Thursday, July 14 – Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

At some point you have probably had to compile a resume of some sort. We use these documents to list our qualifications, job history, and accolades that make us a strong candidate for a job. When you began your relationship with Jesus, you put your faith in Him after a lifetime of trying to put your faith in yourself. You recognized His ability over your own to be made right to God. You surrendered to Him as Lord of your life instead of trying to navigate on your own. That moment of faith was about trust and giving up your own control.

But the moment of salvation is not the only moment that is grace-filled. Every moment that we live, breathe, and follow Jesus is dependent on His grace: “this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” If you try to keep score of how much you are growing in your faith or how good you are loving others, you will only be met with guilt. But in Christ, we can live out our faith freely, not because we are earning, but because we are using the gifts He has given us freely for His glory. Spending time with God in the Word and prayer and taking the opportunity to share your faith with others are not items to add to your spiritual resume but gifts to grow in His likeness. A child looks up to a loved one and often wants to be just like them, not because they want to earn that person’s love, but because they have been changed by that person’s love and want to share who they are with the world.

• Have you ever tried to earn God’s love? What was that like?
• What is the difference between being motivated to earn God’s love and being motivated by God’s love?
• Praise God for His gift of grace through every step of your life.