Scripture: Ephesians 2:10 (NRSV)
“For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”
Reflection:
Grace doesn’t just rescue us from guilt and failure; it invites us into a way of living. Paul makes it clear: we are not saved by good works, but we are saved for them. Not as a checklist to check off, but as a life shaped by love, connection, and care.
That distinction matters. When faith feels like pressure, good works become exhausting or performative. But when grace comes first, our actions flow from freedom rather than fear. We don’t act to earn God’s approval; we act because we are already embraced by it.
Paul describes this as a “way of life.” Not a single moment, not a heroic act, not a spiritual achievement, but the slow, everyday practice of living differently because grace has changed where we begin. Faith appears not in grand gestures, but in the consistent shaping of how we live, love, and respond to the world around us.
Practice:
As you go through your day, pick one moment to act intentionally out of love instead of habit—especially in an ordinary situation.
Journaling Prompt:
Where in your daily life might grace be encouraging you to live differently, not harder?
Prayer:
Creating God,
thank you for shaping us intentionally and with care.
Free us from measuring our worth by what we produce.
Help us notice where love is already calling us forward
and give us courage to live into that calling—
one ordinary moment at a time.
Amen.