A.W. Tozer's materials are a mainstay in Evangelical churches in our day and he is one of the most quoted authors. He was a prophet in his day and his writings are even more influential in our day. One of his books: The Pursuit of God, has had over 1 million copies sold world-wide.

Morning and Evening with A.W. Tozer

Man - The Dwelling Place of God - How to Try the Spirits

<blockquote>
God . . . hath quickened us together with Christ and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus' (<a id="verse_1632879876340965" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).
</blockquote>What is our attitude concerning our needs in the Christian life and warfare? Are we outside the armory, struggling and pleading for supplies? Or are we inside the arsenal, ready to be fully supplied and armed as our daily needs require? "Be strong in the Lord - be empowered through your union with Him; draw your strength from Him" (<a id="verse_1632879876433803" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/6/10">Eph. 6:10</a>, Amp.)."It has come these days with new light and power that the first thing we have to see to as we draw near to God day by day is that our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. If we listen in the stillness till our hearts begin to respond to what He is thinking and feeling about the matter in question, whether it concerns ourselves or others, we can, from that moment, begin praying downwards from the Throne, instead of praying upwards from ourselves." -L.T."We must not think the revelation as to the will of God is an end in itself; it is but the first phase of a prayer ministry. When Daniel had prayed through to an understanding of the ways of the Lord, he then set himself three times a day to persevere in prayer for the fulfillment. His prayer ministry took him into the lion's den, but it also brought him out again, and he was able to see the things through to the glorious end." -H.F."Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (<a id="verse_1632879876456340" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Hebrews/4/16">Heb. 4:16</a>).

A 365 day devotional that will help you in your Christian growth and walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This devotional is a collection of quotes from some of the best authors in the realm of Christian growth that has been organized by Miles J Stanford.  This devotional study is divided into 12 sections each containing 31 daily portions.

None but the Hungry Heart

 Prayer Perseverance 

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. § The Son of God . . . loved me and gave Himself for me. § He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? § God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. § Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Daily Light on the Daily Path or Daily Light is a Christian daily devotional scripture reading published by Bagster & Sons about 1875. It has been reprinted continually since then. It consists of brief groupings of scripture passages which speak to prominent Biblical themes—two themes (morning and evening) for each day of the year. It appends no commentary, but simply allows scripture to speak for itself.

Evening Daily Light

 I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord has bestowed on us. 

<blockquote>
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880302846530" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).
</blockquote>The Cross has separated us from the power of sin (<a id="verse_1632880302481941" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/6/11">Rom. 6:11</a>), the old man (<a id="verse_1632880302329633" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/6/6">Rom. 6:6</a>), the world (<a id="verse_1632880302439026" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/6/14">Gal. 6:14</a>), the law (<a id="verse_1632880302162617" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/7/4">Rom. 7:4</a>), and the devil (<a id="verse_1632880302638253" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Hebrews/2/14">Heb. 2:14</a>). The Spirit has joined us to our risen Lord, and we are "hidden with Christ in God" (<a id="verse_1632880302518593" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/3/3">Col. 3:3</a>). We are free - to abide above; free - to fellowship with our Father in glory."The lack I find in souls is, that while they know that their sins are forgiven, they do not know their new place. What place do you have? Is it earth or heaven? It could not possibly be earth, for the Lord Jesus was rejected from the earth. It has a great moral effect upon a person to be able to say, I have a place in heaven; I have no property on earth at all, it is all in heaven.'"It is the Lord's property I have on earth, but in heaven I have my own.' In the garden of Eden, man lost his place; the question to him then is, First - Where art thou? then, What hast thou done? Every believer seeks to be clear as to the latter, but very few are clear about the former." -J.B.S."Many do not go beyond Christ's resurrection; they do not extend to His ascension. They do not know Him in glory. They are occupied with Him in relation to their own side. He was at my side and glorified God there both in His walk here and in His death; but He is now at His own side, and it is there I intelligently realize the vastness of my life, for He is my life.""My mind must rise above what I am to what God is; then it is that one is formed by the revelation of what God is. To this we are called." -J.N.D."Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it" (<a id="verse_1632880302795400" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/1-Thessalonians/5/24">1 Thess. 5:24</a>).

 Abide Above 

Do not be afraid; … I am He who lives. § Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am. We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. § He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. § You are complete in Him, who is the head. Inasmuch . . . as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

 [God] raised us up together . . . in Christ Jesus. 

<blockquote>
God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us . . . hath made us alive together with Christ . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880425213386" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/4">Eph. 2:4</a>; <a id="verse_1632880425531566241" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">6</a>).
</blockquote>Believers are not occupying their position! At best, most are trying to attain a victorious position by means of prayer, Bible study, commitment, reconsecration, surrender, and so forth. But the answer is simply to abide where we have already been placed - in our risen Lord Jesus Christ. Abide above, and keep looking down!"Our Father has taken us over Jordan and placed us in Canaan, but the reality of it is never known until by faith we accept the fact on the basis of having died with Christ, and that therefore heaven is our place, and we know it to be our place now; and that this side is not our place, and we know that it is not."The more we abide in the Lord on the other side, the less disappointed we will be here, for when we are there we import new joys and new hopes into this old world, from an entirely new one, and we therefore in every way surpass the inhabitants of this lost world." -J.B.S."You must abide in Christ in heaven before you can descend with heavenly ability to act for Him down here. The great secret of all blessing is to come from the Lord. Most Christians go to Him.""Christian experience is our measure of apprehension of that which is already true of us in the Lord Jesus Christ." -A.J."Stand fast in the Lord" (<a id="verse_1632880425500368" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Philippians/4/7">Phil. 4:7</a>).

 Stand Where You Are! 

<blockquote>
[God] hath raised us up together; and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880447721274" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).
</blockquote>In the first stage of our Christian life we seek to bring the Lord Jesus down to our level, for our use; later on we learn to take our position in Him at His level, for His use."The desire of many and the tendency of all is to connect the Lord Jesus with ourselves on this earth, instead of accepting that we are in living union with Him in heaven. The Lord give us to apprehend the reality of our true position; that we are outside this scene when we are in our true place. We are thankful that Christ was here, and that He made a pathway through the wilderness, but we have properly to come from Him in glory to learn the path and to find His succor in it.""If you do not know your union with the Lord Jesus in heaven, you cannot come out in the power of the heavenly Man to act from Him on earth, to be descriptive of Him. You can never be heavenly by effort. Many seek to be heavenly by prayer, reading the Word, devotedness, but the only pathway to it is to be brought by the Holy Spirit to realize union with our risen Lord. You are heavenly by union, by nature. Abide in Him.""Are we prepared to accept our union with the crucified and risen Lord, not only as the basis of being received by the Father, but also as the way we walk day by day? If this question was honestly faced, and answered affirmatively by the members of our churches, there would be no need to endeavor to whip up a revival.' There would be a spontaneous upsurge of life and blessing - the direct work of the Spirit of God Himself." -J.C.M."Risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead" (<a id="verse_1632880447938592" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/2/12">Col. 2:12</a>).

 Heaven Now And Forever 

Such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. § We … were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. § God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us … If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Morning Daily Light

 The younger son . . . journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. 

<blockquote>
Hath made us alive together with Christ" (<a id="verse_1632880744958640" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/5">Eph. 2:5</a>).
</blockquote>If we fail to rely upon the Holy Spirit for the practical day-by-day realization of the identification truths, we will fall short of Romans 8, and find ourselves bound in the struggle of Romans 7."If some of you who have been the Lord's for a long time cast a glance over your past history, you will be able to recall occasions when He spoke and you obeyed instantly. But you can recall other occasions when He spoke and you failed to respond; yet strangely, after a time you just found yourself in the way of obedience."Such is the fruit of the Holy Spirit's government in our lives. Even if we are totally unable to obey and cannot even exercise faith, a day comes when the resistance has vanished and we are trusting the Lord Jesus in simplicity of heart. It is the tireless energy of the indwelling Spirit that has accomplished this."Our union with the Lord Jesus is a union of life. We were raised with Him, we are made alive in Him. True, our bodies are to be changed, and those who have died in Christ are to be raised as to their bodies, but now we are raised with and are made alive in Him."The trouble is that many are not aware of this wonderful fact and position; all of it seems so far away and unreal. If we will believe God's Word and begin to thank Him for the truths that He tells us, the Holy Spirit will ere long begin to make these truths living realities in our lives." -L.L.L."And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880744734487" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).

 Spirit-taught And Spirit-wrought 

<blockquote>
[God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632880756473055" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).
</blockquote>There aren't many truly happy Christians simply because there aren't many who really abide in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our risen Lord is the source of our happiness as we rest in Him - triumphant over circumstances; not hopelessly underneath them. Happy is the abiding believer, "hid with Christ in God" (<a id="verse_1632880756896491" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/3/3">Col. 3:3</a>)."I must not only see my position in the Lord Jesus, but I must come near to the One who set me there. Many are disappointed that after hearing with delight and receiving the truth of their position they are not more affected by it."The reason is that they rest too much in the position and have not occupied themselves increasingly with their risen Lord; have not drawn nearer to Him, and recognized Him as the only One who can make it all experiential in them." -J.B.S."Is the living Person now in heavenly glory really the Object of our hearts? For some time after I knew the Saviour I used to think of Him as One who had lived and died on earth long years ago, and I well remember the day when I knelt down with a dear brother who prayed that we might know the Lord Jesus as a living Person in heavenly glory, and it dawned upon me that there was a present Object for my heart in heaven. Our hearts will never be satisfied until that glorified Lord Jesus becomes our Object bright and fair." -C.A.C."Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth" (<a id="verse_1632880756688035" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/3/2">Col. 3:2</a>).

 Behold, The Man! 

Get wisdom! Get understanding! § The wisdom that is from above. § The deep says, “It is not in me”; and the sea says, “It is not with me.” § We were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. § [God] made us alive together with Christ … and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. § Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility.

 Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 

The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high. § The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens … He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap, that He may seat him with princes. God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? … For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 Whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. 

<blockquote>Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (<a id="verse_1632877427134345" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/5/1">Rom. 5:1</a>).</blockquote>Few see and stand upon the fact that our history in Adam ended on the Cross. Our past will plague us until we acknowledge that we are now clear of Adam and safely hidden in the risen Lord Jesus - newly-born creations in Him. One of the penalties of self-occupation is self-pity and corroding remorse."Regret for a sinful past will remain until we truly believe that for us in the Lord Jesus that sinful past no longer exists. The man in Christ has only His past and that is perfect and acceptable to the Father. In the Lord Jesus he died, and in Him he rose, and he is now seated in Him within the circle of the Father's favored ones. He is no longer angry with himself because he is no longer self-regarding, but Christ-regarding: hence there is no place for regret.""The knowledge of our union with the Lord Jesus is what will deliver the believer from all that is low and feeble, and will lift him to a life of joy and peace. To gaze upon our risen Lord in the Father's presence, to whom all things are subject, will transform us into heavenly Christians, dwelling all the day in the Father's presence." -A.M."The believer shares the Lord Jesus' Cross knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him' <a id="verse_1632877427806733" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/6/6">Rom. 6:6</a>); His death:- ye died and your life is hid with Christ in God' <a id="verse_1632877427933811" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/3/3">Col. 3:3</a>); His burial:- we were buried with him by baptism into death' <a id="verse_1632877427627631" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/6/4">Rom. 6:4</a>); His resurrection:- as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we' <a id="verse_1632877427985575" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/6/4">Rom. 6:4</a>); His ascension:- made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus' <a id="verse_1632877427924346" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>)." -F.J.H."There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632877427550508" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Romans/8/1">Rom. 8:1</a>).

 Self-imposed Burden 

<blockquote>And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632877450289688" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).</blockquote>The spiritual babe has faith for the wondrous fact that he will go to heaven when he dies. The spiritual father has faith for the inexpressible fact that he has died in Christ, and that he is now hid with Him in God."When I look at this place, He is not here; and when I look at myself naturally I am not fit for Him. How happy then to know that I belong to the place where He is; and that through grace I am made suited to Him in that new place; so that I set my mind and affections there, as the place where my deepest joys are to be realized." -J.B.S."The truth is, we have a position in heaven and the Lord Jesus is now our life there; and if this be not simply enjoyed, there will be an effort to modify the desolation here, and an inability to interpret the various inroads which death makes on us.""My taste is formed in glory, and there it is nurtured and strengthened, and as it is, so do I find nothing here in keeping with my taste. Association with the Son of Man, the One most perfect, and in every way the most beautiful, develops my new nature, which is the same as His. Where He is, is my home - there I feed and rest; but here, on earth, I am learning to set aside in death everything in me which hinders the manifestation of the life of the Lord Jesus." -J.B.S."The reason there is so little growth is that there is so little occupation and fellowship with the Lord Jesus where He is. The glory invites now, instead of the law repelling, and the practical effect is changed into the same image.'""For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (<a id="verse_1632877450301219" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/3/3">Col. 3:3</a>, ASV.).

 Up Here! 

 Personally Delivered 

<blockquote>(God) hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632877737217682" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>)</blockquote>We are to settle down to live and grow precisely where we have been re-born: in Christ Jesus above."Do we not often harbor the thought that something yet remains to be done - either by ourselves or by Him - in order to our drawing near? Do we not often thus become occupied with the circumstantials of worship rather than with the Lord Jesus - the substance? Are we not often false to Him in questioning our title to draw near, because we find distance in our own hearts, as if it was the warmth of our affections, instead of the Blood of the Lord Jesus, which brought us nigh?" -W.K."Our being perfectly cleansed by the Blood of the Lord Jesus, the Holiest of All is our place before the Father, and it is so simply upon the ground of what His sacrifice has effected. Our dwelling place is in the light, not by reason of our subjective condition, but because the Lord Jesus has made the position ours by the putting away of our sins, and by bringing us to the Father." -H.F.W."The heart must enter into something more than the look behind into those waters of judgment, out of which the Lord Jesus rose, having left our sins, and death, and judgment forever! Such a joy would never carry us through the desert where faith and patience are tried and tested every day. It needs that the heart be carried into the glory of Canaan beyond; in the present sense of peace with the Father, and the consciousness of standing in His present favor - the favor that is better than life." -F.G.P."Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil" (<a id="verse_1632877737102426" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Hebrews/10/19">Heb. 10:19</a>; <a id="verse_1632877737775817320" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Hebrews/10/20">20</a>).

 New Birth Place 

<blockquote>Ye have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (<a id="verse_1632877788228133" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/3/3">Col. 3:3</a>).</blockquote>When we rely upon and cater to the old man, that ground produces "the works of the flesh" (1). But as we abide in the risen Lord Jesus, that new ground of our position, His life will be manifested in "the fruit of the Spirit" (<a id="verse_1632877788366521" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/5/22">Gal. 5:22</a>; <a id="verse_1632877788118996260" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/5/23">23</a>)."God's Word declares that we are dead indeed unto sin,' but nowhere does it say that we are dead in ourselves. We shall look in vain within to find death there. We have died to sin; not in ourselves, but in Christ,' and our death with Him is as sure as His death, and since we died with Him it is impossible for His death to be certain and ours uncertain."We were crucified with Him because we were in Him (<a id="verse_1632877788822996" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/2/20">Gal. 2:20</a>). We are raised in Him (<a id="verse_1632877788610426" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>); we are complete in Him (<a id="verse_1632877788576440" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Colossians/2/10">Col. 2:10</a>); we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Him (<a id="verse_1632877788690795" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/1/3">Eph. 1:3</a>); the entire work regarding us is not done in us but in the Lord Jesus - the Father has done all in His Son. If you stand on the ground of what the Lord Jesus is (abide), you will find in your growth that all that is true of Him is becoming true of you; but if you remain on the ground of what you are in yourself, you will find that all that is true of the old man is true of you in life and walk.""The purpose of Paul, in Romans Six, is to show how completely the believer is identified with the Lord Jesus when He died unto sin.' To enter fully into the meaning of that death is to see that He has emancipated us from any further dealings with our old master, sin. The believer is privileged thus to take his position in the risen Lord Jesus, who is now alive unto God.' From that ground he is henceforth to regard sin." -E.H."Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free" (<a id="verse_1632877788336920" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Galatians/5/1">Gal. 5:1</a>).

 Groundwork 

<blockquote>Hath made us alive together with Christ" (<a id="verse_1632877847867177" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/5">Eph. 2:5</a>).</blockquote>The Father has placed us in His very heart, and He intends for our heart to find its place there."Think of the fast embrace with which I find myself held, right to the heart of my Father, when I discern my position in His Beloved Son. Grace, absolute sovereign grace, has set me there - to show its exceeding riches throughout time and eternity. What could effort of mine have done in this matter? What can failure of mine undo?" -F.W.G."The first action of the Spirit in the soul for growth is to assure you of the Father's love for you, and then you are not thinking about yourself or your own state, but of Him; though no doubt you will be greatly exercised as to how you are answering to that love. Now you know you have a living bond with the Lord Jesus, you are linked with Him in spirit, and a new interest altogether is awakened in your heart; it is with Him you are occupied." -J.B.S."If I have lost the world and its things, what have I gained? I have a Person, and the love of that Person for my heart. And when I think of who that Person is, and how He has brought divine love to me, and how He draws my heart to Himself in an ineffable scene  of divine affections, I begin to taste divine satisfaction.""The Lord Jesus by His death has undertaken to remove all my unsuitability. And by that death I am entitled to be with the Father and the Son as one set free from all that attached to me as a child of fallen Adam. It is a love which has removed for its own satisfaction everything that I am morally as of the race of Adam, so that I might be free in the presence of that love." -C.A.C."Hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (<a id="verse_1632877847673606" href="https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/Ephesians/2/6">Eph. 2:6</a>).

 Home Free! 

For Reading and Meditation:      Ephesians 2:1-10We are acknowledging that in order to understand "grace" we must see it in relation to a Sovereign. As one writer puts it: "Grace is bound to be sovereign since it cannot by its very nature be subject to compulsion." That is why we often refer to it as free grace. There is no reason for grace but grace. I believe the old definition of grace cannot be improved: "Grace is the free unmerited favor of God." At the heart of all true communion with God there lies this gripping truth - God took the initiative. He is more inclined toward us than we are toward Him. We cannot earn His affection. We have simply to receive it. Always the initiative is from God. When you originally came to Him you came because He first drew you. The very faith by which you lay hold of Him is not of yourself; it is, as our text says, "the gift of God." Every step you make on your spiritual pilgrimage is possible because of His grace. I know this teaching affronts modern-day men and women because they like to feel that they can "work their passage to heaven," as one preacher puts it. That is like someone in debt for a million pounds trying to get the one to whom he is indebted to accept his resources of a few pence as being sufficient to clear the debt. Listen to the Word of God again and let it sink deep into your soul: "For it is by grace you have been saved  it is the gift of God." Grace is a gift. You have not to achieve but simply receive.O Father, once again my heart is moved as I realize it was not my merit but Your mercy, acting in grace, that drew You to me, and me to you. All honor and glory be to Your mighty and everlasting Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Romans 5:1-21</li><li>Titus 3:7</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul define grace?</li><li>Write out your own definition of grace.</li></ul></div></div>

Let a little light into your soul every day with this wonderful devotional from English pastor Selwyn Hughes.

Every Day Light with Selwyn Hughes

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith  it is the gift of God " (v. 8)

For Reading and Meditation:      Deuteronomy 7:1-10When the Bible says God is love, it is saying more than that God loves, or that God is loving, or even that God is lovely; it is saying that love is the power behind everything He does - love is not merely one of His attributes but His whole nature. God is not only the Author of loving acts; He is love in the very core of His Being. Our thoughts of God's love must be built on God's revelation about Himself in the Scriptures, not by projecting our own ideas about love on to Him. Let's focus, therefore, on what the Bible has to say about the God who is love. First, God's love is uninfluenced. By that I mean nothing in us can give rise to it and nothing in us can extinguish it. It is "love for nothing," as someone once put it. The love which we humans have for one another is drawn out of us by something in the object of our love. But God's love is not like that; His love is free, spontaneous, and uncaused. The passage before us today makes clear that there is no reason behind the love of God for His people. If you look for a reason you just won't find one. He loves because  He loves. No man or woman can ever explain why God loves us. To "explain" it would require that He loves us for something outside of Himself, and, as we have seen, He loves us for ourselves alone. And that love has its beginning not in us but in Himself. He is love's source as well as its river.O God, what security this gives me to know that Your love for me will never be diminished and never be taken away. Help me reflect on this and draw from it the inspiration I need to walk tall and strong through every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Ephesians 2:1-10</li><li>1 John 3:1</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul describe God's reason for saving us?</li><li>How does John put it?</li></ul></div></div>

"The Lord did not  choose you because you were  numerous  But the Lord loved you " (vv. 7-8)

For Reading and Meditation:      Galatians 3:1-25The Christian Church has always struggled to get the balance right between faith and works. Romans is the great book on "faith" while James is the great book on "works." I know some Christians who never read the book of James, taking sides with Martin Luther who called it a "book of straw." Martin Luther may have been right about many things but he was wrong when he referred to the Epistle of James in this way. We need to study both Romans and James if we want to be properly balanced Christians. The difficulty with faith and works is this: we come into the Christian life by depending on the innocent sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ on Calvary as sufficient ground for our acceptance with God, and then when we learn the principles of Christian living we turn from dependency on Christ to dependency on them. This was the great problem in the Galatian churches and it is still a problem here in the Church of the twentieth century. Bringing forth the fruit of repentance by good works is terribly important but we are not to depend on works for our salvation. We tend to focus more on works than faith because it is something visible and tangible. We can see what we are doing and assess it or measure it. Faith is different. It requires of us a degree of helplessness (something the carnal nature detests), but if we are to know God better and avoid falling into the trap of pursuing godliness more keenly than God, then faith must be seen as the primary virtue.O Father, help me get this right. I am saved to good works but I am not saved by good works. Prevent me from falling into the trap of being more preoccupied with Your principles than with You Yourself. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Ephesians 2:1-9</li><li>Galatians 2:16</li><li>Romans 9:32</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>What did Paul remind the Ephesians?</li><li>What did he emphasise to the Galatians?</li></ul></div></div>

"After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?" (v. 3)

For Reading and Meditation:      Ephesians 1:15-23Young Christians who have just come into the faith often ask: Why is the resurrection so important? How can an event which took place 2,000 years ago have any relevance for us today? Three very simple statements (not original to me) will bring us to the heart of the matter. First, the resurrection of Christ assures us of God's forgiveness. Forgiveness is one of humanity's greatest needs. Jack Winslow, in his book Confession and Absolution, says that the head of a large English mental hospital remarked that he could dismiss half of his patients immediately if they could be assured of forgiveness. The resurrection is convincing proof that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was accepted, and thus gives us the assurance that all our sins can be forgiven. Second, the resurrection of Christ assures us of God's power. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another to live above the power of sin. "Men may change their ways," say some writers (as we saw) from non-Christian religions, "but they can't change their character." Well, God can change people's character. He did so with the apostle Paul, with Peter, and with countless others. Paul's prayer in the passage before us today focuses on this - that we might comprehend something of the power released in the world through the resurrection. Third, the resurrection assures us of God's ultimate triumph. Other religions and ideologies have very vague ideas about the future. Some believe in endless cycles of reincarnations; others nirvana. Christians, however, have a hope that is different. Death for a believer is nothing more than the anteroom to glory.Father, this must be the moment when debate ends and dedication begins. As You have done so much for me, I want to commit myself in a deeper way than ever before to living life in the power of Your resurrection. Help me dear Father. In Jesus' Name. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Ephesians 2:1-10</li><li>Romans 8:11</li><li>Colossians 3:1</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>To what extent do we experience resurrection life?</li><li>To what heights does resurrection life raise us?</li></ul></div></div>

"... he raised [Christ] from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms ..." (v. 20)

For Reading and Meditation:      Ephesians 2:1-10A Hindu once said in my presence: "A man may change his acts but not his character." He was saying that a change is possible, but not a vertical change; there can be improvement, modification, a change of attitude, but no deep radical change. The Christian church is not without a sprinkling of what yesterday I called "horizontal" conversions. Many historians have called attention to the fact that when Christianity swept through Europe, there were many genuine conversions to Christ but many horizontal ones too - people taking the Name of Christ for political or economic expediency. They were converted horizontally but still in need of a vertical conversion. When I was about fourteen years of age I was "horizontally" converted. I was a mischievous young man, and one day in church I made up my mind to be "a good boy." I tried hard to give up such things as swearing, stealing, and so on, but it didn't last. Although I felt religious, there was no great inward change. On a horizontal level I was converted, but not in relation to God. About a year later, sitting in the same church and under deep conviction of sin, I made a complete and total surrender to God. I was vertically converted. I walked out of that church feeling as if I had been turned inside out. From that moment my life was changed, old habits began to disappear, and my whole being was flooded with light. I tell you with all the conviction of my being, the vertical was much different than the horizontal. O God, help us not to be converted to the things surrounding Christ - religious rituals for example - but to Christ Himself. For if we don't touch Him we don't touch life, and there will be no deep inward change. In His dear Name we ask it. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Titus 3:1-5</li><li>Ezekiel 36:26</li><li>John 3:3-7</li><li>1 Peter 1:23</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How is the change in a person described?</li><li>How is it accomplished?</li></ul></div></div>

"... God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions ..." (vv. 4-5) 

For Reading and Meditation:      Ephesians 3:14-21We are seeing that once we enter the sanctuary of God our perspective changes. This can happen to us when we are alone, of course, but the chances are it will happen more swiftly in the act of corporate worship. It is a command of God that we meet together, not only that we might come to know each other better, but that we might also come to know Him better. And here's the interesting thing - the more effectively we relate to one another, the more effectively we relate to Him. We come to know God better through the act of corporate worship than when we worship on our own. That is not to say that the shut-ins, or those who for various reasons are unable to meet together in worship, cannot know God intimately, but something special flows out of the act of corporate worship. Listen to how C.S. Lewis put it: "God can show Himself as He really is only to real men. And that means not simply men who are individually good but to men who are united together in a body, loving one another, helping one another, showing Him to one another. For that is what God meant humanity to be like; like players in one band, or organs in one body. Consequently the only real adequate instrument for learning about God is the whole Christian community, waiting for Him together. Christian brotherhood is, so to speak, the technical equipment for this science - the laboratory outfit." Christians who neglect attendance at the church, or choose to deprive themselves of fellowship with other Christians, miss out on life's greatest science - learning about God. My Father and my God, I am so thankful that, although I can know You when I am alone, I can know You even better through the fellowship of the Church. Help me to learn about You in every way I can. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.<div class="tl-lightgrey mt20 pt20 flexbox-row-wrap jc-around"><div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">AdditionalVerses</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>Ephesians 2:1-19</li><li>Romans 8:15</li><li>2 Corinthians 6:18</li><li>Galatians 4:5</li></ul></div>

<div><div class="fs-17 fg-mustard bold center-it">Questions to Consider</div><ul style="margin-top:0px"><li>How does Paul describe the Church?</li><li>What does it mean to be adopted?</li></ul></div></div>

" that you  may be able to comprehend with all the saints " (vv. 17-18, NKJ)

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Ephesians 2:6

 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

In 1604, King James I of England authorized that a new translation of the Bible into English be started. It was finished in 1611, just 85 years after the first translation of the New Testament into English appeared (Tyndale, 1526). The Authorized Version, or King James Version, quickly became the standard for English-speaking Protestants. Its flowing language and prose rhythm has had a profound influence on the literature of the past 400 years. The King James Version present on the Bible Gateway matches the 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States.

OT: Masoretic Text, some LXX and Vulgate influence.
NT: Textus Receptus, similar to the Byzantine text-type; some readings derived from the Vulgate.
Apocrypha: Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate.

Ephesians 2:6 KJV

Ephesians 2:6 KJV

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