BELIEF COMES FROM GOD
God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)
In middle school, I played football, or I should say I stood on the sidelines while my teammates played football. God has blessed me with several gifts, but football isn’t one of them! I always found it interesting that although I never really played, I still got the results of whatever happened on the field. If we won, we won as a team; if we lost, we lost as a team. Even though I didn’t contribute to the outcome, I was still rewarded when we won. I was a part of the team. In your faith, you didn’t do anything to earn the grace and victory. All you did was show up, but you are a part of the team, and you get the reward. Jesus did all the work on the cross, the only thing you contributed was your sin. On the cross, the grace and forgiveness are given to everyone who is a part of the team. You don’t do anything, but you also get everything. What a gift!
This is important because when you understand everything comes from God, it frees you from two snares of the enemy: pride and shame. When we start to think, It must be easier for God to love me because I’m serving Him, or when we become judgmental of others, we need to slow down and realize where our faith has come from. If we think that God can’t use or love us for any reason, we need to look at Ephesians 2:10 above, where we are called masterpieces. Think about it: appliances are mass-produced, but a masterpiece is handmade and displayed. God has perfectly created you. He knows what He’s doing, and He didn’t make a mistake. He puts you on display because you are His, but always remember where you came from! If you’re a part of the team, you get the rewards, and as a child of God, one of those rewards is that you can boldly approach God and ask anything in His will. So, what are you asking for? Ask for more of Him! Ask for more faith! Ask for more power!
APPLICATION: Let God’s grace keep you from pride or shame today.
PRAYER: Ask the Spirit if there is any pride in your life. Give that area to Him. Ask the Spirit to reveal if there is any shame. Give that area to Him. Thank God for His grace.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?