Week 11 - March 10-16, 2024: Our Free Gift from God

This week’s daily readings:

This week’s daily reading: March 10-16, 2024

This week’s devotional:

Our Free Gift from God

by The Rev. Justin Elerath

Scripture:

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

— Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV) 

Reflection:

We love free things, right? We love free things so much that we even make purchases based on which product comes with a free incentive. We call this “free with purchase,” and when we fall for this, we lose sight of what free truly means. Grace, Paul tells us, is free; there is nothing we can do to earn it. Jesus was the only one who could afford our debt and he paid the price when he gave up his life on the cross. He did no wrong but endured the accusations of a criminal. He wasn’t looking forward to paying this price as he knew the pain that awaited him. Our grace was not free to him. 

And though there is nothing we can do to earn the favor that has been bestowed on us, we do have an obligation to respond in obedience. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.” We have an obligation to respond to this free gift in obedience, not with drudgery, but with joy. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this about grace:  

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession… Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. 

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy for which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”

We can follow Jesus’ exhortation to love him through obedience, to seek discipleship as a result of the greatest gift. Ever. Discipleship means being accountable to someone, taking leadership from someone, imitating someone, so that through this person you actually become closer to God, and reflect the image of Christ more and more. Do you have someone like that, a mentor, a teacher, a Rabbi? 

Prayer:

Dear God, I praise you that salvation is a free gift, simply because you love me! Help me respond to your amazing grace, Lord, by joyfully seeking discipleship with other Christians. Bring people into my life who can guide me in the right direction. Holy Spirit, transform me to become more and more like Jesus, and never let me forget that it was he who paid the price for my sin. Amen