For it’s by God’s grace that you have been saved. You receive it through faith. It was not our plan or our effort. It is God’s gift, pure and simple. You didn’t earn it, not one of us did, so don’t go around bragging that you must have done something amazing. For we are the product of His hand, heaven’s poetry etched on lives, created in the Anointed, Jesus, to accomplish the good works God arranged long ago.

Ephesians 2:8-10 Voice

The REMARKABLE Gift of Salvation

Have you ever received a gift, or given a gift to someone? When we give gifts or get them, it’s not because they are earned, but because the giver wants to give. It is the same with God. He is generous, loving, and offers salvation to all who believe.

In Ephesians 2, we read that we are saved by grace through faith, and that this is not of ourselves, but a gift of God. Salvation is a gift we do not earn through our works, but rather receive through faith in Jesus Christ. It is so precious that it cannot be sold, bartered, or taken away. It increases in value as we grow in our relationship with God.

The gift of salvation we receive from God is not something we can earn but is freely given to us through faith in Jesus Christ. As we grow in our relationship with God, we realize this gift’s importance. We would never want to give away, trade, or sell it. It is a gift that increases in value as we grow in Christ.

Matthew Henry, a famous commentator from the 1600s, once said that he would give anything for peace except for the truth. The peace we receive through salvation is so important that we should hold on to it tightly and never let it go. It is the truth of God in our lives, and it is something we should treasure above all else.

Are we taking this gift of salvation for granted and not fully understanding its value? Are we growing in our relationship with God and realizing how precious this gift is? Let us not take it lightly, but rather hold it tightly and cherish it always.

God gave us a gift we will never be able to repay. In exchange for our sins and shame, God offered us eternal salvation by sending His son, Jesus Christ, to earth as our Savior. All we can do in return is accept this remarkable gift and pursue a relationship with the greatest gift-giver of all.

dR. bILLY graham

YOU ARE TRANSFORMED BY GOD’S GRACE AND TRUTH

You are somebody special to God. Why? Because the blood of Jesus has dealt with every sin and failure that you ever committed and experienced, or that you ever will commit and experience.

Religion doesn’t teach that you are special. Religion wants you to remain “sin conscious,” meaning you are acutely aware of your shortcomings before a holy God. While it’s true that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, this is the very reason Jesus had to come.

The blood of Jesus washed away every bit of sin and failure in your life—past, preset, and future. As far as God is concerned, you are now holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight. You are God’s special treasure, whether you feel like it or not.

Religion causes you to focus on your inadequacy and failure, when you should be focusing on the blood of Jesus and all that He did for you. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, you are not a worthless sinner. If you were, then the blood of Jesus didn’t work. I would never dare say the blood of Jesus didn’t work, because it did work!

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord — Every living creature in heaven and earth,

Psalm 150:6

Evangelism and Local Outreach