By Grace

-

 

Scripture: Ephesians 2:8-10 (NIV)

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Devotion:

            If you have been around the church for any length of time you have heard these verses from Ephesian quoted by someone. These verses are a simple way of stating the basic truth of the salvation which we have been given. They are a bold statement of God’s great love for us. They are in sharp contrast to all the other major religions in the world. All the other religions promote ways achieving God’s favor by doing good works. One is never sure if one has done enough to secure salvation.

            Christianity on the other hand is based on the fact that God has done something remarkable for us. We do not need to be concerned about how many good works we must do for God. God has already done the best of all possible works for us. He has given us the gift of Jesus Christ the one and only sinless Son of God to pay the ransom for us. We can add nothing to this gift freely given for us. The only requirement for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ.

            Does this mean that we can live anyway we want without the slightest regard for the laws of God? By no means! God has prepared for each of His people who come to Him by faith, good works that God wants that child to accomplish for the kingdom. The writer of James says that “faith without works is dead.” True faith always brings with it the desire to obey the one in whom we have placed our faith. Therefore, a Christian should always be about doing what God has given that person to do.

            Let us then seek to put our best effort into living for God. Even our faith is a gift from God. We should always seek someone whom we can bless because we have been given so much from the hands of the creator of the universe. We can never repay God for all He has done for us, however, that does not mean that we should give up on doing good deeds. On that day of judgement when everyone will appear before their maker let us not be ashamed of the works which we have accomplished for Him. Let us pray that we may be found faithful.

Devotion:

            Heavenly Father, we come to you today with thankful hearts. You have truly provided all we need for this world and for the next. Let us, therefore, sing praises to you in our hearts continually. Let us be sure of the hope we have within us. If we must boast, let us boast in our God. The only one who is able to save us for eternity. We are recipients of grace poured out for us by Jesus on the cross. Let us always remember that sacrifice and be thankful. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more