Day 1 - Week 72 - Are we resting or are we working?

The section of verses we are currently studying is titled "Faith"...but subtitled "Resting in God's Word."  The first two verses we have contemplated have reminded us that our faith brings with it the freedom from earning our salvation...our salvation is given to us by God's grace through faith, nothing that we can boast about of ourselves, but what we should be celebrating and yelling from the rooftops proclaiming our wonderful and merciful God.

Isaac Watts penned these beautiful words centuries ago...his proclamation of God's mercy toward him:

Lord, we confess our numerous faults,

How great our guilt has been.

Foolish and vain were all our thoughts,

And all our lives were sin.

'Tis not by works of righteousness

Which our own hands have done;

But we are saved by sovereign grace

Abounding through His Son.

Raised from the dead we live anew;

And, justified by grace,

We shall appear in glory too,

And see our Father's face.

So have you gotten Ephesians 2:8-9 down?  Say them with me:  "For it is by grace you are saved, through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is God's gift.  Not by works, so that no one can boast."

We'll add Ephesians 2:10 this week, but first let's review:

The Holy Spirit's Role in our Lives (6)
Ephesians 5:18 "And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in to the Lord in your hearts."
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."
Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
2 Timothy 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you...guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us."

Joy: God's Kind of Happiness (12)
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:5 "Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near."
Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
James 1:3-4 "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray constantly."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."


Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."
Ephesians 2:9 "Not by works, so that no one can boast."

So what does Ephesians 2:10 say?  Does it say, "So take it easy, you can now spend your lives doing whatever you wish, indulging yourself in any way you like"?  Not quite...even though Paul just told us that our salvation is a gift to us from God due to his abundant grace, listen to his very next words....-

Ephesians 2:10  - "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." NIV

Wait a minute!  I thought we were talking about resting!  Now we're told we are expected to work!  Which is it?  LOVE the way this verse reads in The Message...

No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

Our salvation is bestowed to us without any work on our part --- without any merit.  It is not a reward for our wonderful works, rather God's response to our cry of faith in Him.  But once we have received God's mercy, once He has reached out His hand and pulled us from the drowning sea of sin, we come to an understanding of just exactly what our purpose is on this earth.  We are now truly His children, placed here to do His good works that He ascribes to us each day.  And we do not want to miss out on participating with our Father in the wonderful things that He is doing.  He will give us the strength - He will give us the ability - and He will give us the resources to do whatever it is that He asks of us. 

Day 4 - Week 71 - Ephesians 2:9 "Not from works, so that no one can boast."

So what do you think you deserve?  I mean, you've been a pretty good person, right?  When you come to the end of your earthly road, what do you think should be waiting for you?

If you think that when your final breath is drawn and you appear before the holiness of God that you will have anything to bring before Him that has been accomplished within your own power and ability that even begins to appear of value, you are mistaken.  Our worthiest of deeds falls so very, very short of God's complete perfection and holiness...so if you even start to boast that you may be in a better position than someone that you are comparing yourself to, think again!  You're both in a pitiful state!

But, take heart!  We don't have to panic thinking that we will have to stand before our Father trying to explain away our unworthiness...citing all the reasons that we did not attain the high level of accomplishment that we could have had we just kept focused, avoided all errors in judgment, kept on God's path 100% of the time, and never, never participated in anything that was driven by selfishness, ego, or pride. 

No, we are told that it is not our works that will bring us salvation, nor is it our lack of works that will cost us our salvation.  No - our salvation has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with God.  It is through Him, through the salvation offered through Jesus Christ, and bestowed to us through our faith in this offering.

So get over yourself...and if even a hint of boasting starts to come out of your mouth, think again. 

Holy?  Not even close.  Perfect?  Far from it. 

Forgiven?  Absolutely. 

Grace.  It's a beautiful thing. 

Day 3 - Week 71 - Ephesians 2:9 "Not from works, so that no one can boast."

Do we, as evangelical Christians, tend to "boast" in our good works?  Do we sometimes rather arrogantly live like we're the ones who have "gotten it right"?  Sometimes I fear that...and even in my feeling of angst over our attitudes, I am reminded that it is not us that have gotten it right..it is God.  He is the One who developed His plan for our salvation, He is the One who prepared the way of grace.  I don't have it right, but, through the grace of God and responding to His call, I have accepted His right way...the way of the cross, the way that Jesus paved for me, the way home to my Father.

Now --- does that give me the ability to express to others that I am a better person than they?  Not one little bit.  I am no better, I have nothing in me of any more worth than any other creature on this earth.  All I have is the grace of God over my life.  My works, of which are very few, have no merit in my salvation...my works are my gifts back to God for His enormous gift of acceptance that He has extended to me. 

I have been purposefully avoiding blogging this week because I have been so burdened as to the current discussion regarding same-sex message.  Dan Cathy's statements regarding his company's (Chick-Fil-A) support of the traditional family brought the discussion again into the forefront this past week. 

Now, personally, I believe that as an American, Dan Cathy, along with any other business owner, should be able to state their values and beliefs and then let the "chips fall where they may."  I think he realized that there would be people who didn't agree with him, just as there are many pro same-sex marriage business owners who have stated their views and probably lost some business from those who don't see eye-to-eye with them.  But just as those business owners are still allowed to conduct business wherever they have the opportunity, so should Mr. Cathy.  Even the liberally-minded ACLU has stated that,

"The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words,” said Adam Schwartz, senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. “When an alderman refuses to allow a business to open because its owner has expressed a viewpoint the government disagrees with, the government is practicing viewpoint discrimination.”

Just as Mr. Schwartz states that the government should not practice viewpoint discrimination, neither can I mandate my viewpoint on another.  I do believe that there is a distinct difference, though, in the discussion I can have with fellow Christians on our differing viewpoints than the discussion that I can have with a person who does not share my Christian beliefs.  For me trying to argue why someone should or should not participate in a particular behavior with someone who does not accept Christian values or Biblical guidance, would have absolutely no point.  Their moral compass does not come from the same source as mine, so there would be no reason to argue over our opposing directions. (1 Corinthians 5:12)

But, should I have a discussion with my Christian homosexual (and that is not an oxymoron) brother or sister, I pray that I would not "boast" and present myself as any more of a Christian than they.  I know that many Christian gays and lesbians do not perceive their lifestyles as sinful.  I hope that I could very humbly ask them to read the passages in the Bible that list homosexuality as a sin, right along with many other sins that I have been guilty of throughout my life, (Romans 1 Corinthians 6:9, 1 Timothy 1:10, Jude 1:7), and then to prayerfully repeat the words of David, simply stating, "See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:24.

If there is an inability for someone to humble themselves in this way, to lay themselves before God and ask Him of His opinion, of His view of their life, to sense if He is nodding His approval over their life, then therein may be the bigger issue --- the issue of submission.  This is not an issue limited to our sexual activities....I know I have struggled with it in multiple areas, and still do.  Battling the innate desire to rule my life without God's authority.

So, I guess my bottom line is...please Lord God, restrict me from any tendency to boast over a "superior" life...but, please Lord God, bring all of us who profess to be believers in the grace bestowed to us by the blood of Jesus over our lives to a place of absolute submission, asking for Your hand of authority to direct our lives. To do everything we can to show our love for You through our love for others in a real way...but in a way that not only shows acceptance for them, but directs them to You so that we may not only share the enjoyment of this life You have given to us now, but also the eternal life that we will share with them in Your presence.

I pray that my words have not been offensive, that they have in no way been boastful, and that they express my absolute belief in God's wonderful, comprehensive grace...a grace that is available to all who come to Him in faith; a grace that covers all our sin when we bring it to Him in humility and submission.  I also ask you to please let me know if you feel I have stated anything in conflict with Biblical teaching.  I am very open to correction.

Thank You, my Father, for your wonderful plan of grace, mercy and forgiveness. 

To YOU be the glory!

Day 2 - Week 71 - Ephesians 2:9 "Not from works, so that no one can boast."

Effort = Reward

In the mind of humanity, the above equation makes perfect sense and is what we base a lot of our societal rules on.  You put out great effort, and (if not immediately, eventually) you will be rewarded...either with financial success, a personal feeling of achievement, the kudos of your peers, or recognition by your children and grandchildren...now that's the best success you can achieve this side of heaven in my opinion!

But in God's plan, our efforts result in nothing.  Or as Isaiah puts it, "all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment."  In comparison to God's absolute and pure holiness, our very best efforts come up looking dingy and in need of a good scrubbing. 

We can work and work and work our lives away, and we will not attain enough "goodness" to enter into God's presence.  He is holy --- and we are not.  No matter how hard we try, we cannot attain holiness, it is not achievable...by us.

But there is One who imparts His holiness to us, His brothers and sisters.  Through Him, we take on a holiness that would never be ours without His atoning sacrifice. 

"Because of God you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God. In Christ we are put right with God, and have been made holy..."  1 Corinthians 1:30 (NCV)

Not from works, so that no one can boast...our only cause for boasting is that we are loved by God.  That because of Him, because of Christ's sacrifice for us, because of His Spirit working within us, we are made new...we are made holy...we are now able to come into His presence. 

And we don't have to wait to go to heaven to do that...we can kneel before the throne of glory right now, acknowledging that He is there, and He hears our voices....we are in His presence.

Praises, praises!  We have a great God who gives us so much.

Faith  = Reward

Now...James does have a little bit to say about the connection between true faith and works...guess that's for tomorrow! 

Loving my Christian brothers and sisters tonight...be strong in the faith, pray for each other, and share God's love wherever and whenever you can!

Day 1 - Week 71 - Faith, Trust, Rest

The title of our current section of verses is "Faith", the subtitle is "Trusting God and Resting in His Word."  With sustaining faith comes good solid trust.  When we solidly trust in God, we can rest.  And that's where this week's verse fits in very nicely.

Ephesians 2:9, "Not from works, so that no one can boast."  The verse that immediately follows our last week's verse of Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."

Paul wants us to see that this is not a competition---we do not have to try to outdo anyone.  God has gifted all with His grace that comes to each of us when we respond in faith.  And when we realize that we have been gifted with grace, and that all around us who invite God into their hearts through faith in the saving works of Jesus Christ have been gifted in the same way, then there is no need to try to outdo any of our Christian brothers and sisters in any way.

When we arrive at heaven's gates, there will be no one able to say..."Well I got here the hard way...I did it with my hard work, I was God's guy down there, He really relied on me."

Nope - we will all join in the chorus of praise singing, ""You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power!"
Let's spend this week focusing in on the futility of our works...and the beauty of offering ourselves to our Savior!

Reviewing where we are right now....

The Holy Spirit's Role in our Lives (6)
Ephesians 5:18 "And don't get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled with the Spirit."
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making music in to the Lord in your hearts."
Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:21 "Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ."
Galatians 5:22 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
2 Timothy 1:14 "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you...guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us."

Joy: God's Kind of Happiness (12)
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."
Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Philippians 4:5 "Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near."
Philippians 4:6 "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."
Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
Romans 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
James 1:2 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds."
James 1:3-4 "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you will be mature and complete, lacking nothing."
1 Thessalonians 5:16 "Rejoice always."
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray constantly."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."


Faith: Trusting God and Resting in His Word (12)
Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift.
Ephesians 2:9 "Not from works, so that no one can boast."

"Indeed this is one of the greatest mysteries in the world---namely, that a righteousness that resides with a Person in heaven should justify me, a sinner on earth"  John Bunyan

Day 4 - Week 70 - Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift.

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I'm found; was blind, but now I see!


Grace...it is amazing, isn't it? It's so amazing, that we really don't even fully understand it.

We, at our worst, are given this amazing gift from God...unmerited, totally undeserved grace. We exhibit faith, and God showers us with His amazing grace. Grace that covers all of our sinfulness and writes off our unworthiness.  Grace that transforms our imperfection into God's holiness.

What does God expect from us in response to His amazing gift? He expects us to, in turn, gift others with similar grace...never can it match the gift that He gives, but in some small way it can emulate His graciousness and others may start to see the grace in us as something unusual in this grace-less world of ours.

For our world does not too easily dispense grace, does it? More often than not, we experience (and deal out) critical responses and reactions to our shortfalls and errors, giving those around us "just what they deserve."  But when we extend the hand of grace to someone in even a small manner...overlooking an intentional slight; ignoring a hurtful comment; not calling attention to a missed step; and then in larger ways...forgiving betrayal; relinquishing our desire for revenge for deep hurts...then we have exhibited to others that we truly understand grace----that we really get it.  We get the amazing ability not to deal out what may be "deserved"...we have been gifted, and we can in turn gift others.

When Jesus told the parable of the unmerciful servant who had been forgiven a great debt and then in turn forced the hand of someone who owed him a pittance, He was teaching us that the grace that we have been given should be recognized for the great gift that it is, and that we in turn should be ready to show grace to those in our lives who may not have done everything to meet our expectations.  Who are we to hold anyone to a standard of perfection when we have fallen so short?

Amazing grace --- be amazed by it, and amaze others with it.  Once you have received it, don't keep it to yourself!  Pass it on in Jesus' name...what a great opportunity to explain this amazing gift to someone who needs to hear of it's availability....through faith!

Day 3 - Week 70 - Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift."

"Of the things which I have spoken unto you these many years, this is the sum.  Within the circle of these word (Ephesians 2:8) my theology is contained, so far as it refers to the salvation of men."  Charles Spurgeon

The theology of Christianity is, in all essence, a fairly simple one.  So simple, in fact, that some people just can't believe that subjects as seemingly complex as God, eternity, the meaning of life, and the idea of the gift of salvation, can be viewed in a manner that even a child can start to understand.  That the truths that we need to start our journey of faith can be viewed by looking at the night sky, the wonders of nature, the birth of a child (Romans 1). 

Spurgeon states that his theology was thoroughly contained in Ephesians 2:8...that God's gift of salvation is given to mankind as a gift, unearned, unmerited and attained solely through faith in Him.  If we believe this, then we have the foundation for a faith that will be built on through the remaining days of our lives and will allow us to live those days in a joyful, prayerful, thankful (rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything) existence, knowing that we have been redeemed and restored to relationship with God our Father and that we will remain in that relationship as long as we keep our faith in Him alive.  And this redemption and relationship is nothing that is attained, nothing that we work for, nothing that we may have one day and the next day, due to our poor performance of the previous day, be in danger of losing.  Faith in God brings to us God's gift of salvation, because He loves us.

If we couple this verse with John 3:16 what a powerful theological statement they make...

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.  For by grace you are saved, and this is not of yourselves; it is God's gift.

Now we can try to complicate it, but the way I read it is that God wants us to know that He's so very ready to accept us when we acknowledge Him and the tremendous gift He has extended to us.

Christ came, He died and rose again.  He told those around Him who He was and why He had come to the earth...they believed...and in spite of persecution and eventual martyrdom, they discipled others...they too believed...the community of believers grew...they became known as Christians.  Throughout the ages others believed.  God's plan was at work, has been at work and is still at work.  People still believe, and others still continue to come to belief. 

Yes, every day throughout this crazy world of ours, God's gift continues to be discovered.  Salvation has come!  And it has not come because of me, or because of you, but because of God's love manifested through Jesus Christ...it is God's gift.