EPHESIANS 2:4-5

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

TO PONDER

Ephesians 2:4-5 reminds us that our salvation is based on the objective work of Christ and does not depend on our feelings or actions. We are already made alive and saved. It is His promise to us, the foundation of our hope. 

Every Christian starts out helpless and powerless, dead in their sins and trespasses. It's easy to judge those who reject God, forgetting that we were once in their shoes. Only through God's grace and mercy were we saved and brought into His Kingdom. More than this, it is God’s will that none should perish, but that all should repent and be saved. How can we despise those whom God calls precious?

Let us live in this hope, in the promise of God, reflecting the grace we have received to the world so that more people come to know Him through His Son and receive His grace, to the Glory of the Father. 

PRAYER: Dear God, I humbly admit that I have not always fully appreciated the gift of your grace and mercy. I am thankful that your unfailing love has brought me salvation through the sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. I ask for your forgiveness and guidance as I strive to show your loving grace to the world through the Holy Spirit's help. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Today's devotion written by Anthony Fawcett, St Paul's Sydney & on loan to LifeWay Westside.