Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes: I am saved by God.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)

My brother's family was excited about moving into their new home. The carpet was down, the curtains were up, the furniture was in. Only a few items remained to be moved. Then in the early morning just before the family was to take up residence a fire broke out, and their priceless pictures were all lost.

     When I arrived at the charred frame, I had expected to see my brother. Instead, he and his family had gone to the homes of two firemen who, to my horror, had lost their lives in the blaze. The deepest desire of all our hearts was, If they could have been saved. Only against such a black backdrop could the significance of salvation be so desperately real.

     Saved...who wouldn't want to be saved? The word saved obviously implies being saved from something. Oh, if all humanity would comprehend what Scripture says they can be saved from: an eternal existence of complete anguish, a destiny of living in darkness. Who wouldn't want deliverance?

     Just think--you were delivered from this dominion of darkness. The Greek word for saved means "to be delivered, to be preserved." This is the eternal benefit resulting from your decision to accept Christ's offer of salvation.

     But the scope of spiritual salvation doesn't extend just to bring saved from the penalty of sin. As a child of God, you are also saved from the power of sin. You are actually "dead to sin" (Romans 6:11). Simply put, you can break free from any sinful habit! And that's not all. One day, in heaven, you will be saved from the very presence of sin.

     For me, however, the most phenomena aspect of salvation is not what we've been saved from, but rather what we've been saved for. God's heart desire is not just to get us out of hell, but to get the Savior into us.

     With His presence in you, you have His power, His wisdom, His forgiveness, His love and His strength. It is His life in you, living His life through you!

     What incredible value! And the amazing fact is that it's a free gift. But it's not cheap. It cost Christ His life. Salvation is a free gift to you and me because Someone else paid for it, and you now can see yourself through God's eyes.

                              ________________His Plan for Me______________

Personalize these verses in your own words:

Exodus 15:2 ______________________________________________
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Hebrew 7:25 ______________________________________________
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Father, through Your eyes I can see that I... ______________________
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I have confidence because...I am saved by God's grace.