Day 39: The Sacred Gift of Grace
Ephesians 2:8–9
In today’s passage, Paul beautifully communicates the truth of God’s grace.
Grace is God’s unmerited favor and kindness extended to us, despite our shortcomings and failures. It is a foundational aspect of salvation! We don’t deserve it and can’t earn it ourselves, yet He offers it to us in abundance.
Understanding the depths and the richness of His grace can transform our perspective on everything around us. This frees us from the burden of trying to earn our salvation ourselves and instead invites us into a deeper relationship with Him. God’s grace is limitless, reaching into the depths of our brokenness and offering us redemption when we turn to Him. Because of the abundance of His grace, we can have assurance that no matter how far we’ve strayed, God’s love will remain steadfast and true. In times of struggle, His grace sustains us and can draw us closer to Him. Even within moments of triumph, His grace can serve as a reminder to us of our need to depend on Him.
If we reshape our perspective to be aware of them, we can see continual evidences of God’s grace to us each and every day—in the big things, but also in the small, everyday things that are easy for us to miss. Regardless of the season that we are in, we can trust and appreciate God’s grace as evidence of His kindness, mercy, and love for us and His desire for us to turn to Him in response!
Reflection Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the richness of Your grace that knows no bounds. Help us to grasp the depth of Your love and to live in the freedom that comes from knowing we are saved by grace through faith. May Your grace empower us to walk in obedience daily, and may our hearts overflow with gratitude for what You have done for us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we want to exhibit Your grace to others as vessels of Your love and mercy in a world that is in desperate need of You. Amen.
Week 6: The Grace and Mercy of God
The attributes of our great God are many, but His grace and mercy are perhaps two of His most generous. By His grace, and through His mercy, we have been saved—as He not only offers us salvation but secures it. Grace is a gift, and it is by His mercy that we receive such. The Greek word for grace is χάρις, meaning, “of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ.” The Greek word for mercy is ἔλεος, meaning, “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them.” In so knowing the Lord, we recognize His kindness in loving us enough to offer Himself generously. May we love Him deeper as we know Him more.
— Hannah Castro