Today we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians? ?9?:?8? ?TPT??
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything —every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
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??Galatians? ?5?:?4? ?TPT??
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans? ?6?:?14? ?ERV??
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
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1 Corinthians? ?15?:?10? ?NIV??
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.“
Additional scriptures for today:
Eph 2:1-10 ERV
1 In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God.
2 Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil powers that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God.
3 In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.
4 But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much.
5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)
6 Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places.
7 God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.
8 I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God.
9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.
10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.
Setting the stage:
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians gives us one of the clearest pictures of how grace transforms us from death to life (or from death to destiny). Paul starts painting a clear picture of our condition before Christ – when we were spiritually dead, living under the influence of this world’s system, and fully deserving of God’s wrath. But then he introduces a powerful contrast with two simple words: “But God.” Everything changes when God’s grace enters the picture. Through God’s amazing grace, we were not just saved from death. We were also raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. This transformation wasn’t because of anything we did – it was purely a gift from God. Do you know what that’s called? It’s called GRACE!
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Our Condition Before Grace (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Paul paints a vivid picture of our spiritual condition before grace. He wants us to understand the depth of our immorality so we can appreciate the height and depth of God’s grace. When we truly grasp how hopeless our condition was – being spiritually dead and dominated by the world’s system – we can better appreciate what God did for us through Christ Jesus. Before Jesus, the people who loved God were living under The Law, attempting to comply with impossible rules, dealing with satan being the prince of this world, and without the power of the Holy Spirit to combat the forces of darkness. Jesus changed all that! And even after Jesus paid the price for sin and restored the Holy Spirit, we were all still born under this system and lived that way until we came in contact with Jesus and His amazing grace. Understanding all of this should help keep us humble and grateful.
How this applies to you:
— You were spiritually dead, not just spiritually sick or struggling. You were spiritually dead without the Holy Spirit.
— Your life was controlled by the ways of this world and its evil influences. You were powerless against the kingdom of darkness.
— You lived to please yourself, following your own desires and thoughts.
— Your natural state was one of disobedience to God.
— Like everyone else, you were deserving of God’s wrath.
— Not only were you powerless against satan and his kingdom, but you were powerless to change your condition.
— Nothing you could do could make you spiritually alive.
— This helps you better understand why Jesus came.
2. God’s Intervention Through Grace (Ephesians 2:4-5).
Just when the picture seemed darkest, Paul introduces a divine contrast with two powerful words: “But God.” These words point to the most extraordinary intervention in human history. While we were still dead in our sins, completely unable to help ourselves, God stepped in. His motivation was not our goodness (because we had none), but rather His own rich mercy and great love. This is grace in action – God doing for us what we could never do for ourselves. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
How this applies to you:
— God’s rich mercy and great love prompted Him to intervene.
— While you were still dead in sin, God took action.
— You didn’t seek God; He sought you.
— God gave you new life together with Christ.
— Your salvation was entirely by grace, unearned and undeserved.
— You did nothing to deserve or earn this new life.
— God’s grace was His response to your helpless condition.
Paul explained this well in his letter to the believers in Galatia. He said, “But when the time of fulfillment had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law. Yet all of this was so that he would redeem and set free those held hostage to the law so that we would receive our freedom and a full legal adoption as his children. And so that we would know that we are his true children, God released the Spirit of Sonship into our hearts—moving us to cry out intimately, “My Father! My true Father!” Now we’re no longer living like slaves under the law , but we enjoy being God’s very own sons and daughters! And because we’re his, we can access everything our Father has —for we are heirs because of what God has done!” (Galatians 4:4-7 TPT).
That is pretty clear. Please meditate on that passage within the context of what you have been learning in this series.
3. Your New Position Through Grace (Ephesians 2:6-7).
God didn’t just save us FROM something (sin and death); He saved us TO something (a new position in Christ). Paul explains that we are now seated with Christ in heavenly places. This is not a future promise but a present reality. God has given us a position we could never earn or deserve, and He did it to demonstrate His grace not just to us, but to all generations to come. Our lives become living testimonies to the power of His grace.
How this applies to you:
— Your position is secure because it’s based on Christ’s position.
— God raised you from spiritual death to spiritual life.
— Your new position is a testimony to God’s amazing grace.
— Future generations will see God’s grace through your transformation.
— Your life showcases the incomparable riches of God’s grace.
— God positioned you to display His kindness.
— You are now seated with Christ in heavenly places.
— You are living in two realms at the same time.
— You have dual citizenship.
— You literally get to live every day in two realities.
— As an Ambassador from heaven assigned to this world, your mandate is to help manifest heaven on the earth every day.
4. The Purpose of Grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Paul concludes this passage by explaining both the means and purpose of our salvation. We are saved by grace through faith – grace is God’s part, and faith is ours. But even our faith is not something we can boast about because salvation is entirely a gift from God. Then Paul reveals that we are God’s workmanship, created for a purpose He planned long ago. Grace doesn’t just save us; it shapes us and prepares us for divine purpose.
How this applies to you:
— Salvation is entirely by grace through faith.
— You were not saved by your works, so you have nothing to boast about.
— Eternal life is a gift; all you do is receive it. You can’t boast about receiving a gift. What you can do is rejoice over the gift and the giver.
— Faith receives what grace provides.
— God made you what you are today.
— You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.
— God prepared good works for you to do beforehand.
— Your purpose is to walk in what grace has already prepared.
— You are to spend the rest of your life doing the good works that God planned (in advance) for you to do! How? By grace. Why? For God’s glory! That’s #TheGraceLife.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for rescuing me from spiritual death through Your grace.
I acknowledge that I was helpless and hopeless before Your grace found me.
I celebrate my new position, seated with Christ in heavenly places.
You have made me what I am today, and I take no credit for my transformation.
I walk in the good works You prepared for me before time began.
My life is a testimony to Your amazing grace and kindness.
Everything I am and everything I have is purely by Your grace.
Your grace has qualified me for a purpose I could never earn.
My life showcases the incomparable riches of Your grace.
You took me from death to destiny!
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME because my life IS ALL ABOUT YOU!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and prosper!
