July 22, 2022
Read Ephesians 2:4-10
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! God saves us and raises us up!
What a mighty God we serve! We are broken and sinful, yet God looks at us and sees the beauty that he instilled in us when we were formed. Our outer coverings are weathered by time and filled with stains of our misdeeds, but our souls are as strong as the day we were made.
No matter what we do, we can’t save ourselves. Only through God’s grace is salvation possible: it is a gift that is given, not earned. God’s grace is available to all and is waiting to be claimed. When we declare that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we receive this precious gift of eternal life. Through the Holy Spirit working within us, we are to live a life of faith and trust in God.
Some choose earthly virtues over heavenly ones. To be saved, we must give up those earthly desires and humble ourselves before God. We are to serve one another as Jesus served us. We are made by God and all that God makes is good. Our aging bodies are a testament to our life on earth. Our souls are a testament to God’s creation and our heavenly future.
Loving and Caring God, Thank You for loving us. We come to you on bended knees asking forgiveness and thanking you for our salvation. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: With God, I can stand the test of time.
Let your inner beauty shine! Pastor Liz