“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

     Faith in God, not our works, is what gives us salvation through Christ our Lord.  It was meant to be that way because we have such a fair and just God who extends his grace to us and forgives our sins.  There is no need to boast, because it is the grace of God that is ever-present in our lives. 

     When Paul speaks about love, he says “it keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5) When we are saved through faith, God keeps no record of wrongs.  That doesn’t mean we should intentionally go on sinning; doing the wrong things, but it does give us the assurance of God’s grace.  Then we should take the psalmist’s attitude, “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8) We can certainly find joy in doing what is right.

     Finally, let’s not compete with one another in terms of how good we are or how many good works we have done.  Most likely, we are at different stages in our faith, and our living God walks beside us, encouraging us to find our strength in him.

Prayer: Dear Lord, your amazing grace has touched my life.  Thank you for giving me confidence in your never-failing love.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.