Stress Test Devotional April 28
April 28, 2024
EPHESIANS 2:3-9 | 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 towards us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
“O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.”
There are stages in our spiritual lives, which happen in differing sequences. Our faith deepens when we experience loss and God’s comfort. It grows when we begin to devote more of our time, talents, energy, prayers, and resources to Kingdom enterprises. It develops as we face our shortcomings and allow the fruits of the spirit to become steadier virtues.
But grace is not a stage in our spiritual development. It is the foundation of every stage.
How has your faith grown?
Gracious God,
Your grace is the food for my soul, the sustenance of my heart. I will never outgrow it, so let me cling to it, celebrate it, and share it.
Amen.
