Verse of the Day 2/25

Verse of the Day 2/25

Ephesians 2:4-5  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—    English Standard Version (ESV)

Ephesians chapter 2 begins with the word "and you were dead", we were dead in our sins.  Today's verse begins with "but God", He had other plans for us, He decided to show us mercy.   Think about that we were dead but God has made us alive in His "great love" and not only that but He has some things for us to do, read verses 8-10 below.

John Piper writes, "This is the only place where Paul uses this wonderful phrase "great love." And it is better than an angel's voice. If you have seen Jesus as true and received him as your supreme treasure, that is, if you are "alive," you are greatly loved. Greatly loved by the Creator of the universe. Just think of it! Greatly loved!"    Three times this happened to Daniel.    "At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved." (Daniel 9:23)    "O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you." (Daniel 10:11)    And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." (Daniel 10:19)

Daniel 9:23 struck me as I read it.  With my wife Jean recently going through cancer surgery and having prayed and asked for prayer for specific things, our prayers were answered in a positive way. We didn't know it at the time, but God was already aware of what He was going to do, to show His mercy and "great love" to us.  We feel, no we ARE, greatly loved and we would be no matter what happens because we believe in Christ, we know He holds the future and that makes life worth living.

Within a few verses in Daniel He was told three times by an angel that he was "greatly loved".  No matter what you're facing today, my prayer for you is that you would here the words of Daniel 10:19.

And he said, "O man greatly loved, fear not, peace be with you; be strong and of good courage." (Daniel 10:19)

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my savior lives

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives

And then one day, I'll cross the river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then, as death gives way to victory
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He reigns

--   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 2:1-10 New Living Translation (NLT)

Made Alive with Christ

2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.^[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³ All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else.

⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ 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.