Week 02
Step 01: Pause and Prepare
Find a quiet place and quiet your mind. Pause. Take a couple of deep breaths. This biblical practice is taught throughout the Psalms. Hit the mute button on all the other voices in your life. Clear your thoughts so God's Word can fill them. If you feel like rushing past this part that's how you know for sure you need to do it!
Think upon our foundational scriptures, then go to Step 02.
"For the word of God is alive and powerful."
Hebrews 4:12, NLT
Remember you're about to encounter the living God in His living Word!
"...train yourself in godliness."
1 Timothy 4:7b, ESV
Our discipline to create time for devotions is essential. But it doesn't change our lives. It is God's Spirit alone that transforms us. Open your heart to God and read the scriptures!
Step 02: Read the Scripture Passage
Ephesians 2:1-10, NLT
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.
8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Want to read today's passage in a different version? Visit Bible Gateway and choose your favorite!
Step 03: Answer Four Questions
Grab your notebook and write down your answers to these four questions. It will help you engage with the text, process what God's Word is saying to you, and encounter God in your devotional time.
* If you find it difficult to figure out what the scripture passage is about we highly recommend getting a Study Bible. For now, we have provided the kind of notes a Study Bible utilizes to help you understand the text below.
Recommended Study Bibles
Recommended Study Bibles
Question #1
What does the scripture say?
In your own words, what you think the scripture passage or story is about.
(Touch the dots for more questions.)
Question #2
What does the scripture say to me?
What do you feel the passage is speaking to you in regard to your life or current situation?
Need a little help? Click here.
Question #3
What do I want to say to God about the text?
What emotions and thoughts does the text create in you? Communicate them in prayer.
Question #4
What difference will this text make in my life?
In what way does this text help you live for God?
What is Ephesians 2:1-10 about?
Ephesians 2:1-10, is about the incredible power of Jesus to save us. All of us were once helplessly under the control of the dark spiritual force of sin. Now, because of Jesus, what once was impossible can become the reality of our lives. God, in His incredible love has made a way to release us from the power of sin, and place us firmly in His unified family. In Christ, we are now a new humanity, spiritually alive in the power of God's Spirit, no longer spiritually dead in sin. In other words, by the work of the Holy Spirit, we are spiritually being made totally new (one day in the resurrection we will physically be made new too!). Because we were hopeless in sin without what Jesus has done for us, we should never boast about who we are or take credit. Without God's grace we couldn't even have the faith to believe in Jesus. We are absolutely God's masterpiece. But that is forever to His credit as the Artist, not our credit as the artwork.
