Ephesians 2:4-10

But 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. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Reflection:

Read this passage 5 times and notice that each time you read it your faith increases and the praise of God in your heart and mind escalates. It begins with appreciation, adoration, subtle tears, then to laughter, to eventually “I can’t contain this feeling and I’m ready to explode in shouts of praise!” As we read this passage, we begin to realize words are just not good enough to express everything that is in our hearts, so let’s just be in it, with a thankful heart. The reality of who we are - alive in Christ, created in Christ Jesus - did not come after a long period of change, but it was from the state of being “dead in transgressions” that Christ raised us up to seat us with him in the heavenly realms. Think about the distance, from the deadness of our transgressions to the heights of the heavenly realms. This is something only God can do!

Response:

Today perhaps we feel we are far away from being alive in Christ though we have been Christian for some time. In truth, we are already recipients of a new life that can be lived out right now. Remember, we are God’s incredible handiwork. What can we do except to praise Him and to simply live it out! Today, let’s respond by being in God’s truth, to be who we are in Christ. We can pray that as God’s handiwork, we can now do the good works He has prepared for us to do. Let’s pray that we will be a community of believers who live out God’s truth.