Ephesians 2:9
“…not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
All blessings come from God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. No good can be expected from a righteous and holy God to sinful creatures, but by His grace He gives. It says in verse 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings, which we are to bless Him with. What is hard for me is to come to the realization that I can not bless God more abundantly than by praising, magnifying, and speaking truth of Him. Now this verse spoke to me saying, do not set your affections on the things of this earth but on heavenly things, which are the things from above. I could literally do anything and everything but if it isn’t to glorify His name then I have accomplished nothing and I have gained nothing but lost everything. God doesn’t ask us to do things on our own and then own it with our prideful nature- NO He calls us higher- He calls us as His children to press towards the main goal and that is to grow in Him. And to remember that “…He himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation…”(verse 14). I so often run my days on my own time, in my own way, and in my own little world. How far does that get me? Nowhere. I become weak, tired, cranky, and self-centered. He has promised me many things but one of those things is that He will form me with His perfect grace, but first I must allow Him to do the good work in me. I so often want to try it on my own but how much better it is when I give it all to Him and watch the good work He does not only in my life but in my heart. Most of the time the things which I desired or thought would be the best for me, ended up being the thing holding me back from something so much more meaningful and full of real pure joy.

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