Ephesians 2.1-10 (7)
Pray Psalm 29.1, 2.
Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Give unto the LORD the glory due to His name;
Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Sing Psalm 29.1, 2.
(Toulon: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)
Give praise to God, you children of the earth!
Tell of His strength, proclaim His glorious worth!
Give to the LORD the glory due His Name!
Worship in holiness; His grace proclaim!
Read Ephesians 2.1-10; meditate on verses 4, 5, 8-10.
Meditate on what you have learned about mercy, grace, and salvation.
Preparation
1. What has God done for us “in Christ Jesus”?
2. Why has He done this?
Meditation
My sense is, looking the contemporary Christian scene, that our understanding of grace is, shall we say, undeveloped.
What we know about grace is like what I knew about computers when I first got one. To me, for a long time, a computer was just a more efficient typewriter. I could bang out words and change or correct them easily enough, without the need for erasers or whiting-out fluid. I was happy with my computer and eager to get to it every day.
But the world of computing was more powerful than I understood, and as I grew from that first desktop to my first laptop, then to computers with still more powerful and creative software, I realized I wasn’t in Kansas anymore (so to speak). The yellow brick road of banging out words on a computer was leading to mysteries of composition and creativity that drew out from me more work, more projects, more consistency in writing, and more joy in serving than I had ever believed was possible. Even today I’m still learning and trying to master skills and software powers that I have not yet known.
Grace is like that. The grace of God that saved us from our sins made us glad. For many of us, being in God’s grace entails reviewing that experience as often as possible so that we remain glad. Or if not glad, at least content. Does it never occur to us that the power that grace deployed to save us from sins and death might also be powerful—more than we’ll ever know—to save us unto good works and full and abundant life in the Kingdom of God?
Maybe we need to get the Manual out again, and beginning in Ephesians 2.1-10, spend more time meditating on what grace can do, and what we, by grace, might be able to accomplish for the glory of God, the edification of others, and the deeply satisfying experience of God’s Spirit, working within us to will and do of His good pleasure.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Does anyone remember your children’s refrain, “That’s not fair”?
Or perhaps some of you are still hearing it now?
Can anyone remember saying that themselves?
And can we still find ourselves saying to God, “That’s not fair”?
But do we also cry out those words when reading Ephesians 1 and 2?
God:
Has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Wants us to be holy and without blame before Him in love.
Predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself.
Redeemed us through Jesus’ blood for the forgiveness of our sins.
Is rich in mercy.
Loved us even when we were dead in trespasses.
Made us alive together with Christ.
Saved us by His grace (Eph. 1.3-7; 2.4, 5).
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3.16).
And that is just not fair!
But how grateful we are that we didn’t get what we deserve,
because Jesus got what He didn’t deserve—for us.
So, when we are in the stronghold of His amazing grace—this underserved place of mercy—we dare not quibble about what is required of us now that we have been treated so “unfairly”.
The Scriptures are full of the how-tos and what-fors of the Christian life.
And it is in this Word that we learn what pleases the Lord God our Savior, and what He has in mind for building His Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven—through us His show of mercy.
“The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
in those who hope in His mercy” (Ps. 147.11).
“Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But to Your Name give glory,
because of Your mercy,
because of Your truth” (Ps. 115.1).
Let’s “get out the Manual” and “spend more time meditating on what grace can do, and what we, by grace, might be able to accomplish for the glory of God, the edification of others, and the deeply satisfying experience of God’s Spirit, working within us to will and do of His good pleasure.”
Because our salvation isn’t fair—and only available through His exceptional love and amazing grace—then
complaining loudly about it might get us some fascinated, and perhaps grateful, listeners. Those who also need a touch of the demonstrably “unfair” (Rom. 5.8).
Reflection
1. How do you long to see more of God’s grace at work in your life?
2. What are you doing to secure that grace, to prepare for it, seek it, and receive it from God’s Word?
3. Whom do you expect to bless with the grace of God today?
How abundant is his grace and how multi-faceted is the glory in which God has caused us to be seated and reign with Christ, after freeing us from the tribulations of the age! Jerome (347-420), Epistle to the Ephesians 1.2.7
Pray Psalm 29.3-11.
Praise God that His grace is more powerful than any earthly power, and that, having saved us, He keeps us and is at work within us to grow us into the likeness of His Son. Seek Him specifically for today’s times of need.
Sing Psalm 29.3-11.
(Toulon: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art)
Over the waters, over thunder’s roll,
God’s voice creation’s mighty pow’rs controls!
Cedars collapse at His majestic Word;
nations are shaken by our mighty LORD!
God speaks and lightning streaks across the sky;
by His decree He shakes the desert dry.
Speak, LORD, and life to beasts and men is giv’n.
Forests dissolve, and glory rings in heav’n.
Sovereign, the LORD sat o’er the raging flood;
Sovereign forever rules our gracious God!
God will His people bless with strength and peace:
LORD, may Your holy Word to us increase!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: In our ReVision series on “The Kingdom Economy” we finish our discussion of commerce and begin looking at “grace economics”. Our Read Moore podcast begins a new series of readings tomorrow from our book, What in Heaven Is Jesus Doing on Earth? In our Crosfigell series on Brendan of Clonfert, the saint reaches Iceland and wishes he hadn’t. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
