By Grace

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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. 

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