Continuing on looking at Ephesians 2 we see Paul repeating what he mentioned in verse 5- ‘we are saved by grace.’
Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. NKJV
While we were still His enemies He saved us. When we were still dead in trespasses and sins he reconciled us to Himself, NOT imputing our sins to us but He laid them all upon His Son Jesus and let us go free. Rom 5:8 -10 This is the grace of God in action for those He loves. He has done it all, we only need to receive it by faith and all that He has provided in the work of Jesus becomes ours. Amazing grace!!
We have been Saved– By Grace – – Through Faith — Not ourselves — the Gift of God
We were dead and unable to save ourselves from the cruel master that inhabited our spirit. Someone Greater needed to rescue us. We were slaves to Sin who was working death in us.
The Gift of God to you and me is Jesus Christ coming into your heart.
The Samaritan woman at the well in John 4 asked Jesus how He was going to draw water from the deep well without any rope or bucket.
It is by the Grace of God!!
Joh 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
Joh 4:11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
Joh 4:12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
Joh 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting(aionian- age during) life.”
She was right. There was no way that Jesus could draw water without some means to do it. He was demonstrating grace vs works. She was quite capable of getting her daily needs from Jacobs well. She had done it every day all her life. Just lower the bucket and pull it up. Done.
Jesus told her that the water she was ABLE to get herself would not ever satisfy her thirsty heart. This is normal natural fallen man. All he knows to do is to do it himself. Oh, he gets by okay, he has good days and bad days, life is tolerable…can it be any different though?
Jesus seems to think so.
He plainly tells the woman that she will always thirst and never be satisfied in her heart through her own efforts apart from Him. He says that if anyone will drink the water He gives it will stop that inner thirsting completely. Quite a claim! Yet he has no bucket or rope. We know of course that He is speaking of faith in Him. He is the Gift of God. He is the Living Water that satisfies the heart. How do we drink from His well? We believe Him. We simply accept like a little child that Jesus is God’s gift to us personally and receive Him to ourselves.
The alternative is to reject God’s free gift of salvation–an end to thirsting–full satisfaction NOW in this life—and to try to draw water of life daily without Jesus. As Jesus said to the sweet woman– “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,..”
God does not force us to receive His gift , which is Jesus the Messiah Himself….He will allow you to go through life thirsty and dry…but He offers you Himself right here now as you read these words. This is God coming to your deep well right now my unsatisfied friend. He offers you to take freely of the water of life — all that is required is that you believe that Jesus died on the Cross for you and was raised up to life for you as well. If that is too much for you to take in, that is okay…God is not stuck up on technicalities. Just call upon Jesus in your own words and ask Him for that living water.
You may pray something like…
Dear Lord Jesus I am so in need of You right now! I believe in you Lord…I need you Jesus…wash me and fill me …save me…and come and live in my heart. Thank you for taking all my sins upon yourself on the cross and forgiving me completely. I receive You Jesus as my Lord and my Saviour.
If you need help to pray or want prayer for some other need feel free to contact me.
Comments or questions are welcome. Or if you have a prayer request it will be treated with the strictest confidence and care.
