Paul shares this encouragement to the believers at Ephesus - that God knew us and chose us to gain the holiness of His Son and to lose the blame of our sin through the glorious grace of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Through His grace, God gives us the ability to be settled with peace, and He gives us this new identity to be set apart to Him.

Our true identity is not based in who we are, But in who Christ is.

God has a great purpose for us, and He is great in His grace and kindness toward us.

Like Joshua, choose to serve God and be committed to following Him, trusting Him to bring to pass His will in His timing.

God provides and protects, and often does so miraculously, showing us that He is there for our starts and stops.

When we seek to follow God, He even weaves our mistakes and shortcomings together into a beautifully redemptive story through so much grace.

We serve a God of second chances - Who established His covenant with us through Christ, that He will always be our God, and that we will always be His people.

The consequences of Achor's sin show us the reality of God's judgement, but also evidences the immense grace offered through the Gospel.