EPHESIANS 2:8–10

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Grace is such a beautiful word. I love to hear it and I love to say it, but what does it really mean? Grace is defined as the “undeserved love and favor of God toward fallen man.” Undeserved love and favor of God for someone like me and someone like you.

When you take a moment and think about what this word means, it is an awesome thought! It means that every sinner can be saved! Every storm can be weathered. Every situation can be faced.

Amazing Grace. When does that grace appear?  The hour we first believe.  (Did you sing Amazing Grace when you read that question? I did as I typed it!) We receive God’s grace when we become believers.

His grace is a gift- not something we receive because of our good deeds, but something we receive because of His great love.  It is not about what we do, but about who He is.   

As we read Ephesians 2:8-9  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift from God, not by works, so that no one can boast. 

The last part of the verse really hits home for me: our salvation is not a result of our works, so that no one may boast.  Our salvation is a result of God’s work by God’s grace, we cannot take credit for our salvation. Grace saving us through faith means we need to stop trying so hard to save ourselves! 

We have to remember:  Grace is undeserved love and favor. It is not because of US.  It is not a result of our talents, our victories, or our success. Why is it so important that we understand that it is undeserved?  Well, I believe if I had to earn God’s grace that means I could lose God’s grace.  Or, if I had to earn God’s grace, I might never get it in the first place.

If somehow we received salvation because of what we did, it wouldn’t be grace. It would be a reward. Not only does God’s grace free us from our sin, our past transgressions, our faults, it lets us live a new, amazing life in our Savior, Jesus. 

But we can’t stop there.  We are called to share God’s grace with others by living out that grace. How will you show God’s grace today? 

Blessings, Jaci