Page 10 - Livin Light Issue 81

Wednesday June 7 - Amazing grace
...it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with him in the heavenly realms... Ephesians 2:5-6
If you check with Madame Google, you’ll find that ‘Amazing Grace’ is one of the most popular hymns, if not the most popular. Its words, ‘I once was lost but now am found’, speak to the stupendous gift of God’s favour, which we receive without doing anything to earn it. The hymn’s writer, John Newton, would have known Paul’s emphasis on grace, not least as here in Ephesians, when Paul says that only by grace are we saved.
‘Grace’ is a word that hasn’t become tarred in society. When we speak of grace, people can visualise goodness, gifts of mercy, acts of love. All, of course, come from the heart of our loving God.
Because of this grace, God raises us up to be seated with Christ in the heavenlies – far above the influence of the evil one. Our authority comes because of our union with Christ, given as a gift from God. The original language of Greek implies an ‘already / not yet’ sense of us being raised with Christ. That is, our salvation is assured, but we continue to work it out while living here on earth.
How can you embrace grace today? How could you extend it to someone, whether a loved one or even a person you find challenging?
Lord God, through grace you relieve my fears and lead me home to sing your praises, bright and shining like the sun. Amen.
Thursday June 8 - Incomparable riches
...in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches
of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7
At church recently we heard from an Iranian pastor about the persecuted church. He spoke of leaving his country for two weeks, but because of the situation in his home country, he and his family members haven’t been able to return for two decades. Imagine going on a ministry trip to a foreign country and never returning to your home. And consider the believers he left behind, those who suffer for their faith, not being able to meet in the open for fear of being persecuted, even unto death.
I know I haven’t suffered in this way. And yet God welcomes me, along with those who stand for their beliefs against evil regimes so courageously, to experience ‘the incomparable riches of his grace’. Nothing we’ve ever experienced will compare to those riches. We’ll enjoy them fully after we die, but sometimes we taste them in the here and now.
I imagine that promises such as this one from Paul bring great encouragement to those who suffer for their faith. Today, why not spend some time praying for your sisters and brothers who live in countries that are hostile to the Christian faith? I recommend searching online for the Open Doors ‘World Watch’ list, which ranks countries according to the level of persecution. Through his incomparable riches of grace God can answer our pleas in ways we could never imagine.
Saving God, please bring your help and encouragement to those who stand for you. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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PRAYER FOR TODAY