“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.”

— Ephesians 2:8-9

Mankind inveterately seems to want to do something to earn salvation. They say, “Oh, that is too easy.”

I think of a minister in South Africa who went down into the depths of a mine at lunch time to preach the Gospel to some of the workers there.

When the foreman heard the message of salvation, he said, “Oh, I don’t believe that. It’s too easy. We have to do our part.”

As they got into the elevator at the bottom of the shaft, the preacher asked, “What do we have to do to get to the surface?”

“Nothing. I just push this button.”

“Surely you have to do something to help pull yourself up.”

“Of course not. The elevator does it all. It was difficult to build, but it lifts us up in just a few seconds. There is nothing we have to do but push the button.”

When God provided for us that “elevator” to Paradise, He did it at infinite cost, a cost which caused Him to bore a hole into the very pit of hell where Christ suffered and died and endured the wrath of God in our place. An infinite price has been paid. But for us, it is free; for us it is easy. It was not easy for Christ when He paid the price. We simply have to get in, and believe, and He will lift us to heaven by faith.

Lord, give us strength for today to treasure the Good News in our hearts. Help us to share it with joy and gratitude. Thank You that You did all the heavy lifting in our salvation…

BY HIS STRENGTH, WE
CAN RECEIVE HIS GIFTS.