Your salvation: for “future generations” as well as you
Daily Scripture
Ephesians 2:4-10
4-5 However, God is rich in mercy. He brought us to life with Christ while we were dead as a result of those things that we did wrong. He did this because of the great love that he has for us. You are saved by God’s grace! 6 And God raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus. 7 God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace by the goodness that God has shown us in Christ Jesus. 8 You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith [or through his faithfulness]. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. 9 It’s not something you did that you can be proud of. 10 Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things. God planned for these good things to be the way that we live our lives.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
“God is rich in mercy.” “You are saved by God’s grace.” That was the beating heart of our faith, said the letter to the Ephesians. God saved us FROM a broken, self-seeking way of life. But that wasn’t the end of the story; it was just the beginning. What Jesus called “the kingdom of God” aims to restore not just individuals, but this whole broken world to God-given wholeness. God didn’t save any of us just to do something nice for us. If in fact “God did this to show future generations the greatness of his grace,” then a part of our response to God’s grace must surely be to thoughtfully seek to leave a legacy that helps to show future generations how good God has been to us. As Pastor Hamilton put it, one key way we leave a legacy is “by the work we do.”
- John Wesley, Methodism’s founder, applied Ephesians 2 to everyday life in his “second general rule”: “By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all men.” Are there any “sorts” of goodness you didn’t used to practice, but do now as a Christ follower? As you reflect on the legacy you will leave, why not let Wesley’s phrase “doing good of every possible sort” spark your creativity? What new sorts of goodness, not just for the present but for future generations, might God be nudging you to consider making a part of your life and planning? (There are many specific ways to build a legacy of faith. For a rotating set of ideas on how to do that at Resurrection, click here and check back regularly.)
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for all that you have saved me from. Guide me day by day into a way of living that honors and carries out the purposes you saved me for, now and in the future. Amen.
GPS Insights
Jessica Lovell
Jessica Lovell is the Pastoral Intern at Resurrection Overland Park and is also pursuing an M.Div. at Saint Paul School of Theology. She is a Certified Candidate for Ministry in the Great Plains Conference and often provides pulpit supply to churches in the conference. Jessica lives in Lenexa with her 3 children: Sydney, Sierra and Aiden.
(Life can get crazy, and that craziness kept Lori Trupp from writing for today. In 2021 Jessica Lovell wrote this thoughtful blog for us, and we’re glad to share it again.)
Trust can be hard. It means that we willingly hand over control. Remember trusting your first love? A new babysitter to your first child? How about the keys to your car for your new teenage driver? We tend to hesitate because trust is hard. We must open ourselves to the possibility of being out of control or that something may go wrong or someone may get hurt.
However, when we hand over control to God, we unlock the beautiful blessings God has in store for us. Why do we tend to want to control so much in our lives? Control may empower us to feel as though there’s a stronger chance that things will go our way, but we are robbing ourselves of the joy of interruptions and God’s nudges to do more for the Kingdom.
There’s a beautiful peace that can be overwhelming if you are able to relinquish your fears and your control to God. It’s not a promise that life will run smoothly, but it’s a promise that God will never leave your side. In Revelation 22:13 we read, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” God is always accessible, ever-present and ready for us in our hour of need and our hour of joy.
The peace that comes when you allow God to steer your life is profound. It’s in the “unloading process” where we feel our load lighten and God creates beautiful openings to explore his profound unconditional love and protection of us. When your load lightens you open yourself up to more joy. Not just joy in your daily life but the unexplainable joy that radiates from your inner soul, the peace glowing from the inside out.
Go easy on yourself. Lighten your load and trust others in the process. By trusting in our Lord you will become a beacon of hope to those around you and leave a legacy of faith in our Savior.
