Our Gracious God

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 NLT

Life is a series of experiences and these experiences impact who you are; they shape and direct your life. If you were exposed to someone with a compassionate heart, you will show compassion to others. If you were taught that people are deceptive then you would have difficulty trusting others. While not everyone becomes a product of their experiences, those experiences are responsible for the ‘you’ that people know today.

In the same way, your relationship with God shapes who you are. I’m not referring to the God who people talk about but the God you interact with. That is, the relationship between you and God. Everyone wants to be in good standing with God and that is a good desire. Many believe that they have the solution; they believe that good deeds would merit favor from God. Unfortunately, that is not true.  The Apostle Paul tells us that salvation, the deliverance from sin and its consequences, comes from God.

Why would God do that? God is gracious; He extends grace, His unmerited favor. This has nothing to do with how good you are; it’s not about how many hours of service you give to a worthy cause; it has nothing to with how much money you give to feed the hungry. If you want to be in good standing with God, you need to accept God’s gracious gift. So how does this work? Well God’s justice will punish wrongdoing. However, in His mercy He offers forgiveness. Then, God extends grace instead of giving us what we deserve.

Romans 11:6 says, “And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.” Yes, that is what makes this so amazing: free and undeserved. If God required money, then He would not be fair. Only people with money would be able to afford it and there would not be a seat at God’s table for everyone. Acts 2 :21 says, “But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Everyone has equal access. God is gracious and He wants you to take full advantage of His gift of grace. When Paul reflected on this he said, “Thank God for this gif^] too wonderful for words!” 2 Corinthians 9:15.

Thought for Today: Friend, God has extended His gift to you; will you accept it?

Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory.