But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:4-7 NKJV).
There was nothing good in us, yet God saved us. God demonstrated His love for us by dying for us when we were sinners (Romans 5:8). It is difficult for us to see just how depraved we were because our sinful nature naturally wants to see itself as good. However, the Scriptures are clear that there is none righteous, not one (Romans 3:10).
While we would like to think there was something redeemable in us, the truth is, God saved us to magnify His kindness toward us. He saved us for our good, but ultimately for His glory.
This is not difficult for believers to understand, as we know well our fleshly desires that war against the Spirit (Galatians 5:17). Without God’s grace, we would all perish.
Will you give God praise for His loving kindness today? Consider the actions of a sinful woman.
And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil (Luk 7:37-38 NKJV).
Why did she do this? She was broken over her sin.
Jesus tells a parable to explain why she was so emotional. Two debtors had their debt forgiven. One debtor owed ten times as much as the other. So, Jesus asked, “Which one will love the forgiver more?” The correct answer is, of course, the person who was forgiven more.
How much were you forgiven? God’s love for you is great. How much do you love Him?
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