He Loved Us – Excerpt

By Deborah Bateman –
Lesson 15
Ephesians 2:4-9

In Ephesians 2:4, Paul says, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” God is merciful, He loves us so much He demonstrated His great love for us while we were still dead in our sins He made us alive in Christ. God showed His compassion toward us by giving us a way to have forgiveness for our sins. If it wasn’t for His love and compassion for us, we would all be on our way to hell. Thank God for His love, grace, and mercy toward us.

By His grace we are saved. Only through God’s unmerited favor can we be saved. God raised us up with Christ to sit in heavenly places, so He could show His abundant grace and compassion to us through Jesus Christ. It is by grace we are saved through faith. It is a precious gift of God. It is not anything we can do by ourselves or by our own works, so we have no reason to boast in ourselves. We can only boast about God and His great love for us, which He expressed through His Son, Jesus Christ.

When someone gives you a gift, do you open it right away? Are you excited to see what is inside the package? What would happen if someone offered you a gift, but you never opened it? It would be there for you to enjoy, if you would open it and take advantage of the gift inside. That is often how we look at God’s gift of salvation. It is there for us to receive if we are willing to accept it. God is not going to force it on us. We have to receive it willingly. Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation for your life?

Daily Bible Scripture:

Ephesians 2:4-9

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Things to think about:

• Are you thankful for God’s mercy?

• What does the Scripture mean when it says, “By grace we are saved?”

• Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation?

Prayer of the Day:

Dear God,

We thank You for this Scripture which reminds us how much You love us. It tells us about Your grace and mercy toward us. Help us to realize what a precious gift You gave us through Your Son. Help those who have not accepted this gift of salvation to do so today. Help those of us who know Jesus as our Savior to appreciate the gracious gift You gave us. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.

-Excerpt from God Is Love by Deborah H. Bateman

God Is Love is available on Amazon

Deborah H. Bateman is Christian author, blogger, and website designer. She is the Founder of Christian Daily Resources, a Christian Online Ministry, dedicated to “Sharing God’s Word.” She is the author of the books in the Daily-Bible-Reading Series and author of a self-publishing book called Self-Publishing Simplified: How to Publish a Book on Kindle. You can learn more about Deborah and her books at DeborahHBateman.com