Ephesians 2: 8-9
We were sleeping in our tent in an isolated section of a state park. In the middle of the night, my preschool son needed to go to the bathroom. He and I stepped out of the tent and were blown away by the number and brightness of the stars in the sky. In this area where it was completely dark, we could see the stars so clearly, and it was dazzling!
God has created a universe that dazzles us, especially such free light shows. Images of distant galaxies, sunrises and sunsets, a shaft of sunlight streaming down an opening in the forest canopy – all of these are free blessings God gives us each day, if we will just look.
But often, we don’t take advantage of these free gifts. When is the last time you studied a sunrise or sunset?
God offers many free gifts representing His love for His children. But the greatest is the gift of His grace, in other words, his love and forgiveness toward us. Ephesians 2: 8-9 reads:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Grace is a gift we don’t deserve and can’t earn, but it is freely given. Yet so many of us turn away from this free gift. It’s like ignoring the sunset; we get locked up in the details of our lives, then we don’t take advantage of the blessed opportunities offered us.
It is by faith in God’s grace through our Savior Jesus Christ that we are saved. If we’re not careful, grace is a gift that we can abuse like a child wrecking a new Christmas toy. Grace calls us into deeper relationship, deeper awareness, deeper response. Let us accept grace through faith, and keep building on that faith to love and serve God in our thoughts and actions.
Listen to my monthly podcast on the topic of "The Himalayas of the New Testament," the highest thoughts presented in the New Testament. The August selection is Romans 8, which I call the Mount Everest of the New Testament. You can find the podcast on Spotify or Podbean by searching on "Cecil Taylor Monthly Podcast." You can also click on "Free Content" on the top ribbon of CecilTaylorMinistries.com pages, then follow the Podcasts link to the podcast.