Grace & Purpose

Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Readings: Ephesians 2 | Psalm 94:1-11

“For by grace you have been saved through faith.” Paul repeats this twice in this one chapter, maybe because listeners would need to hear it over and over again. These words have helped shape the Reformed tradition for centuries. We don't rescue ourselves. Salvation isn't God's reward for good people. It is God's gift to people who need grace. But Paul doesn't stop there. We are also God's “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Grace doesn't leave us where it finds us. God saves us and then sends us into a world where there is real work to be done.

Psalm 94 looks honestly at that world. The psalmist sees arrogance, injustice, and vulnerable people being mistreated and cries out for God to act. Christians don't have to pretend everything is fine. Because we know that God sees what is broken, we can see it too, and then ask how the good works God has prepared for us might bring his mercy into those places. Grace is never earned through good works, but doesn't grace set God's people in motion?

Devotional Prompts:

• Why is it sometimes difficult to accept that God's grace is a gift rather than something we must earn?
• Where do you see brokenness, injustice, or someone in need around you? What might it look like to join God in bringing hope or help to that situation?

Prayer: God of grace and justice, thank you that my salvation is your gift. Open my eyes to the good work you have prepared for me today. May your fingerprints be evident all over my life.