This week’s devotions are based on “Rooted: Finding My Identity in Christ: I am God’s Creation! (WATCH HERE)
Ephesians 2:6–9 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 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. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
We live in a world that teaches us to earn what we want. Work hard and get ahead. Practice and improve. Accomplish something and receive recognition. Even in our relationships, we can begin to believe that we have to prove ourselves worthy of love.
Sometimes we bring that same thinking into our relationship with God. We know we are saved by grace, but deep down we still wonder if God will love us more when we do better. We look at our lives and think, “If I could just pray more, serve more, give more, or become more disciplined, then maybe I would finally be the kind of Christian God wants me to be.”
Ephesians 2 reminds us that salvation does not work that way.
Paul says, “It is by grace you have been saved.” Grace means that God gives us what we do not deserve. Salvation is not something we accomplish. It is God’s gift.
Think about the craftsman working with a piece of wood. The wood does not pick up the tools and shape itself. It does not earn the craftsman’s attention by becoming beautiful. The craftsman takes the wood into his hands and does the work.
That is the picture Paul gives us.
God does not look at us and say, “Make yourself worthy, and then I will save you.” He comes to us in our helplessness. Christ takes our sin upon Himself, suffers and dies in our place, and rises again to give us life. The work of salvation belongs to Him.
Romans 11:6 says, “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.”
That is good news because it means our salvation does not depend on how well we perform. If our relationship with God depended on our performance, we would always wonder whether we had done enough. But Christ has done enough.
That changes the way we live. When you fail today, you do not have to hide from God. Run to Him. When you succeed, you do not have to boast. Give Him thanks. When you serve someone, you do not have to wonder whether God noticed. You are simply living out the grace He has already given you.
The Master does the work. Our confidence rests not in what we have done for God, but in what God has done for us in Christ.
You are saved by grace. You are held by grace. And you can live today from the freedom of grace.
Reflect: Where do you find yourself trying to prove your worth to God or others? How would your day change if you lived from God’s grace rather than trying to earn His approval?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for saving me by grace through faith. Forgive me for the times I try to earn what You have already given me as a gift. Help me trust completely in the finished work of Jesus. When I fail, remind me of Your mercy. When I succeed, keep me humble and grateful. Help me live today not to earn Your love, but because I already have it through Christ. Amen.