EPHESIANS 2:1-6 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 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— 3 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. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

THEME OF THE DAY. DON’T FORGET. The Apostle Paul didn’t. He never lost sight of what he was before the Lord Jesus made him what he became; a beloved child of His and servant of servants in the work of Christ’s kingdom. He wrote to a young pastor named Timothy with these opening remarks, “ I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” (1 Timothy 1:12-15). We don’t find the greatest Christian ever to live boasting of himself. There is no attention drawn to how God used him and no mention of his fellowship with the Lord. The only hint of drawing attention to himself in an exalting way was him being faithful to God’s call in his life, but even this is couched in God’s strength and appointment. What Paul does draw attention to was his past life of being a blasphemer, persecutor, insolent opponent, and the foremost of sinners. Now he doesn’t do this to glamorize his sin and former life. He does it to glorify God’s grace and to remind Timothy and himself all that he had come to be by God’s grace. And there are two important lessons for us by Paul’s example of never forgetting what we were before the grace of God made us what we are.

First, remembering our former life as an unreconciled to God sinner makes us humble as now reconciled children of God. Nothing humbles a person more than truly grasping what the grace of God in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus has done for them. Always keep in the back of our minds what God has done in our lives. This will safeguard our hearts from pride and becoming a critical-spirited Pharisee. And with this in our thinking, we will show humility in dealing with all people. The sweet fragrance of the meek and gentle Jesus will spread forth from our lives as we remember that we are sinners turned saints by the amazing grace of God.

Another lesson we learn by remembering our former life separated from God and now members of His forever family is patience. Recall all the times God showed us patience BEFORE we believed on Christ and every day since. God’s amazing grace toward sinners also is an amazing display of His patience toward sinners and saints alike. And when we remember God’s patience with us, we exercise patience with other people. We will deal with people the way God dealt with us – in loving, patient ways, and perhaps for a long time.

So, don’t forgot the work of the Gospel in our lives. It is essential to live close to the Lord in the development and living out the Christ-like virtues of humility and patience.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to never forget what Your grace has done in my life and is doing in my life.”

QUOTE: “Strive to remember what we were before God made us what we are. Such keeps us humble and patient.”