sealed His plan with the promised Holy Spirit.
13 In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:13-14
Paul commends the Ephesians for their faith and prays for their/our spiritual enlightenment.
15 For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Yeshua which is among you and the love which you have toward all the holy ones, 16 don’t cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 that the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, 18 having the eyes of your hearts†enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the holy ones, Ephesians 1:15-18
The power of God raising Messiah from the dead, sitting him at His right hand as the King of the Kingdom.
19 and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might 20 which he worked in Messiah when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. 22 He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the assembly/church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15-23 (1 Cor 1:26-31)
Let’s pray Paul’s prayer for our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
…we do pray always for you, that our God may count you worthy of the calling, and may fulfill all the good pleasure of goodness, and the work of the faith in power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 YLT
Unless noted, Scripture quoted is from the World Messianic Bible.