Week Twelve-Day Three: Gracious

Ephesians 2:1-10

“ ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 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.”

I like the comments from “The Life Recovery Bible” on this passage. It says,

“We are all born with an evil nature, powerless to stand against our tendency toward sin and failure; but God is rich in mercy and love, and even though we are far from him and entrapped by sin, God graciously reaches out to us. God wants to forgive us and give us the power to rebuild our life. Through the work of Jesus Christ, God has already conquered the power of sin and death. When we admit that we need God’s help and ask him to act on our behalf, God empowers us to overcome our problems and dependency.”

BEFORE YOU START YOUR DAY

1. Take some time and meditate on Ephesians 2:8-10.Then try to commit them to memory today.We will review verses over the next few days.Psalm 119:11 says “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
2. Use this verse from the hymn “Come Thou Fount” as a prayer this morning.

Oh! To grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be;

Let that grace now, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee!

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;

Prone to leave the God I love—

Take my heart, oh, take and seal it,

Seal it from Thy courts above.