You Can’t Earn This

A devotional for Monday

Ephesians 2:8-9
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.

We live in a world where almost everything has to be earned. We work for a paycheck, study for a grade, and prove ourselves for opportunities. It can be easy to bring that same mindset into our relationship with God. We start believing that if we're good enough, serve enough, pray enough, or clean ourselves up enough, God will accept us. But salvation doesn't work that way. We are saved because of what Jesus has done, not because of what we can do. Grace means receiving something we could never earn for ourselves. That truth should bring incredible freedom. We don't obey God to convince Him to love us; we obey because He already does. Following Jesus begins by admitting that we need Him and receiving the gift He freely offers. And once we've received that grace, it begins changing everything about the way we live.

Question/Challenge:
Are you living like God's love is a gift you've received or something you're still trying to earn?