May Devotional
Theme: Growing in Grace
Day 1 of 31
Day 1 — The Scandal of Grace
"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."
The human mind naturally operates on a system of karma and merit. We passionately believe that you get exactly what you earn. If you work hard, you get paid. If you do something criminal, you get punished. This system makes logical sense to us.
Grace is an utterly scandalous interruption to this system. Paul says God intervened ‘even when we were dead.’ Dead things cannot earn anything, apologize, or improve themselves. Grace is not God tossing a life preserver to a drowning man who just needs a little help; it is God diving to the bottom of the ocean to breathe life into a corpse. It is entirely unearned and entirely unfair—which is why it is the greatest news in human history.
"Grace is getting what you do not deserve, and mercy is not getting what you do deserve."
Do you struggle to accept God's grace because you feel you haven't 'earned' it? How does viewing yourself as formerly 'dead' shift your perspective?
Grace cannot be earned; it can only be received.