The Upper Room Daily Devotional – “Grateful for Grace” Thursday, 28 November 2013 Read Ephesians 2

The Upper Room Daily Devotional – “Grateful for Grace” Thursday, 28 November 2013

Read Ephesians 2: From Death to Life

1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ[a]—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

Footnotes:

Ephesians 2:5 Other ancient authorities read in Christ.(NRSV)

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.(Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV))

As a municipal prosecutor, I often review requests to seal the record of someone convicted of a criminal offense. Records are sealed (removed from public access) at the discretion of the court. One question on the form for sealing the record is, “Why is this sealing deserved?” I have only seen one answer that I thought demonstrated true humility. The answer was, “I don’t deserve to have my record sealed, but I would be grateful if the court did grant this request.” That response is a model of the way we should respond to God’s offer of salvation. God, through the death and resurrection of Christ, is willing to erase our entire record of sin if we accept salvation with a right heart. Someone who tries to grasp salvation with good works thinks that he or she has earned and therefore deserves salvation. To think that salvation is a matter of luck or fortune is to see God as arbitrary and therefore to miss the concept of grace. But the person who sees himself or herself as unworthy, yet loved by God, understands that through faith and the grace of God, we are saved from our transgressions. The sealing God provides is not deserved, but we are grateful for God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice that brings salvation.(The Author-Matthew L. Reger (Ohio, USA))

Thought for the Day: The Last War

Some people are waiting for a final, apocalyptic war.

But the final war is not fought on battlefields, nor at sea, nor in the skies above. Neither is it a war between leaders or nations. The final war is fought in the heart of each human being, with the armies of his or her deeds in this world.

The final war is the battle of Chanukah and the miracle of light.

Prayer: Dear God, we do not deserve your forgiveness, but we humbly submit ourselves to you, asking for your grace. Amen.

Prayer Focus: To humbly receive God’s grace

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