MONDAY December 4th
Ephesians 2:4-9
‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.’
Now, I know these devotions are predominantly for the fellowship at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church, but with this one and as with the next devotion, I still want to include content that will be applicable to those who are not saved or are trying to earn salvation, for one of our aims must be to reach the lost and with the devotions also being available on-line, who knows who may come across them and read them.
These verses having giving hope to those of us who are saved by God’s grace also offer hope to those who are not saved, and it is this, that while it is still the day of grace and of opportunity the way is still open for you to come by faith and to be saved by the grace of God.
It has been said that grace can be considered this way, using a word for each letter of the word grace—Great Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve, grace is God’s mercy being shown to sinners and bringing them the opportunity to repent and to be forgiven. None of us deserve his mercy for we are all sinners, yet out of his love, God has extended his mercy, grace and forgiveness through the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the hymns we sometimes sing is ‘Years I spent in vanity and pride’, it continues with the chorus part that says
‘Mercy there was great and grace was free,
Pardon there was multiplied to me,
There my burdened soul found liberty,
At Calvary’
Today to all who read this devotion, who have not yet come to Calvary you can receive God’s mercy and grace, in doing so you will be forgiven and reconciled to God, as the Bible says, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’. If you wish to make this important step, you can get in touch with us at Emmanuel Pentecostal Church to find out more at pastorepcgateshead@gmail.com