The Gift from God
Today’s Bible Verse:
Ephesians 2:8 ESV
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:8 encapsulates the essence of salvation. It tells us, in no uncertain terms, that our salvation is not something we earn or achieve through our efforts. It is a gift freely given by God's grace.
We are saved by grace, not by works. This means that no matter how hard we try, how good we are, or how many religious rituals we perform, we cannot earn our way into heaven. Our salvation is entirely dependent on God's unmerited favor.
We receive this grace through faith. Faith is not merely an intellectual assent to certain beliefs but a trust in God and His promises. It is believing that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again and that we can have eternal life through Him.
This faith, too, is a gift from God. We cannot conjure it up on our own. The Holy Spirit works in our hearts, opening our eyes to the truth of the Gospel and enabling us to believe.
PRAYERS
Keep in Your Prayers:
The people of the Gulf Coast region dealing with a hurricane.
All people dealing with cancer
Those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
A Prayer for Today:
Gracious Father, thank You for Your amazing grace. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. Thank You for the gift of faith, which enables me to receive Your grace.. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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