More Ephesians Thoughts

Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he 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.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

As I continue to think about these verses these phrases stand out:
Predestined. Before the foundation of the world. Chosen. Adopted. Blessed us in the Beloved.

My thoughts: it's not as if we have been so smart, or so good, or so capable that we have figured all this out -- it is all about what He has done. I think when we get to heaven if God were to ask how we got there we would have no basis for pride, no basis for saying "we were smarter than someone else" -- no, I think we would have to say it is only because of His grace, His mercy, His love.