And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in 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 coming ages 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 a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:1-10
Before you read any further, read the italicized words above again. Be amazed. Be astonished. Be grateful.
This passage is one of my favorites in all of Scripture. In fact, I am working right now to commit it to memory because I never want to forget.
“Forget what?” you may ask….
Forget that I was dead. That’s right. Spiritually dead, living by the rules and ways of this world. Disobedient. Enslaved to my own desires and thoughts. Deserving of wrath.
BUT GOD…..
But God….full of mercy and love….even when I was dead in my sin made me alive! He brought me to life through the death of Jesus Christ. And, He has raised me up and has seated me in the heavenly places in Christ. He is showing me every day the immeasurable riches of His grace and kindness.
He did this through His amazing grace, through faith. Because of this, I can never boast. There is nothing I have done, nothing I could do, to deserve this gift. Dead people cannot bring themselves back to life.
How is this even possible? We do not live in a world that even understands this kind of love. Unconditional love. Amazing grace. This is what the God of the universe offers to His people.
The only reasonable response to this glorious grace is overwhelming gratitude. And a life lived walking in the good works that He prepared for us.
Have you received this gift of grace? I would love to hear your story!
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/astonish/
