This is a wonderful day that has been put before us. Use it to the glory of God. Today we are going to munch on the best food we have been given by God, salvation. Get your utensils ready and put on your bib.
Today’s Prayer
Father, how can we as your children share all that it means to us to have You as the center of our lives? How can we explain the joy and the peace that have come into our lives since we have known You? You led us to Jesus and we accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, but it can all be summed up in seven words; You love us, and we love You! What a really “forever” meaning these words have! The only way to experience the depth of our significance is to step out in faith, and to live a life of commitment, honesty, trust and forgiveness; a life of sharing and caring, a life that brings an inner peace and joy! When we decided to commit ourselves to seeking Your will for our lives and then, with Your help, living in obedience to it, then we found that counting our blessings daily was better than counting the things that we don’t have and that You are indeed adequate to supply all of our needs. Thank You for Your presence in our lives; help our daily living to reflect You, as we seek to share You with others. In the wonderful name of Jesus we pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
GRACE SPELLS SALVATION D-O-N-E
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
Some of you are trying to work your way to Heaven. How are you going to do it? You don’t have any righteousness. Human righteousness is as filthy rags in God’s sight. Grace spells salvation, not “do,” and not “don’t,” but “done.” It is not an addition. There is nothing you can do that will take away what you’ve already done. It is not subtraction. There is nothing you can stop doing.
I was once told a story about a man who fell out of a rowboat into the Niagara River, and the river was flowing toward the falls. Others tried to save him by throwing him a rope, and he held the rope a while, but then he saw a log coming past and let go of the rope to grab the log. That short-sighted decision cost him his life—he and the log went over the falls. No matter what else you hold onto, if you are not linked by the rope of grace to the heart of God, you’re going to perish. It’s not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.
- What are some things you have tried to do to earn God’s approval? What are some things you have done that you believed might take away from God’s love for you?
- What makes it challenging to accept God’s grace? What has been the hardest part of trying to extend that grace to others?
Talk with a friend about how you have tried to work for God’s approval and how you found His grace instead.
Quote of the Day
Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.~