Good Morning 06-20

"For by grace you are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."
- Ephesian 2:8-9

"Saved by grace." That is the essence of the Gospel, the joy of every believer's heart, the proper epitaph over the grave of all that have died in the LORD. "Saved by grace." That is the theme song of the Christian Church on earth and of the redeemed hosts in heaven.

"Saved!" Only when we have realized our lost and helpless condition can we appreciate what it means to be saved. We have been saved from the enslaving power of sin in this life and from the damning consequences of sin hereafter. We are saved now from sin and Satan, from death and damnation in hell. And how? By grace.

What is grace? Grace is that pure loving kindness of God which we unworthy sinners have not in the least deserved and which we cannot in any degree repay. This exceeding riches of His grace God showed in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 1:7.

"Through faith" All that God expects of us in that we receive His grace in faith. And even this faith is to of ourselves, not of our willing and making; it is the gift of God, the work of His Holy Spirit. Our whole salvation is not of works, not of man's doing or earning, but only by grace. All boasting is excluded. All who are saved will rejoice in ascribing all honor and glory to God.

Christians friends, let us help others to understand that God's salvation is for sinners only, and that includes all of us. That's what makes God's grace so amazing.

      Amazing grace How sweet the sound
      That saved a wretch like me
      I once was lost but now am found,
      Was blind but now I see.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY - The first step to receiving eternal life is to admit that we don't deserve it.