Grace – Free and Undeserved

The Bible – New Living Translation

Romans 11:4-6

⁴ And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”(1 Kings 19:18)

⁵ It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them. ⁶ And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved.

Thoughts:

I find it interesting how God draws certain things to our attention as we read His Word. I believe this has reiterated the point to me that without staying in His Word, how then will we hear from Him? My reason for the aforesaid, is that my initial reading of the highlighted verses left me wondering why God would have Paul include this Old Testament reference in his talk to the Roman believers and also in His Word for our edification?  God quickly drew to my attention something to share with you in today’s devotional. Friends, who are we that God should have ever gotten our attention towards salvation? Now, before we get all holy and self-righteous in thinking that we never killed anyone, like Elijah was referring to in his initial question to God about the Jews, the Bible clearly states that God detests sin. He hates it. But friend, all the same, He valued us/loved us enough to look beyond our sin and rescue us from this life of sin. Yes, He convicted us of our sin and our need for a Savior? That’s where Paul is coming from in this passage, and that’s what we must be diligent to praise God about, and that’s what we must be careful in helping our lost family and friends to understand. God’s grace is beyond anything we can measure or understand. He sacrificed His one and only Son to die a cruel death on a cross so that we might be saved, even while we were deep in sin, uncaring and undeserving of such grace. We just can’t comprehend that kind of grace/love! But just as Paul share with his Roman counterparts, I must remind you today that God’s very nature is love and just as He once put the life of His Son on the line for us, His grace is still sufficient today. Please don’t give up on that lost loved one. To the one that may be reading this today that may never have made a decision to accept Christ as your personal Savior, please don’t think that you are beyond God’s love. The mere fact that you are reading this devotional is an indication that the Holy Spirit is working to show you His love and grace. Be obedient to His call on your life today, won’t you? Please feel free to contact me using the email address below to pray with you and help you in the vital decision.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I praise You today for Your wonderful and unparalleled grace. You loved me enough to speak to me right where I was, in sin, and convince me of the need for my Savior! Although we are tempted to think like Elijah did and question why You would save some folk even after knowing their awful past, I thank You for not being like us humans, for we often think like the world still, and tend to give up on folk because their future seem so hopeless to us. Oh my, where would we have been if You felt the same way about us? Praise God that Your ways are way beyond our very best efforts, for You loved us even while we were still wicked and undeserving. Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love and Your grace. Please help us to see through eyes filled with the grace of Jesus so that we may have a positive, Godly influence in the lives of those that need to accept You as Lord. As Your sons and daughters we need desperately to be more like our Father. Please continue to impress upon us the character and love of our Savior so that the world might see and know, without our hypocritical selves interfering, that they need You in their lives. I ask all this in the precious name of my Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, AMEN!

NOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray.