“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In Christ we receive the grace of God. One day, when all of the saints from the past, present, and future are gathered in the presence of God, the evidence of His grace will be on display for all of us to see. Only then will we fully comprehend the vastness of His marvelous grace. As verse three of the classic hymn "Amazing Grace" says: "Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come; 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, And grace will lead me home."

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God is so generous in His dispensation of mercy.
“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬
Can you imagine what life would be like, if there would be life at all, without God's mercy? His mercy withholds the punishment we so deserve and allows His grace to be imparted instead. This reality ought to make us shout to the top of our lungs the greatness of God!!!
By grace we are saved!!!!!!!
Do you grasp that truth? If you do, it will change your life. Eternally! Literally!

Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1-3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Before Christ came into our hearts we were simply existing. We were spiritually dead and eternally lost. Death to God is separation from Him. Sin had separated us from God. Therefore, we were dead. Because we were dead in sin we were slaves to sin's control. We behaved like the wicked people we were. That was before Christ. Now we are alive in Him. We are loosed from sins clutches and we are made free.
Satan is actively working in the spiritual realm all around us. He is making an all out effort to destroy the souls of men.
John 10:10 says it like this: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” NLT‬‬
I Peter 5:8 says it like this: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”‭‭NLT‬‬

Satan does not love us. God does!!! The only hope we have in this sin cursed world is to trust in Christ and let Him live in, and through us. Then, and only then, will we be made alive again.
Are you truly alive or are you just existing?

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:19-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is living inside the believer. Consider the awesome, supernatural presence of God that is actively working in our lives. As born again children of God, we are so much more than mortal humans. We are children of the King! We are royalty. God has made us His own possession. Have you caught my drift? As a child of God, through Christ Jesus, you are holy, righteous, and redeemed! Can you take that in? That is mind boggling, yet true for those who belong to Jesus Christ.
There is no power in all of creation like Jesus Christ. He created us, He has recreated us, and He reigns as Sovereign over all things. Praise His matchless, holy name. There is no other name worthy of honor, majesty, dominion, power, and praise!!! Can we, the body of Christ, the church, rise up in resounding anthem of praise?? He is King of kings! He is Lord of lords! He is all in all!!! He surpasses all!

“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭1:15-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can I hear the church shout JESUS?!!!!!!!!!

"Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere, I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:15-18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul acknowledges the genuine faith of these saints and thanks God for them. Nothing gave satisfaction to Paul like knowing the effect that the gospel was having. His prayer for them now is to see them grow in their understanding of who Christ is and what He has accomplished for, and in, them. Paul knew that the greatness and goodness of God in salvation was something the believer needed to grasp. The more they understood the glory and majesty of God and His extravagant love to them, the greater confidence and assurance it would bring to them as God's adopted children. Their status had changed from orphaned paupers to wealthy children of God Almighty.

May God help each of us, who are born again believers, to understand who we really are in Christ. May He open our understanding and flood us with the absolute revelation of His redeeming grace. His love is matchless! His grace is incomprehensible! His peace is glorious! He wants us to know Him and trust Him. After all, He is our Father!!! Come to the table. He awaits your fellowship.

Prayer for today: Father, in Jesus name, help me to know who You are and what You have done. By Your Holy Spirit, unlock my understanding and help me grasp these certain truths.

“Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan. God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:11-14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Being spiritually "born again" through Jesus Christ makes us God's inheritance. Because we are His inheritance, we receive an inheritance from God as His children. Because of what Jesus has done (His virgin birth, sinless life, substitutionary death, burial, and triumphant resurrection) we can be saved regardless of what our nationality or race may be. God loves the Jew and Gentile. He has given the Holy Spirit to all those who have truly trusted Christ as Savior and Lord. The Holy Spirit is the one who has performed the work of salvation in our lives. He is the person of God in us who are believers. His presence assures us of a future return of Jesus and the reclamation of all things in Christ. Take heart my brothers and sisters. We are the children of God! He will fulfill what He set out to do. The best is yet to come. Look up! He will return!!!Let us be watching and waiting.

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 ‭NLT‬‬

These words have been etched in my memory since a youth and they have guided my understanding of salvation. God's grace (unmerited favor) has been shed abroad to those who trust (have faith in, believe) His Son Jesus. The passage here tells us that this is a gift. A gift doesn't cost the recipient anything. A gift is paid for by the giver. To the recipient, it is free. In God's great kindness, He has provided a way for us to be saved. The price has been paid. No one can claim that they got to Heaven by their "good deeds". We can't be good enough on our own. In fact, without Jesus Christ, we aren't good at all!

Romans 7:18 says it this way: “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.” NLT‬‬.

In our carnal flesh we are evil, wicked. We are certainly not "good" like we suppose ourselves. We must recognize that we are inherently evil, lost. The only hope is to trust in the One who is good!!! His name is Jesus Christ! When we place our trust in Him, God imparts to us everlasting life.

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NLT‬‬.

Once we are "born again" we are now poised to do good things. Through Christ we are able to live a life that produces good things. Good deeds are not a prerequisite (a prior requirement) for salvation. On the contrary, they are the product of salvation. Have you ever seen a cart pulling a horse? I don't think so!! We cannot put "good deeds" in front of Christ. They are a subsequent product of His saving grace!!!
Any good that we do springs forth from Him. He is God, the Giver, and the Gift!!!

“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:6-7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God picked us up from death and has given us new life. He picked us up out of the miry clay of sin and set us upon the Rock - Jesus Christ.

“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40:2‬ ‭NASB‬‬

We have, by grace, been taken from condemnation and eternal hell to forgiveness, acceptance, and union with Christ in heaven. Wow!! What a transformation!! All of this was done by Jesus Christ!!! We are now the prize possession of God. He displays us in the family portrait. If God had a refrigerator, our picture would be on it. He loves us that much. Too marvelous for words!!!!!!!

Are you united with God through Jesus Christ? If not, simply call on Him in repentance and ask Him to forgive you of your sin and invite Him into your life as Savior and Lord. He awaits your call.

“But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is God's mercy that has withheld the judgment we deserve. It is God's grace that has dispensed what we don't deserve. Mercy makes possible what would otherwise be impossible. If God did not withhold the punishment we deserve we would be utterly condemned. Grace has opportunity because of mercy. These two work together. They are mutually inclusive. Have you thanked God today for His mercy and grace?

“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23‬ ‭KJV‬‬

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1:19-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. There is no greater power in all of creation. The Holy Spirit is He who moved upon the face of the waters and created the world (see Genesis 1:1-2). The same power that created the world has re-created those who are born again. By the power and authority of Jesus Christ we are are cleansed from sin when we repent and receive Him as our Lord and Savior. We are, then, given the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We, immediately, are transformed from condemned sinners to redeemed saints. Only God could accomplish such a thing. Do we really comprehend the divine work of God that has occurred in the believer and what is continually going on in our lives? It is literally Supernatural. The greatest work of all time is when God comes to dwell in the life of a human being by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. Only through Jesus Christ can this be accomplished!!!
In Christ, all authority has been placed by God.

"Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is the physical, visible representation of the invisible, Spirit God.

"For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”” ‭‭John‬ ‭4:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.”
Colossians 1:15-20

Being a child of God means we are a part of the greatest institution in the world, THE CHURCH! Jesus is it's head. We are His body. What an incredible privilege and honor!!