Devotion
Saved By Grace
Chipo Biti
It is by grace you have been saved.
A timely reminder that we should always be conscious of. My heart falls whenever I come across Christians who are caught up in their own pride, believing that their righteousness within their personal capacity is the reason why they have received salvation. One of the biggest mistakes you could ever make, as a Christian, is to think that you are able to justify yourselves according to your own works. There is a reason why Jesus had to come to earth. No matter how many times man had tried to fulfill the standards of the Law, they could not do it. They could not be righteous on their own. Every time they tried to, sin would interfere and their actions would be rendered ineffective.
God didn't wait for us to show signs of perfection before He sent his son, Jesus Christ to the earth. No. When man was drowning in their sin, as far away from God as possible, Christ came to the earth. When human beings were nothing but dead souls walking, Jesus Christ came to the earth. He was not moved by what He saw. The state of man did not make him shout in hopeless angst.
Jesus knew what He was coming to face. He knew that He would encounter ignorance. He knew that He would encounter people who would not understand anything He was saying. He knew that He was going to be beaten, mocked, and scorned. He knew that He was going to be crucified on the cross.
Jesus knew all of this but it did not stop Him from fulfilling God's will. Even in Gethsemane, where He wept as He thought of what He was about to face, Jesus rose up and chose to continue with the mission.
He knew that the fate of mankind was dependent on His sacrifice and He counted us worth the pain. God saw us as worth sacrificing His Son, for our sake. We did nothing to merit it. We did nothing to deserve it. We deserved the damnation that was headed our way, but God didn't focus on that.
He focused on saving us so that we could be reconciled to Him. We, as His children, and He as our Father.
Prayer
That is what it means to be saved by grace.
We did not deserve any of the Father's love, but He gave it to us anyway because He loved - and still loves - us that much.
Night Prayer
And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on.
Inspiration
We have many daily challenges that cause us to worry. Financial burdens, physical health, and other personal affairs cause anxiety and fear. Jesus reassures the disciples that they do not have to worry about where they will rest or what clothes they will wear because God will be present to provide for them as needed. We can apply this knowledge to our concerns as well. God is present and will provide for us physically and spiritually. Even when things are not okay, His presence alone grants us peace to make it through each life event.
Prayer
Dear Lord, we love and adore You. We are grateful for Your presence in our lives and the peace You bestow upon us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
