“God
saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for
this; it is a gift from
God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none
of us can boast about it.” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT, second edition)
What is grace? That’s when God gives you what you need, not what you deserve. Grace is when God says, “I’m going to take your
problem and make it my problem.” Grace is God’s Riches given to you At
Christ’s Expense.
The Bible says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation
is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT, second edition). In
other words, you can’t earn your way to Heaven. You can’t work your way in. It’s just a gift.
I know I don’t look like it today, but for three years I was a
lifeguard. And every lifeguard knows you can’t save people as long as
they are trying to save themselves. If somebody is drowning and flailing
around in panic, a lifeguard knows to just stay back for a few seconds
and
wait until that person gives up. Because if you try to save others while
they’re trying to save themselves, they will pull you under, too.
When they finally give up, they relax; you put your arm around them and just swim back to shore. It’s really quite easy.
God wants to save you. Jesus Christ wants to save you from your
hurts, your habits, and your hang-ups. He wants to save you for his
purpose and by
his grace. But you’ve got to quit trying to do it yourself. You’ve got
to relax. You need to let go and let God be God.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
>>
Talk It Over
- Why is it difficult for many people to accept a gift?
- What does it mean to take credit for your salvation? In what ways do we do this?
- How can you relax more in God’s grace?
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