"For it is
by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:8-9
The gospel in a
nutshell contains only a few words, but they are powerful and life changing.
Through them, we see our sin, repent and surrender our life to Christ. We
simply ask in faith for Jesus to justify us as our Savior. It is so effortless;
yet, so profound. This uncomplicated act opens the door for God’s welcoming
grace to flood our soul, and to begin the sanctifying process of holiness.
There is no
penance to perform, no searching journey to take around the world and no
monumental feat to accomplish. Salvation is not accomplished by works, which we
can do, it is a free gift for us from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we ask Him to save us, Jesus
instantaneously breathes His Spirit into our dead spirit (John
3:6) and we are "born
again" (John 3:7). He makes us a "new creation" (2
Corinthians 5:17). Old things
pass away and everything about us gradually is made new. Then He calls us to
diligently seek Him with all of our heart, so He can teach us all things (Proverbs
3:5-6).
So often, we
mistakenly think that once our salvation is secure, we must start to impress
God with our goodness. We work to deserve His love. We take copious notes on
Biblical imperatives and we use them to create a set of rules to live by. Paul
watched the Galatians do this very same thing, and he called them foolish (Galatians
3:1-3). All God wants is our
praise. We trust Him with our life and we do not rely on our own devices (Proverbs
3:5-6). As we abide in His
presence, and as we allow His Holy Spirit to direct our steps, we will bear
much fruit and further God’s Kingdom in the earth (John
15:5).
Paul exhorted
his spiritual son Timothy to trust in the grace of Christ (2
Timothy 2:1). Grace saves us
and keeps us in its grasp (Colossians 2:6) as the Holy Spirit equips us with
everything we need to live godly in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy
3:12). Grace is unmerited
favor from God that makes us victorious over every temptation and strengthens
us through every trial. With this grace operating in our life, we learn
contentment sitting at Jesus’ feet (Philippians 4:12).
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to live in Your grace with a life of wisdom, honor, holiness and victory. Our soul hungers and thirsts for more of You (Psalm 42:2, 63:1, 84:2, 143:6). Keep us ever faithful to You, and remind us to show our gratitude for everything You do in us, through us and for us. You are gracious to us, Lord God Almighty, and we are eternally grateful.
Thought for the
Day:
We did not earn
our salvation, and we do not need to earn God’s love.