Take time to read the passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Sit with it a moment and feel God’s grace soaking into you. Reflect a bit on how you experience God’s grace working in your life. Then reread the passage once more.

Paul had experienced God’s grace in a mighty and life-giving way. He knew what it was to try to work his way into God’s favor by following the law of Moses. As he told the Philippians, “If anyone has a reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness, blameless.” (Phil.3:4b-6) Not because of his human credentials, but in spite of them, he had discovered a new way of life in Christ Jesus. He realized he had become a new creation through the grace of God and was called to share that good news with the world.

We hear him proclaiming his experience to the Ephesians and to us today: “by grace you have been saved (and/or healed-both come from the same root) . . . and this is not your doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of work.” Yes, we Christians are called to good works to utilize the gifts of the Spirit we receive to manifest God’s love in the here and now. As the song describing Jesus’ instructions to his disciples when he sent them out to preach and heal puts it, “Freely you have received, freely give.” (Mt. 10:8b) It is God’s grace that fills us and points the way for us to share what we have received with others.