Good morning. Today’s Bible verse is Ephesians 1:4: “…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…”
Recently, I’ve found myself overwhelmed by thoughts about my relationship with my heavenly Father. I know I’m not alone in feeling unworthy of the love, grace, and mercy God extends to us, members of the Body of Christ. We often proclaim that we are saved by grace through faith, with nothing else required, yet we tend to add many works to our lives.
Deep down, we recognize our unworthiness of God’s favor, leading us to strive to make ourselves acceptable through our own efforts. Consequently, we frequently attempt to prove our worthiness. We read our Bibles, attend church services, pay our tithes, and help the poor—all in an effort to become deserving of the salvation that God offers us.
By His grace and mercy, the Holy Spirit has guided me to a familiar passage in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Please take a moment to read Ephesians 1:4-10. Notice that all the actions of God our Father in this passage are in the past tense: “has blessed us” (v. 4); “having predestined” (v. 5); “made us accepted” (v. 6); “made to abound toward us” (v. 8); “having made known to us” (v. 9); “He has purposed in Himself” (v. 9).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us recognize this important truth: God called us into the Body of Christ not because of our works, but simply because He loved us. His love for us is unconditional and unchanging. He created, chose, and accepted us, revealing in us, who believe, the mystery of the gospel of grace in Christ Jesus. Therefore, we should not live in guilt, trying to earn God’s love, but embrace the assurance that we are accepted now and forever because of His love for us. Let us live and serve out of love for what He has done for us, not to gain anything from Him.
The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Eph 1:4.