The Greatest Blessing
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins...But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in tresspasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) ... - Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 NKJV
In Genesis, we learned that God blessed Abraham despite any merit of his own. But does that offer stand for the rest of us?
Many of us believe (wrongly) that we're unworthy of God's love. It's not only that we see ourselves as having little or nothing worth giving Him; it's that we have so many things to apologize to Him for. Its not only that we have little offer of merit; it's that we have so much to offer that is the antithesis of merit! It's not only that our life hitories are woefully short of good deeds; it's that our histories are so full of bad deeds.
We have secrets in or past, things we would be embarrassed to ever speak of. We have chronic hang-ups, things that make us feel unable to lead righteous lives. Why, we ask ourselves, would God ever bless someone like me? The answer to this question is the very crux of the gospel.
The apostle Paul, writer of Ephesians, puts it plainly: "We were dead." There was nothing we could offer to earn the blessing of salvation. Yet, we were in such desperate need of redemption that God, being rich in mercy, showed us his love by sending Jesus to our rescue.
The second chapter of Ephesians tells of the blessings that result from salvation through Christ: We were once far off, yet now have been brought near (v. 13); we were once strangers, but now we are citizens in God's household (v. 19). And, Ephesians 2 also teaches us that God has not only saved us but that He has also planned good works for us (v. 10).
The blessings described in Ephesians 2 are priceless gifts. There is nothing we could ever do to earn them. we are blessed simply because we are His.
Here is a question worth pondering: what blessings are you receiving toay, and how will those blessings affect the way you choose to live your life?
Even on our most difficult days, we are surrounded by God's love. Yet, we are sometimes focused so intently on our earthly disappointments that we fail to recognize God's eternal gifts.
Today, consider what the greatest blessing - God's gift of grace - means to you. And, while you're at it, consider ways you can nourish that gift and share it.
(Disclaimer: I took this from the book "What If Your Blessings Come Through Raindrops" by Laura Story. I make no claim to the above as my own work.)
Grace is something that is so hard for me to accept because I feel so unworthy of God's love. When I look at me, I see all of the mistakes I have made. I see my hang ups and my failures. Why would He choose to love me? I have no problems seeing God's love and forgiveness as it applies to others, but I expect perfection out of myself.
Today, I will go out of my way to show grace to those around me.
This is the day which the LORD hath made ; we will rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24
Be Blessed,
Weight Loss Mama
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