你喜欢你在照片上的样子吗？
以弗所书二章1至10节
1你们死在过犯罪恶之中，他叫你们活过来。
2那时，你们在其中行事为人，随从今世的风俗，顺服空中掌权者的首领，就是现今在悖逆之子心中运行的邪灵。
3我们从前也都在他们中间，放纵肉体的私欲，随着肉体和心中所喜好的去行，本为可怒之子，和别人一样。
4然而，神既有丰富的怜悯，因他爱我们的大爱，
5当我们死在过犯中的时候，便叫我们与基督一同活过来。你们得救是本乎恩。
6他又叫我们与基督耶稣一同复活，一同坐在天上，
7要将他极丰富的恩典，就是他在基督耶稣里向我们所施的恩慈，显明给后来的世代看。
8你们得救是本乎恩，也因着信；这并不是出于自己，乃是神所赐的；
9也不是出于行为，免得有人自夸。
10我们原是他的工作，在基督耶稣里造成的，为要叫我们行善，就是神所预备叫我们行的。
信息分享
以弗所书第二章所勾划出来的，正是我们在认识基督之前的样子。从前那个样子真是难看，你同意吗？经文直言我们昔日是「死在罪中」。我们的行事为人，跟一般罪人的表现一样，同样是被撒但所辖制。我们虽然不喜欢这个样子，却不得不承认那确是我们的真实写照。
然而，当耶稣进入我们的心中，祂便给我们的生命带来重大的改变，因为我们「得救是本乎恩，也因着信」。如今我们的写照便截然不同了，简直是脱胎换骨，因为我们已变成了新人。这改变的关键是甚么？
关键是在于第4节--「然而，神…」。是神主动进到黑暗的世界，把光明带给我们。当我们还是身陷罪中的时候，祂甘愿纡尊降贵地来到我们中间，拯救我们，引领我们来到祂和祂儿子的身边。你愿意为到神所做的一切而赞美祂吗？
神为何要这样做呢？因为祂爱我们。罪使我们永远与神隔绝，因此，祂要把我们从罪中拯救出来。那么，我们既已得救，祂又对我们有么期望呢？祂期望我们每天为祂而活，以致当别人看见我们的重大改变时，也同样渴望神改变他们的生命。
祷告：
求主帮助我有美好的见证，以致别人在我的生命中看见主。
HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR PHOTO?
Ephesians 2: 1 – 10
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,
5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),
6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Message
Here in Ephesians chapter 2 we have a picture of what we all were like before we came to Christ. It isn’t very pretty is it? It says we were ‘dead in sins’. We behaved just like everyone else. We did the things they did and Satan had us under his control. We have to agree. That is just what we were like.
But what does one of our favourite hymns say? ‘What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought, since Jesus came into my heart.’ Now there’s a big difference. Here’s a picture that is right up-to-date. ‘By grace we have been saved, through faith.’ Isn’t that a wonderful picture? How did it all happen?
Two words in verse 4 are the key –‘BUT GOD’. What did God do? He stepped into our darkness and gave us light. He stooped down to where we were in sin and lifted us up to a place right beside himself and his son. Don’t you praise God for doing all of that?
Why did he do it? Because he loved is. He wanted to save us from our sin and from being separated from him for all eternity. What does he want us to do now? He wants us to daily live for him so that others will want him to make that same tremendous change in their lives that he has made in ours.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY:
May others see Jesus in me today.