Ephesians 2:1-10; Psalm 67

Ephesians 2:1-10
We were once spiritually dead because of our disobedience and our many sins. We obeyed Satan (even though we didn't realize it) and followed the desires of our sinful nature. We deserved God's anger just like everyone else. vv. 1-3

But then we come to the beautiful verses 4 and 5. "But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 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!) In spite of what we were, God declared us not guilty--alive--because of His grace and our faith in His Son.

vv. 6-7 seem to point to the future when we will be raised from the dead just as Christ Himself was, and we will be seated with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. We as believers will be examples of God's incredibly rich grace and kindness.

We see the plan of salvation summarized beautifully in vv. 8-10. "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 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." You didn't know you were a "work of art" did you? And praise the Lord, He never does inferior work. And so we should have a healthy respect for ourselves and for others as well--as masterpieces of God's creative work.

Psalm 67
This seems to be a prayer for the message of God to be spread around the whole world. First, the psalmist (again anonymous) asks for God's mercy and blessing and favor--something we all need. Then he prays that God's saving power will be made known to people everywhere. He asks that all the nations, indeed the whole world, would praise God and sing for joy. "Then the earth will yield its harvests"--this probably refers to a spiritual harvest of believers.

It's interesting to note how many times this psalm mentions God's relationship with the whole world. I can't help but wonder what the people of Israel thought about this because they seemed to feel superior to all other people! But we know that God's message is for them and for us and for those around us. God has richly blessed us!