Lavish... Love beyond measure

Ephesians 2:1-10

You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved - and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

What a wonderful way to end the week... after all of the ebbs and flows of peace and pain... struggle and surrender... saintly hopes and sinful thoughts.

God calls us into Christ... and alive in Christ we are together, lavished with the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us.

Sometimes it takes some patience to see that "kindness", especially if we have been knocked about or caught up in the struggle of living in the midst of suffering... past, present or, unfortunately, future. After all, for so many of us, suffering is just a part of everyday life.

But when we suffer, if we can simply shift our glance, ever so slightly, from ourselves to God's welcoming words in scripture like the one from Ephesians 2, we are reminded of the "more" that is lavished upon us in God's amazing love.

There is nothing that you can attain for yourself or grasp for yourself that is more stable and luxurious than the embrace of God....the Loving God who knows more about you than you do! After all.... God formed you to be His precious child... and assured you of that status through His ultimate gift of Love... Jesus.

That's a great way to acknowledge the end of the work week... isn't it?