Inspired by
Deuteronomy 7:1-11
“[T]he Lord
your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on earth to be his people; his
treasured possession. It was not because
you were more numerous than any other people that the Lord set his heart on you and chose you—for you were the
fewest of all peoples. It was because
the Lord loved you and kept the
oath that he swore to your ancestors, that the Lord
has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of
slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:6b-8
From the very beginning, our relationship with God has been
based entirely on his love and faithfulness.
We have never done anything to earn or deserve his favor. He owes us nothing; we owe him everything.
That’s a very hard concept for many of us. We don’t like the idea of being indebted to
another for anything. We want to earn
what we have, or find some way to insist that we’re entitled to what we’re
given. Everything is rightfully ours,
and it could never be any other way.
Even in matters of faith, we often pride ourselves on our piety or good
works, and believe that our superior morality will make God have
to let us into heaven, even though we’d never actually come out and say that.
But while we were a small people, God loved us. When we were helpless and enslaved, God
rescued and delivered us. While we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us. Our
love and faithfulness will falter at times, but God’s never will. Thanks be to God that his grace is based on
his faithfulness, and not ours.
Let us pray. God of
faithfulness, you are the source of all life, all love, and all faith. Help us to accept your grace, that we may
live by faith and not by works. Through
Christ our Lord, Amen.
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