December 26
Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-10
In her eighty-some years, she had never attended church or read the Bible. A bit rough around the edges, she had a sharp sense of humor, and I grew to enjoy our visits. Her awareness of her imminent death sparked an interest in spiritual matters. Though her vision was poor, I bought her a Giant Print Bible, and she began reading the Gospel of John. During one of our early visits, she asks, “With so many religions, how can a person know which one is right?” From then on, we discussed Jesus and the salvation offered by grace through faith. This, I explained, is where the difference lies—salvation is by God’s grace, not by works. Praise the Lord!
A. W. Tozer beautifully defines grace as “the good pleasure of God that inclines Him to bestow benefits on the undeserving.” Grace is inherent in God’s nature, leading Him to pity the wretched, spare the guilty, and favor the outcast. For us sinful humans, it is through grace that we are saved, brought into favor with God, and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:7).
Theologians distinguish between common grace, which benefits all of humanity, and special grace, which is given to believers. Common grace includes blessings like rain, sun, and the restraint of evil, while special grace is unveiled in the salvation of sinners. Grace, central to Biblical Christianity, appears over 150 times in the New Testament, and is generally defined as “unmerited favor.”
Ephesians 2:1-3 explained how unmerited we were—spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, and children of wrath. But through God’s favor, we are saved. Ephesians 1:3-14 highlights the abundant blessings we receive in Christ, all done to the “praise of the glory of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6).
God’s grace is always superlative—Jesus was “full of grace” (John 1:14), and from His fullness, we receive “grace upon grace” (John 1:16). God is rich in grace (Ephesians 2:7), with abundance to spare (Romans 5:17). We are invited to His throne of grace to receive mercy and help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16). There is no shortage of grace with God (2 Corinthians 9:8). How incredibly blessed we are by grace! Praise the Lord!
“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”– Jerry Bridges
AMAZING GRACE
Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch; like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
The Lord hath promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.
LookingtoJesus 