That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:7-9 KJV
In the book of Ephesians, Paul explained to believers who they were, who they are now, what they will be and the process of getting there. Ephesians 2:1-4 began by letting the believer know that sin murdered him. Sin is a murderer. There was a course already set out before any one of us was born, led by the prince of the power of the air (the spiritual influence over mankind) and the end result was rebellion and trespasses, which was death. This prince thwarted our desires and minds. It was like there was something in the air or the nature of this age that led to death always.
In essence man had no hope… until God gave us a gift! According to the free dictionary, a gift is “something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to honor a person or an occasion or to provide assistance; present.”. It is “something bestowed or acquired without being sought or earned by the receiver“. The beauty of receiving a gift is that you do not have to pay back. This giver is also not limited by your credit or networth and they can give you as much or as little as they want. In essence, the gift depends on the resources, benovolence and willingness of the giver. Since it is a gift, the giver can choose to give or not to give and He will still be considered righteous.
We can therefore understand Paul’s cry in Ephesians 2:4 about the great love and Mercy of our God. He gave what was most precious to Him completely out of choice! Paul said that the riches of God’s grace is expressed to us in His kindness towards us in the Gift of Christ and as Christ is Eternal, this gift spans through all the ages including the ages to come.
Because we can never earn His kindness and His gift, the idea of boasting is foolish and the thought that you can do anything to earn God’s gift is an insult to His person.
Beloved, when you learn that all of God’s kindness towards you is simply a gift which He is under absolutely no obligation, besides His Word to fulfil, you will be ever thankful. His word will be most precious to you because He is not a man who will lie or the son of man who will change His mind! Yes! indeed, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of light in whom there is no variableness or shadow of turning, James 1:17. He loves and cares for you more than anyone else ever can!
Prayer for today: Father, when I think of your goodness and Your loving kindness towards me, all I can do is to bow my knee in worship and humble adoration, knowing that I do not deserve the least of Your mercies and yet You choose to give. Lord help me to resist the urge to insult Your grace by trying to earn it. Teach me to receive Your gift with thanksgiving knowing that all Your goodness towards me are gifts. I know that if You gave me what was most precious to You , freely, You will not withhold from me, all that I need! I choose to praise You always and trust Your love for me!
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