Devotion 5: I Got It

“If you want something done right, do it yourself.” This saying is the perfect representation of independence, something we all strive for in some fashion in our lives. We teach kids how to use the toilet on their own, brush their teeth, and dress themselves so that it is ingrained in them. When those kids get older, we teach them how to drive so they can get themselves places. Eventually, these kids grow up and reach a final state of independence when they move out and live on their own. Everyone is taught independence from a young age, though some like independence more than others. The “do it yourself” or “DIY” mentality is another example where instead of hiring a professional, even though sometimes you should, you decide that you have everything under control and you can handle it. We all feel the need to be independent, but there are some things in life that we cannot do on our own. Luckily, God has not asked us to. Instead, He provided a way for us, so are you ready to surrender that independence and discover His plans for you?  

Presently, we are in our Reach, Gather, Grow series, where we are taking a look at the book of Ephesians. This week, we are focusing specifically on Reach in chapter 2. Ephesians 2:1-3 says, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” 

Ephesians 2:8-9 adds, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” 

We can see in Ephesians that when we are independent from God, we walk in sin and live in our disobedience to God. We cannot save ourselves from our sins, but as we continue reading, we see that God has provided a way to salvation. That way is the gift of grace, not our works or independence, but our faith in God. God, thankfully, has not called us to save ourselves, but instead, to rely on His grace in sending His Son as a payment for our sins. By having faith in God and His sacrifice, we are saved from our sins and trespasses that we once walked in.  

So, are you ready to sacrifice your independence? In exchange for our independence, we receive God’s free gift of salvation. By accepting His salvation, we are no longer dead in our sins, but we are alive in Christ. We cannot rely on our works to save us, because, as Ephesians tells us, our salvation comes from God, so that no one may boast about their works, but only about God’s free gift of grace.