November 28th

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:6,8

Sometimes we feel that we are living in a slimy swamp or a brackish bog. We are not swamp creatures, but we are heavenly beings created for victory and influence. This is because God has seated us with Christ at the right hand of Father God in the heavenly places.

This is a position of power and authority in submission to the will of Father God. We could have done nothing to earn this exalted position. It was made available through the generosity of our God, who has supplied it to us by His grace and our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. This sacrifice made it possible to be part of the forever family of God.

Many people who don’t believe in God have rejected this free gift of grace and are not able to share in the benefits of this tremendous kindness. It is part of our mandate as God’s servants to love others in a way so that they might be more aware of God’s generosity to them. This kind of love requires courage and strength, which Jesus will freely give us if we ask for it. We were created to share the gospel story so that others can also celebrate in the grace of Christ’s gift to us.