Trying to Save Ourselves

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading titled Trying to Save Ourselves was written by Marvin Williams. Many years ago, New York City launched a Stay Safe, Stay Put ad campaign to educate people on how to stay calm and be safe when trapped in an elevator. Experts reported that some trapped passengers had died when they tried to pry open the elevator doors or attempted exiting by some other means.

The best plan of action is to simply use the alarm button to call for help and wait for emergency responders to arrive. The Apostle Paul spelled out a very different type of rescue plan, one to help those trapped in the downward pull of sin. He reminded the Ephesians of their utter spiritual helplessness, being truly dead in their sins. They were trapped, obeying the devil and refusing to submit to God.

This resulted in them being the subject of God's wrath. But he didn't leave them trapped in their spiritual darkness. And those who believe in Jesus, the Apostle wrote, by grace have been saved. A response to God's rescue initiative results in faith. And faith means we'll give up trying to save ourselves and call on Jesus to rescue us. By God's grace, being rescued from sin's trap doesn't originate with us. It's the gift of God through Jesus alone.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Ephesians chapter 2, verses 1 through 10. As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world, and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.

Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions. It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Let's pray. Dear God, we are so grateful that when we were trapped in sin and didn't know what to do or who to turn to, you initiated our rescue and sent a Savior to free us. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today. I'm Stephen Tabor and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.