4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions— it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:4-10 [NIV]

 
 
Lord, you have given so much to us; not least of all your loving kindness.  In your kindness you love us when we are unlovable; you mend what is broken; and you invite us into your presence through the gift of grace.  Let us show thanks by being gracious to others.  Give me strength and courage to accomplish this sacred task.
 
amen 
What’s so amazing about grace?
After reading Ephesians 2: 4-10, take a minute to reflect on just how amazing a gift grace really is.
If you are studying in a group, share your thoughts with each other.
If you are studying individually, write a few short thoughts on how you could explain what grace has meant in your life and think of someone you could share that with.
 
Verse 6-7 paints a picture of God showing the incomparable riches of grace through the illustration of us seated with Him. The expression of God’s grace shown to creation is His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
 
While we are the recipients of grace, this passage also teaches that God’s plan is to use our lives as the way in which His creation can see and learn what his grace really is.
 
Reflect or discuss
What would someone learn about grace through following you for an average day?
What ways do our words and actions distort that image?
What can we do to more clearly reflect what grace is through our words and actions?
 
For further study on showing grace to others
Colossians 4: 2-6
1 Peter 4: 7-11
Luke 6: 27-36
 
Identify three situations where you can reflect the graciousness of God in the coming week. Pray about those and ask someone to remind you to be gracious.
 
 
 
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