Today’s Reading is Ephesians 2:6 - 10
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
What an amazing thought that we were raised up with Christ, not below Him, but with Him. We are seated at the right hand of God with Christ. This really changes my thought as to how I should act each and every day of my earthly life. If we are seated at the right hand of God with Christ, being the Princes and Princesses of the Kingdom of God, then shouldn’t we try our best to act as Christ did with everyone that we come in contact with? Christ always treated everyone with love and compassion even when he was holding them accountable. We must also strive to live up to the level that we've been raised. It doesn’t mean that we should just roll over when we are seeing something wrong being done, but we must address it with love, compassion and grace for the other person.
Through God’s grace we are saved, not by the works that we do. Early in our spiritual life we are like a baby drinking milk, but as the Holy Spirit grows in us our desire to do God’s good works becomes stronger. After Jessie headed out to college and my job of raising God’s children was over, I felt God saying that it was now time for me to move to my next phase of life in Him. My desire for helping others and doing God’s will in my life began to grow and God put before me opportunities to serve Him by helping His children. I feel that if works were required for us to be saved it would also open up the opportunity for satan to intervene and misguide us. As humans we have a constant desire to be lifted up and made special, but this puts us above God. I know that every time I try to be the God of my domain I mess it up pretty bad. Life always seems to be more peaceful when I stay in my place which is total and complete dependence in God. Christ even understood his role in God’s kingdom and would go to God in prayer to understand what God had for him that day. He had total and complete dependence on God as we should so that He is glorified. Who’s in charge of your domain?
Dave P