Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
February 10, 2023
Read Ephesians 2:1-10
1 At one time you were like a dead person because of the things you did wrong and your offenses against God. 2 You used to live like people of this world. You followed the rule of a destructive spiritual power. This is the spirit of disobedience to God’s will that is now at work in persons whose lives are characterized by disobedience. 3 At one time you were like those persons. All of you used to do whatever felt good and whatever you thought you wanted so that you were children headed for punishment just like everyone else. 4 - 5 However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! 6 And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. 7 God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus. 8 You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. 9 It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. 10 Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.
Good Morning, We are saved by God’s grace!
God’s amazing grace saves us from a life in darkness and from death. God loves us unconditionally and provides us with the gift of salvation. Just as Christ was raised from the dead, all who believe in him will also be raised.
Imagine for a minute a life without God, without hope. Suddenly I am thrust into the world of a Charles Dickens novel. I see darkness, despair, filth, hunger, and oppression. How do the children in “Oliver” make it from one moment to the next? How many of God’s children live this existence today?
Now think of what God saw among his children that required him to send Christ to save us. When we consider the stories of the Old Testament, one might expect God to decide that it was time for a do-over like the great flood of Noah’s time. God’s children had run amok, but God makes a covenant with Noah. God commits himself to never again take such drastic measures and to persist in protecting and providing for Noah, his family, and all life on earth.
In Christ alone, God’s children are saved. No matter how many good works we do or how much money we donate, we can not earn our salvation. Our salvation is a gift, a precious gift of which we are not worthy. In response to this gift, we are called to do everything that Jesus taught us to do: care for one another, humble ourselves, lift the oppressed from the mud, eat with sinners, heal the sick, and pray to God.
The Good News is that we are God’s children and God promises eternal life to all who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We are not destined to live our lives without hope. We are called to jump from the pages of our lives of despair and join the joyful celebration of believers. When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory.
For now, let us praise God, thank God, and pray to God as we focus on what is holy, and what is pure, as we continue our walk of faith.
Loving God, Thank You for being with us. Sometimes we wander into the shadows. We become distracted by earthly treasures. Thank you for your mercy. You sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Jesus has paid the full price for me.
Praising my savior, all the day long! Pastor Liz