Grow: First Steps with JesusSample

THE GIFT OF GRACE

This is your second week of growing in your relationship with your Father in heaven. In this week we will discover not just what God did for us, but also what he is doing in us!

I would like to encourage you to obtain your own personal Bible. 

We learn from one of the disciples of Jesus (in Luke 23:39-43) about a criminal that was crucified next to Jesus. As he cried out to Jesus, it surprises us that Jesus gave him assurance of eternity even though the criminal had no chance to do anything that could deserve it.

In a similar way we discover that we receive something from God without working for it. Another similar story is about Saul who was a persecutor of Christians. He lived in opposition to Jesus and yet he received undeserved grace from God which brought about a radical turnaround in his life. 

This same person, Paul, now writes to the young church in the city of Ephesus.

Ephesians 2:4-5: Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

‘Grace’ is a very important term in the Bible. Grace is a gift we receive, not on the premise of our own good deeds, but by the unmerited favour of God. It is a free gift. 

Today we are filled with a deep appreciation towards God for not focusing on our mistakes. His favour pulls us from a massive current of godless and sinful living and saves us forever. (Look at Ephesians 2:1 to see the list).

The only decent response on our side is to take this truth and put it in the deepest part of our being and begin to declare that we are saved only by grace. 

Daily Affirmation: “Jesus, I believe that I am saved by your grace.”

Action Step for Today: Begin to list everything that comes to mind that could be included in the gift of God’s grace to you.