We were planned for

Ephesians 2:10

¹⁰ For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.

There is one thought that has really awed me about this verse.

God prepared ahead of time.

Other versions say:

God hath before ordained.  (KJV)

Prepared in advance.  (NIV)
God predestined.  (AMP)

If God prepared ahead of time something for us to do, good works...wouldn't that mean WE were planned?  He thought of us long, long ago.  He's had his plan in the works for thousands of years, we see that with Abraham, Issac, David, Ruth and all of those in the line of Christ.  We are part of that plan.  We were planned for.

That means we (you) are NOT a mistake.  God didn't say, "Oops, didn't know she was coming!".  No matter what someone tells you, your mom, your dad, a teacher, you are not a mistake, you have a destiny in Christ.  God, the Creator of the entire universe, wanted you here.  He wants a relationship with you.  

You matter to God. 

Restoration!

I was reading the entry for Jesus Calling this morning and looking up the verses at the bottom of the page.  One was 1 Corinthians 4:18, but instead, I "accidentally" ended up at 5:18

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

Ok...well I wanted to read the verses around it.  

¹⁶ From now on, then, we do not know^[a]anyone in a purely human way.^[b] Even if we have known^[c] Christ in a purely human way,^[d] yet now we no longer know^[e] Him in this way. 
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things^[f] have come. 
¹⁸ Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
¹⁹ That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 
²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 
²¹ He made the One who did not know sin to be sin^[g] for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Verse 16:  From now on...  If you look at the verses before Paul talks about Christ dying for ALL.
So, from now on, since Christ died for all, we don't know anyone in purely a human way anymore.  Just like we no longer know Christ in a human way, but spiritual.  
My thoughts, we can't look at others in just the natural or human way, but spiritual, which is how Christ sees them.  Kinda hard with some people, I must admit!

Verse 17 is awesome!  We are new creations!  We are NEW!  The old is gone, hallelujah!!!

Verse 18:  Everything is from God, NIV says all this is from God.  I need to look into this more, but since verse 17 says new things have come and then says everything is from God, I believe Paul is reminding us the new things are from God.  
Now for the rest of the verse, God reconciled or restored us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation or restoration.

Restoration...What a word!!  
From the dictionary:

c : a restoring to an unimpaired or improved condition restoration of a painting>

Restoring to an improved condition!  We are a broken people and God is wanting to restore us!  To improve us!  How many times have you heard we must be broken to be used?  It's a hard, hard process, refining us like gold going through the fire.  Ugh.  When you're going through it, you just want it over and done with.  BUT!  When you can get to a point of looking back and saying, "Oh!  I see what you were doing, God!  Wow!"  What a blessing that is!  

Verse 19:  Again, Paul says how God is restoring the world, us, to Christ.  Hmm.. Repeated, must be important!  Then, he says that God did not count their (our) trespasses or sins against us.  That's good to know!  And repeats again, the ministry we have of reconciliation and restoration.  He has committed it to us. A definition in Strong's says established.  He established it with us.  That is our ministry...person through which something is accomplished.  We have to bring the message of reconciliation to others!  That's our job!
Not to judge, but to be a vessel God can use to restore!

Verse 20:  None of this can be done without this.  He made Christ the sacrifice for sin so we could be made right with God.  Restored with God.  This is how the restoration comes.  Through Christ, through His Sacrifice, we are restored to righteousness, ready for a relationship with Our Father.  Ready to be used, to minister, to be that vessel of restoration for others.

Restoration...That is what the Father seeks, to be restored with His children.  And to restore our broken places to be new creations in Christ.