Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Reformation: A Call for Renewal

Bible Reading:  Romans 11:1-6

Key verse:  6

Romans 11:6 (NIV): “And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” 

DEVOTION

In Romans 11, the Apostle Paul addresses the profound mystery of God’s sovereign choice particularly how a remnant of Israel is preserved not through their own merit, but by God’s unmerited favor. Verse 6 drives this truth home with crystal clarity: salvation and acceptance with God rest entirely on grace, or they rest on nothing at all. Grace, by its very definition, is a free gift. It cannot be earned, deserved, or supplemented by human effort. If we could somehow “help” God save us through good works, religious performance, moral striving, or spiritual achievements, then grace would cease to be grace. It would become a wage we earned rather than a gift we received. Paul’s logic is airtight: mixing grace with works destroys the beauty and power of both. This verse is deeply liberating. Many of us live under the quiet (or not-so-quiet) pressure of performance-based faith: If I pray more, serve more, sin less, or feel more spiritual, then God will love me more. But Romans 11:6 dismantles that lie. God’s electing love, His saving mercy, and His sustaining grace come to us not because we are worthy, but because He is gracious. The same truth echoes throughout Scripture most famously in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God,not by works, so that no one can boast.” Today, release the exhausting burden of trying to earn what can only be received. Rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Let this truth free you to obey not in order to be loved, but because you already are. Your standing with God is secure not because of what you have done, but because of what Christ has done. Grace is not a starting point that we later outgrow; it is the air we breathe every single day as believers. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, Thank You that my relationship with You rests entirely on Your amazing grace and not on my imperfect works. Forgive me for the times I have tried to earn what You freely give. Help me to rest in the finished work of Jesus and to live each day in the freedom and joy of Your unmerited favor. May my life be a response of grateful love rather than anxious striving. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

       ● In what areas of life are we still tempted to mix works with grace? ● How does embracing “grace alone” change our approach to prayer, obedience, and relationships? 

 
Mr. Santhosh Koshy St. Mathew’s Mar Thoma Church, Milton, Canada 

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