Receiving God’s Gift
“To the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves.” Ephesians 1:6
Once in a while, something falls into our hands that is so unexpected and extravagantly wonderful, we’re sure the giver must’ve made a mistake.
When I was just out of college, I landed my first professional job. The holidays came not long after. I was the newest, youngest, and least experienced person on staff, yet I was surprised when I—along with everyone else who worked there—received not only a bonus and a very generous gift but was also treated to a special lunch at one of the best restaurants in town.
I’d done nothing to deserve these things, being new. At first, I thought my employer had made a mistake and was almost afraid to express my thanks for fear she’d realize her error. But she felt strongly that everyone on her team receive these gifts, so I allowed myself to enjoy them.
In his letters to the early church in Corinth, specifically in today’s verse, the apostle Paul celebrated the magnificent power of God that works within each of us when we choose to become part of God’s heavenly team. Grace, the way God mercifully and lovingly moves and acts in and through us, is not something we can earn. There’s no way we can pay for it, and we know as sinners we are completely unworthy of such a gift.
But in Jesus, God gives us His grace. He counts us as part of His team no matter what we’ve done—or not done. And He does this because He is good and loving and kind.
Like my generous employer who gave everyone a fantastic gift, God has given us an even better one in our salvation and the grace He freely bestows on us. We didn’t earn it, and there’s nothing we can do to deserve it, but we can shout praises for it.
Thank You, God, for Your glorious grace.
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning journalist and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministry team. She’s also an author who currently serves as the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. She is the author of More Like Jesus: A Devotional Journey (2018) and editor of Stories of Racial Awakening: Narratives on Changed Hearts and Lives of South Carolina United Methodists (2018), both from her newspaper’s Advocate Press. She also writes contemporary women’s fiction, represented by Bob Hostetler of The Steve Laube Agency. Her novel The Memory Garden won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ 2018 Genesis Contest. She has a faith blog at JessicaBrodie.com.
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Originally published Tuesday, 23 July 2024.
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