August 6 - Ephesians 2:1-5

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

There is one thing we all hope for in our culture and that is for life to be fair. If someone hurts us or someone we love, we want there to be punishment, if someone doesn't get what they deserve we want the scales to balance.

We believe that those who work hard should earn a fair wage, and those who work harder should earn more than a fair wage. Our children expect that everything they engage in will be completely fair and when that doesn't happen, we are certainly glad to step in and ensure that they are taken care of.  It isn't fair if someone receives more than they've earned. It isn't fair that someone loses a limb in a horrendous accident. It isn't fair that our daughter didn't get chosen for the school play, it isn't fair … it isn't fair … it isn't fair.

I am grateful that our culture has absolutely no impact on the kingdom of God. He doesn't believe in fairness.  He believes in grace. We can’t earn anything to receive his grace, we can’t assume that we deserve it.

God is so different than us, even though we are his creation. Because we have free will, we can choose to live in a manner which doesn't please him or even show the world that we are his children.

When we demand fairness, God offers grace to us.  When we demand equality, God simply says “I love you as much as I love everyone else on this earth.”

It is grace by which we have been saved.  Glorious, messy, beautiful, free grace. No matter what we do, we are able to stand under his outpouring of grace and simply receive it.

We have been saved from all that we deserve by grace.