Page 104 - Grace150 Devotional

According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestinated us unto
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will. Ephesians 1:4–5 KJV
Through our many years at Grace, the Holy Spirit has grown and matured
me. I am humbled and filled with awe that God, my heavenly and spiritual Father
by adoption, chose me and placed my name in His Son’s book of life before the
foundation of the earth. And this He has done for everyone who is to be saved.
Scripture teaches that in me, in my natural state, there is no good thing; all my
righteousness is as filthy rags. Conversely, in my spiritual state God has extended
His grace to me so that I am an adopted son of the great God of all creation, and I
am secure in this position for all eternity. No one can pluck me from the hand of
the Son and the Father; they are one (John 10:28–29).
I believe the Father chose me because of “the good pleasure of his will” as it says
in Ephesians 1:5, not because He saw any inherent goodness in me or saw that I
would respond to the gospel. Theologian J.I. Packer once said, “The truth about
us is that we are like drowning folk who can’t swim and left to ourselves would
just go under and eventually not come up again. God takes action, as it were, to
dive in, swim to us, grab hold of us and save us.”
Father, thank You for Your grace provided by Jesus’ sacrifice. We praise You
in His name. Amen.
– Bill Miller

DAY 97 grace 150