Ephesians 2:1, 4-5

And you … were dead in trespasses and sins,…But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Ephesians 2:1, 4-5

After three very dark verses explaining our hopeless spiritual state, Paul breaks through the clouds with a ray of dazzling, hopeful light: But God, who is rich in mercy… made us alive!

“For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

At the beginning of time, God said, “Let there be light.” And in our time, because of His mercy and infinite love, God saved us, even though we were spiritually dead and full of sin. God commanded light to shine in our hearts to dispel our blindness. We awoke from the dead and embraced the light. He washed away our sins and made us eternal objects of His infinite love. O what amazing, undeserved grace!

This is great news amid years of extremely bad news. Even though you may be battling dire circumstances or dealing with emotional or physical pain—even though you are plagued by disappointments or facing overwhelming obstacles—you are loved by a good Father who is rich in grace and full of love for you. Find hope and encouragement in all that we have gained in Christ and all we have been saved from. Even though your current state may be extremely unsettling, your future state will be glorious. Let the anticipation of the fullness of joy in the presence of Christ fill you with joy now and give you peace.

Tom Day