December 13, 2017 – Ephesians 2:8-9

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

This is the season when a Gift takes precedence in our minds.  Giving and receiving gifts. The gift we receive most precious is from God.  This gift is Salvation through Jesus Christ, tied up with the ribbon of Hope.  When we receive this gift and we open it, we find a flow of love,  joy, and peace. 

This is not a gift for one day, one moment, but for a lifetime – of 24/7’s.  Why is this gift so important?  It was purchased, not from a store, but with the heart of Jesus. He bought our salvation with His blood, a sacrifice of love.

We are God’s masterpiece. He made us new in Christ Jesus.  He forgives and throws out our sins, so we are pure before Him.  Before we were ever born, God has a purpose for our lives.  He planned good things for us to do before we were born.

How do we learn what we are to do? The first thing we do is believe the Bible — no other book contains the directions to guide us. Philippians 1:9-11 – I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10