The Grace of God by Mike Moody

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)
One cannot read this Scripture citation without a realization that God’s grace is first; yet, it is not forced on any individual, but submitted to by one’s free will. Both men and women are treated as individuals who can and should make a free decision to follow or not to follow Jesus. Grace must be accepted by each individual in order to experience salvation through the finished work of Christ upon Calvary. Remember, God binds himself to humanity, but this binding still requires the human response of both men and women in binding himself or herself to God. One’s response to God’s plan of salvation in and through Christ is required in order to become a part of God’s elect. God allows each individual the power of free decision. God wants us to put obedience to Him and seeking His righteousness and His Kingdom ahead of everything else in this life. Our commitment to serve Him wholeheartedly, however, may present us with difficult choices. Paul explains: "... All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). Therefore we need to evaluate, ahead of time, how strong our commitment to God is so we will be prepared to make the choices He wants us to make. God tells us that "many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). Our commitment to God is necessary (Mark 8:34-38). He tells us, "But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2). His response to us depends in large part on whether we trust Him, whether our faith in Him is solid.

Be Blessed,
Mike Moody