Today’s WORD (Text) Ephesians 2:1-10
1/ You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2/ in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3/ All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4/ But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5/ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6/ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7/ so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Today’s Witness
- Just as Jesus lay dead in the tomb due to the sinfulness of those who persecuted him, so too every one of us was as good as dead due our orientation to a world wherein love for God is not primary, where the love of neighbor does not flourish, and where acts of justice, grace and kindness toward others are not practiced.
- We were all party to a worldly culture that was foreign to the Beloved Community that God envisions for the human family.
- So many people across the world do not see the disharmony that exists between God and humanity due to human disobedience.
- But God, in an act of sacrificial and overwhelming love made us alive together with the resurrected Christ.
- Grace is God’s doing, and it is a gift to us that will keep on giving for generations to come in terms of God’s generosity toward us.
Today’s Invitation
Did coming to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord change your perspective on everyday life in any way? If so, how?
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, we thank you for your saving grace that looked beyond our faults and deficits and saw in us your beloved children. Thank you for your loving kindness and grace toward us that overcomes any faults in us. Teach us and empower us to practice the same loving kindness and grace toward others that we meet every day, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Passionary Intention
Today, I choose to live my life with passion. Today, I intend to follow Christ more nearly, love more dearly and incarnate God’s grace more clearly by asking myself three questions:
- Where will I follow Christ today?
- To whom shall I demonstrate Jesus’ love and justice today?
- How can I play my part in practicing the presence of Christ, right here, right now?
The Passionary Movement Word and Witness devotion is published weekdays (Monday – Friday). Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, Executive Director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies is the author of today’s devotion.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash
Today’s WORD (Text) Ephesians 2:1-10
1/ You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2/ in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3/ All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4/ But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5/ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—6/ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7/ so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Today’s Witness
Today’s Invitation
Did coming to faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord change your perspective on everyday life in any way? If so, how?
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, we thank you for your saving grace that looked beyond our faults and deficits and saw in us your beloved children. Thank you for your loving kindness and grace toward us that overcomes any faults in us. Teach us and empower us to practice the same loving kindness and grace toward others that we meet every day, in the Name of Jesus, Amen.
The Passionary Intention
Today, I choose to live my life with passion. Today, I intend to follow Christ more nearly, love more dearly and incarnate God’s grace more clearly by asking myself three questions:
The Passionary Movement Word and Witness devotion is published weekdays (Monday – Friday). Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, Executive Director of American Baptist Home Mission Societies is the author of today’s devotion.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash