Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved, through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
I have to water, every afternoon, our onion plants, green pepper plants, garlic, oregano, basil, and other plants with the gardening hose. The water is what is needed for them not to die during the intense afternoon sun’s heat, and to develop properly. The hose is the communicator of the water and does nothing in and of itself. The hose does not quench the grounds thirst; the water does. But the hose brings water to the soil and roots of the plants, where it is needed for benefit. God’s grace is communicated to us by our faith in Him, which is for our benefit in our spiritual walk. We act by the faith supplied to us by God’s grace.
Paul stated in Ephesians 1:6c that God has “blessed us in the Beloved.” We that have accepted Christ as our Savior are accepted. The simple principle is you are embraced by God, not because of who you are but where you are. You are in Christ despite all your weaknesses, past behavior, and feelings of inadequacies, all due to God’s grace. Throughout the New Testament, and especially in Paul’s writings, the term “in Christ” is used more than 100 times. We are adopted, chosen, justified, regenerated, sanctified, forgiven, God’s work of art, been given everlasting love, and righteousness, are all of the benefits of our salvation because of our relationship in Christ. He lifts us up. He lifts us out, and we are linked with Christ by our faith in Christ.
The Message states Ephesians 2:9-10 this way, “No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
How is God drawing you to Himself today?
When you go to bed tonight, reflect on how God has shown and given you His grace today. Then pray for that person that comes to mind that you need to show grace to as well, and pray for them to be watered with God’s love, kindness, and grace in their life through their faith in Him.
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