I'm sure you've seen a cartoon somewhere with a baby bear growling at an imposing enemy, with the result being that the enemy turns and runs, but then the camera zooms out and we see the baby bear's mother looming behind it, and the baby bear realizes that the enemy fled out of fear of the mother, not the baby bear's growl. For a moment, the baby thought it was terrifying, only to realize the real source of strength later.
That's how I feel when I read this passage, and I give thanks that it doesn't depend on me. I get things wrong. In a world where we are often measured according to our output, all of us are under endless amounts of pressure to deliver.
Thanks be to God that the Gospel works differently. Here, we are saved through grace, a free gift of God. We don't boast in ourselves, but rather we savor the grace of God.
Of course -- it's not meant to be a dead-end street. We are God's workmanship, and we're saved for good works. There is a reason we are saved -- we should walk in the way of grace in the world. God saves us to be part of Christ's church, and that community of believers is sent into the world to love with the same ferocity with which we are loved.
How to Pray: Lord, thank you for the free gift of grace that saves. Help me to walk in the light of grace as I move through the world today.
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