Saved By Grace

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Nobody has ever been saved, from the day that Abel offered his bloody lamb on a homemade altar, down to the latest convert made today, except out of the goodness of God. Because
of God's grace, His mercy, His lovingkindness, His goodness and graciousness, His cordiality and approachability, He kindly saved people. We've taken the word "grace" and made  a technical term out of it.

The people in the Old Testament were not saved by keeping anything, because we deserved hell, and if God had acted according to justice alone, He simply would have pulled the stopper out and flushed us all down to hell and been done with it. But God out of His lovingkindness graciously forgave those who would come according to the conditions God laid down. Everybody is saved by grace. Abel was saved by grace. Noah was saved by grace - "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Genesis 6:8). So was Moses and all the rest down to the coming of Jesus and His dying on the Cross. All were saved by grace out of the goodness of God. And everybody's been saved by grace out of the goodness of God ever since.

Lord, thank You for Your wonderful grace, which saved me from the judgment I deserved. May I remember that it is a gift extended to me out of Your lovingkindness. Amen.

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Behold the Marvels of God

"Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:12)

If a doctor saves a man who has only a runny nose, he wouldn't write a book about it. He didn't do much. The fellow would get well anyhow. But the doctor who takes a man with a brain tumor, puts him asleep and, with great care, prayer and skill, brings that man back to life - he has done something.

He "saved a wretch like me." He "turned all our blame into endless worship." I believe the Bible teaches - our Lord hinted at it and Paul developed it further - that the day will come when they will gather around us from everywhere, and say, "Behold the marvels of God." You read in the book of Acts (4:14) of seeing the man what was healed standing among them, and they could say nothing. And seeing that wicked sinner standing there, we can only say, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain" (Revelation 5:12). And worthy is the goodness of God that our of His infinite kindness, His unchanging, perfect lovingkindness, He made amends for us, "full, fair and many," turning all our sin into endless worship.

Great God, You are indeed worthy to receive praise and honor and glory and blessing, because You brought about the marvelous work of redemption. I'll worship You for all eternity, beginning even now. Amen

~A. W. Tozer~