Prophetic Prospective Daily Devotional

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

What a truth - the message of our key verse in our reading today, verse 8. It is the "grace" of our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ - it is the "grace" by which we are saved. There was no work that I could do to be made pure, only the "blood" of Jesus Christ could cleanse me, and you, and make us whole.

It was God who has made us alive in Jesus Christ and given us the "grace" needed to walk, not after the course of this world according to the "prince of the power of the air", but in His power. God's "grace" is that which delivers us from the Satanic power in this world.

By the way, before we leave that thought, notice that the "evil one" is the "prince of the power of the air". Since the fall of man and the end of the original "theocracy", Satan, the devil, has been the "prince of the air", the ruling entity of this world.

Notice also that even though we are saved by "grace" through "faith" and "not of works" lest any of us could boast, there is another side to the story. After our salvation by "grace" and through "faith", we must "work". Verse 10 tells us that we have been created in Christ to do "good works" – not "works" to get saved, but "works" because we are saved.

I have said all of this to bring you to the verse that is such a blessing for each of us - verse 6. Because of His grace made manifest in my salvation and yours, the Lord has in His mind raised us up to Heaven and there to sit with Him in the heavenlies. Now, we recognize that we are on the earth, not in the heavenly places yet. However, God sees us with His Son Jesus in the heavens.

This is such a precious promise to those of us who have been saved by His "grace". For a period of time yet, we are still in this evil world under the "prince of the power of the air," Satan. But our "blessed hope" is that because of what we have in Christ there is the "blessed hope" of the future abiding place for each of us who know Him as Lord and Savior.

You remember, do you not, that at the wedding, spoken of by John in Revelation, we as the "bride of Christ" are married to Jesus Christ. Our wedding gowns will be made up of our "righteousness", Revelation 19:8, which is basically the "righteous acts" or deeds that we do.

Jesus is the one who created us to do these "good works", until He comes. He is also the one who empowers each of us to do His work. All of this as a result of His grace bestowed upon each of us.

PRAYER THOUGHT: Lord because of Your grace, I am saved, but help me to fulfill that which You created me to do as a new creature, to work for you.