By accepting Jesus as Lord and savior, we don’t get what we deserve but gain favor in the eyes of God. Imagine that!

Sometimes the Bible can feel overwhelming trying to pick where to start or what to read for the day so we thought let’s make it easy and fun to engage with a reading every day. Download our Weekly Guide for Spiritual Growth and follow along with us this week. 

Because of the inherent unpredictability of the unknown in this life, blind faith is not always easy to achieve but is always required for God's children. By putting our faith in God rather than in our abilities, we will be able to weather any bad news, test, trial, crisis, or circumstance that comes our way. In Ephesians 3:20 (MSG), the apostle Paul tells us how God does this as he writes these words, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” Imagine that! 

Because of his incredible goodness (one of his immutable attributes), God does great things for us. He accomplishes this not by intimidating us or coercing us into accepting his goodness at gunpoint, but rather by working inside us, His Spirit functioning profoundly and softly within us. He does not force us to accept his kindness. The second clause of the passage in the King James Version reads "...according to the power that worketh in us." The power of God is demonstrated to be at work in us because, as sinners who have been converted, we are transformed from a life fraught with sin to a life filled with grace (His favor that is not earned) and mercy from God (our pardon from the judgment that we do deserve). By accepting Jesus as Lord and savior, we don’t get what we deserve but gain favor in the eyes of God. Imagine that! 

The plans that God has for us go well beyond what it is that we ask of Him. According to this verse (Ephesians 3:20), God's plans go far beyond what we can even conceive (in terms of physical, material reality) or imagine (in terms of metaphysical, beyond material reality) as being possible or within our reach. To put those plans into action, however, necessitates that we submit ourselves to spending more time in prayer, worship, and study of God's Word (the Bible), which enables us to see things from God's perspective. Nevertheless, regardless of how robust our faith may grow, we still have no means of knowing what the future holds for us, nor are we always capable of understanding why unfortunate things occur to the people we care about and ourselves. That is why we must again put our faith and trust in God rather than our abilities. God can handle it. Imagine that! 

The provision for our well-being and joy is made possible by the power that God has placed within us. At some point in our life, each one of us will be confronted with hardship and put to the test, and there will also be times when we will be unclear about what actions to take next. During those moments, the power of God works within us to shield us from falling apart and provide us with a sense of peace that only comes from being in a committed relationship with God. Because without a significant piece of God within us (by the power of the Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit), we cannot experience any peace (tranquility, contentment) that comes from God. The Holy Spirit is the Person who instructs, directs, reprimands, and corrects us. He is the Power that operates within us. He is shaping and reshaping, fashioning, and perfecting our inner person at this very moment. He is guiding and directing us, teaching and training us, and the more we yield to Him, the more abundantly the power of God is manifested in our life. Imagine that! 

As His children, we should seek a close relationship with God the Father every day through Christ Jesus and ask that He continually indwell us with the Holy Spirit's empowering grace so that we may enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died to offer us. Imagine that!  

Don't forget to download our weekly guide to spiritual growth and get some simple moments with Jesus in this week.