Intro: Continuing with the Making Love...Last series at my church (Granger Community Church, Indiana), we are in Week 4 and continue to practice the three daily challenges: words of gratitude, acts of service and awareness of God's love for ourselves. This week, i'm adding a bit of focus to scripture that touches on our faith and belief in God. Thanks for staying with me on this journey. Again, these are just my thoughts - they're young, growing and fragile - so be kind.

I love reading the Bible. i love the history, the stories and the characters! I especially love reading Paul's words. You know he's addressing the believers in Ephesus here, but i can't help but feel like he's talking to me, too. Do you know what i mean? I've read this, heard it, been preached it numerous times - but do i get it? Am i really at a place where i can say i believe God loves me unconditional and sees good work?

In v8, Paul tells us we are saved by grace (the unmerited favor or assistance of God) through faith (which also comes from God), but isn't that kinda redundant. So, God has shown me grace by His faith in me? Wait a minute...did you catch that? The Father in heaven, creator of everything, has such faith in us that He's holding out His grace for us to take (if we choose), be saved and spend eternity with Him. No other could offer us such a gift, a promise with such love. I think that's why they call it amazing grace!

So, we can take the gift but Paul adds something to this good news: nothing we do has earned us this gift so no one should boast (vs.9). What's another word for boast? How about pride. I'm not talking about the kind of pride we feel toward others; neither is Paul, which is why i think he was inspired to add "warning" to the receiving the gift of grace. Pride gets dangerous when it's self-inflicted, when our pride is spent glorifying ourselves and not God. Sound familiar? How about the Garden of Eden? How about Satan's fall? It all started with pride.

What God created for good, sin corrupts for the purpose of evil. Listen for the voice of God, for the faith calling you to receive grace. Hope for it. Trust it. God loved us from the very beginning, even when He saw our sin coming on that cool, fateful day in the garden. God will always love us and will never stop handing out His grace. We were made for more, "to do good works" (vs.10) that reflect the redeeming life of one who has been saved by grace alone. I see a life much like the place i talked about - living under the unconditional love of God - and i see myself proudly boasting God's love. He deserves it.

Ephesians 2:8-10