To the Praise of God's Glorious Grace

Thursday - January 13th

Scripture to Read Today: Ephesians 1:3-14

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To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Ephesians 1:6

Ephesians 1:3–14 praises God for the blessings He has provided. Paul ties together the ideas of God's sovereignty, our free will, God's glory, the salvation of His people, and the rights we have as children of God. Believers are blessed because God chose, before creation, to one day present us blameless and holy before Himself. That salvation came at a significant cost: the death of Jesus Christ. As children of God, we can be confident that God will give us what He has promised: namely, an eternity with Him in heaven.

This act by God of choosing believers in advance to become holy members of His family contributes "to the praise of God's glorious grace." God does all things for His own glory. This includes His advance planning of how those who become His children will stand before Him in Christ. That should cause every believer to pause for a moment to express gratitude and glory to God for His eternal plan.

This grace is a powerful gift, a blessing God gave us. Grace is God's love and goodness to us that we do not deserve - that we cannot earn. Ephesians 1:3-14 expresses the very thing we sing about when we sing, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."

Paul developed the concept of grace much more in this letter to the Ephesians, mentioning it specifically twelve times in the epistle's six chapters. In addition, much of chapter two and part of chapter four particularly focus on the theme and beauty of God's grace. Paul begins with grace (Ephesians 1:2), continues with grace (chapters 2 & 4), and ends with grace (Ephesians 6:24). His life and letters were clearly influenced by the grace of God at work in him and his desire to communicate it to others.

Take a moment to express your gratitude to God for His goodness that you do not deserve. Celebrate His grace in saving you, keeping you, and walking with you.

Ultimately, all that God has done and is doing for us in Christ is for the praise of His glorious grace!