The Gift of God

PRAYER PRACTICE

Prayer Journal – To begin your daily worship today, grab a pen and paper and write out a prayer to God. Not sure what to write? Try using ACTS to frame your prayer. Begin with adoration for who God is. Then move on to confession – being real about where you have fallen short in the last day or two. Give thanks to God for all that He gives (including forgiveness for the sin you just confessed!). And then finish with supplication – with your prayer requests to God. When you are done, tuck this away somewhere (so you can read it later and see how God has answered your prayers) and then move into hearing from God through His Word.

DAILY READING

Ephesians 2:6-10

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

Saved by Grace

by Tom Richards

Our reading today is one that is familiar to many Christians, especially Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” This verse along with verses like Titus 3:4-5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” are key to understanding that we cannot earn our salvation, that our best efforts are not enough. It is truly God’s grace that saves us!

Yet, Paul states in verse ten that good works should be part of the Christian life. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Peter also addresses this when he challenges the believers in 1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

It is clear that while our good works and best efforts cannot save us, God desires that we do good works as a means of living out our faith and giving him glory. We can demonstrate our love for God by keeping his commandments, by letting our light shine before others. Recently we learned that our daughter performed a wonderful act of kindness for a client who was in a time of need. She gave of her time and skill sacrificially, a true act of grace. Hearing about this brought great joy to my wife and me as we recounted the story. I have to believe that our Father in heaven feels a similar joy when we extend grace to one another, bringing him glory in the process.

Father, help us to know that while our salvation is a free gift, it came at a great expense, the death of your son, Jesus. Help us to know that because of our new birth in Christ the Holy Spirit empowers us to “do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Amen.