Beautiful Word: Your Daily Devotion

Daily Scriptural Insights, Curated by the Editors of CT | [View online] [ChristianityToday.org] [Donate] [Beautiful Word Newsletter] Friday, January 06, 2017 Transforming Grace [Heather Holleman] Today’s Verse Powered by the [New Living Translation] “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:8–10 [View in context] We can have the scriptural truth and the corresponding mental picture to help bring the indwelling of Christ to our minds. And all the while, we’re fighting against the counterfeit, shadow narrative that runs alongside our souls, assaulting us with the world’s and Satan’s lies. Instead of confidence in Christ’s finished work that declares our righteousness, the counterfeit is working harder to somehow earn God’s favor. In other words, we’re tempted to conform or correct our conduct to be good, meeting all the rules and standards in order to change God’s opinion of us and put us in the position of blessing. This is not the gospel. People guarded by Christ don’t conform or change their conduct first; they rather catapult their helpless, broken, dirty selves with confidence into God’s presence, ask his forgiveness, and receive God’s unlimited love, blessing, and favor because of Christ’s righteousness applied to them. We are not condemned, not now and not ever. Reflect: Read Ephesians 2:8–10. How do these verses challenge you? How do they comfort you? Pray: Invite God to root out counterfeit messages that may be lurking in your life; ask him to replace them with the truth of his grace. Heather Holleman is the author of [Guarded by Christ]. She is a speaker, writer, and faculty member of Penn State's English Department. Adapted from Guarded by Christ: Knowing the God Who Rescues and Keeps Us by Heather Holleman © 2016. Used by permission. [www.MoodyPublishers.com]. [Read devotions online] | [Share with a friend] More for Women [Our Top 10 Articles of 2016] [Our Top 10 Articles of 2016] Readers and editors rank the best posts of the year. [In the Valley of Postpartum Depression] [In the Valley of Postpartum Depression] Why is it so hard for Christian women to seek help? Lindsey Carlson Follow Us [Facebook] [Twitter] [RSS] [Subscribe to this newsletter] In the Current Issue [January/February] [The Pressure to be Justified] [Subscriber access only] [Reading the Reformation in 2017] [Subscriber access only] [Pro-Life's Reformation Ripples] [Subscriber access only] [View Full Issue] [Subscribe Now] Christian Bible Studies [Colossians: Against the Tide] [The Book of Colossians teaches principles for living a Christian life in the midst of a non-Christian culture.] [9 Session Bible Study] [Beautiful Word] Delivered via email to subscribers daily. [Subscribe] | [Email Preferences] | [Unsubscribe] | [Privacy Policy] | [Advertise] | [Subscribe to CT] You are currently subscribed as: {EMAIL} Copyright ©2016 [ChristianityToday.org], Christianity Today, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.