We
Were By Nature Deserving Of Wrath
As for you, you were dead
in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed
the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit
who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among
them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its
desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But
because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with
Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been
saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly
realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the
incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ
Jesus. 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.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God
prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians
2:1-10
Because we are made in
God’s image, each person is a “work of art, signed by God.” As the apostle Paul
says, “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Praise God that He uses
each of us, in His own time and way, to help others.
Each
person is a unique expression of God’s loving design.
Our
Daily Bread – May 7, 2018