Verse of the Day 7/1

Ephesians 2:4-5  But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, ⁵ made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace!  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Ephesians chapter 2 begins with the sobering words "and you were dead" (ESV) in your trespasses. Something that is dead cannot bring itself to life or back to life.  It has to be breathed into it.  Today's verses show us the greatest possible contrast, being dead and being fully alive in Christ and it is due to His love for us and His character that "He is rich in mercy".

John MacArthur notes that "salvation is of God's glory by putting on his boundless mercy and love  for those who are spiritually dead because of their sinfulness".  We are loved by God and being loved we are His beloved.  Mark Labberton writes that "this affirmation of our belovedness arises not as a derivative of belief about an abstractly benevolent deity but rather in trusting in God's tangible care."

Those words "God's tangible care struck me.  Non Christians believe that our trust is a fantasy, that what we believe in is fairy tale or worse.  But we have come to KNOW and experience God as something tangible, something real.  It is knowable, you sense it, you feel it and you are held by it if you are willing to accept that the One who was raised from the dead has the loving power to give us this life and that we are saved by grace.

All this reminds  me of the Ralph Carmichael song from the 60's , "He's Everything to Me".  If He has made you "alive" may you be able to sing the words to this song.

In the stars His handiwork I see, 
On the wind He speaks with majesty, 
Though He ruleth over land and sea, 
What is that to me? 
I will celebrate Nativity, 
For it has a place in history, 
Sure, He came to set His people free, 
What is that to me? 

Till by faith I met Him face to face, 
and I felt the wonder of His grace, 
Then I knew that He was more  than just a 
God who didn't care, 
That lived a way out there and 

Now He walks beside me day by day, 
Ever watching o'er me lest I stray, 
Helping me to find that narrow way, 
He's Everything to me.

Take a minute to read the passage from The Message below.  May you truly believe that He's more than just a God who doesn't care, He loves us and it means everything to us.

--   In Christ,  Mike    Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com  Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,  in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV    

Ephesians 2:1-6The Message (MSG)

He Tore Down the Wall

2 ^1-6 It wasn't so long ago that you were mired in that old stagnant life of sin. You let the world, which doesn't know the first thing about living, tell you how to live. You filled your lungs with polluted unbelief, and then exhaled disobedience. We all did it, all of us doing what we felt like doing, when we felt like doing it, all of us in the same boat. It's a wonder God didn't lose his temper and do away with the whole lot of us. Instead, immense in mercy and with an incredible love, he embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us! Then he picked us up and set us down in highest heaven in company with Jesus, our Messiah.