At this point in the series, we’ve read the phrase, “made for this” many (many) times. Today, let’s step back from the familiarity of this phrase to appreciate the amazing reality that we were created by the God of the universe – intentionally and with purpose! The following verses from Ephesians remind us that our participation in God’s plan is an incredible gift.
“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. 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 2:8-10
In the Message paraphrase, it says: “Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.”
If God is the one doing the work, how does that help you relax from having to earn your worth in his eyes? What good work might he have for you to join him in today?
If you’re reading through the full book of Ephesians, read
Ephesians 2:1-10 today.