Today's Scripture
Question #18 – Ephesians 2:4-10
– Am I proud?
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—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.
RJ's Devotion
As we start 2017, we wanted to examine the 22 questions of John Wesley. He challenged his followers to ask these rigorous self-examining questions, as they walk toward holiness. For the next four weeks, we will examine each question, daily. Also, I encourage you to read the ‘One Year Bible Reading Plan’ suggested by Bishop Sharma Lewis.
What the passage says
V. 4-5 God’s motivation for saving people was due to God’s Love. God’s love is the saving grace for humans who were dead by our transgressions.
V. 6-7 We are raised from the dead of sin and seated with Christ.
V. 8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (v. 8-9, NIV) This verse is worthy of memorizing.
“Am I proud?”
Pride creeps into our heart when we think that we have accomplished something, or when we think we deserve something. However, in front of God, who saved us from death, we have nothing to boast about. The same manner has to be applied to our daily lives with others. Do we act as if we are bound to receive recognition? Or by any chance, with all we have right now, we think that we can put ourselves in better regards than others? We can, but we shouldn’t. When we are humble and grateful for what we have received, we should have the same heart that saved us, toward others. The great love of God should be embedded in our hearts.
Prayer
Lord, have mercy on us a sinner. Help us to grow in your love and humility, as we live our lives today. In Christ name, we pray, AMEN
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