You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you
WEEK 29
DESIRING TO BE MORE THANKFUL
EPHESIANS 2:1-10
You were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
GLORIOUS FATHER IN HEAVEN,
we again recognize the humbling reality of the gospel, that salvation is a gift You give by grace through faith alone. No work of ours, no ritual we perform, no effort we expend
could ever add an ounce of merit to the finished work of Christ.
In our fallen state we were living under Your wrath,
driven by sinful passions, seeking only the gratification of our flesh, unable to convert ourselves— unable even to prepare our hearts
for Your saving work. We were spiritually dead. Our wills were in bondage to sin,
so that we were spiritually insensible and wholly incapable
of doing anything to please You. Even now, we can do no good toward our own salvation. The only good deeds we do are works
You sovereignly and graciously prepared for us
before we ever thought to do them. And it is You alone who empowers us to walk
in accord with Your holy plan.
What a blow that truth is to our religious and moral achievements!
Yet we affirm the testimony of the great apostle Paul regarding
religious ceremony, ethnic heritage, legal observances, personal achievement, human zeal, and every other excuse for mortal boasting. All such traits are no assets at all in Your sight,
and we count them as pure rubbish.1
We also echo Paul's personal confession:
"I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh."2
Like Him, we count even the best attainments of our fleshly efforts as loss
in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord.
All we seek now is to be found in Him,
not having a righteousness of our own derived from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ alone.3
Father of glory, fill us with gratitude
that befits the grace You have shown us. Open our hearts and fill them with praise for You. Remove every vestige of fleshly pride from our hearts
as we contemplate the surpassing greatness of Christ
and His righteousness.
On the one hand, we come before You
rejoicing that we have been saved by Your grace. But on the other we come as
broken, penitent, humble sinners, remembering that we are altogether unworthy of Your favor. We thank You for granting us the repentance that leads to life4
and for reconciling us to Yourself
through faith in Jesus Christ. By faith alone we have been brought to the place
where all our sins are forgiven
and we rest secure in the hope of heaven.
We desire, Lord, that our prayers and lives
would overflow with worship, motivated by sincere love for You. Thank You for enabling us by Your Holy Spirit,
who not only radiates divine love into our hearts,5
but also purifies, strengthens, and encourages us
so we might serve You in a way that adorns Your greatness. Hear our prayer as we ask for all the fullness
of Your spiritual provision— so that we might be all You want us to be— in the name of Christ. Amen.
1. Philippians 3:8 2. Romans 7:18 3. Philippians 3:9 4. Acts 11:18 5. Romans 5:5