From Ephesians 2: 1-10: You were dead through the trespasses and sins 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. 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. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 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.
Most of us love to receive gifts. I've often come into my office and there will be a gift bag or a wrapped gift on my chair and I get almost as excited as a child on Christmas day. A gift says several things; someone was thinking of you; someone did more than think, they went and bought or made something for you; they went and bought a gift bag or wrapped the gift; they delivered it to you; and they blessed you with this gift.
Grace is a gift from God to you and me. This passage defines grace in a great way. Grace is God's love to you though we honestly don't deserve it. Grace is God sending Jesus to give us life even though we were dead because of our "trespasses and sins." Grace is being shown a new road on which to travel even though we were lost on a highway leading to a place no one should go. Grace is being pulled out of what we believe to be a great party of things we shouldn't be doing, to an even better party where we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams. Grace is what saved us. We were pulled out of death and brought into life, and not just life, but life in abundance. And it was nothing we did, nor could do; it was a gift. A gift from God.
PRAYER: Loving God, may Your grace be at work in my life today. Pull me upward and away from the muck and mire of this sin. I pray in Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
