Gracious Father, we humbly fall before your throne of mercy and grace remembering our once destitute condition. We had no understanding or aptitude to seek you. We were worthless and turned away from you. There was no goodness found in us. Our communication yielded deceit from our wretched hearts like the poison of vipers. Our mouths were full of cursing and bitterness and our feet were swift to shed blood. We left ruin and misery in our wake and the way of peace we did not know. We had no fear of God. we were indescribably corrupt and destitute. Who could possibly rescue us? Only you, gracious Father!
In our state of desperation and despair, you justified us freely by your grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. You presented Christ as our sacrifice, making us at one with you through the shedding of his blood that we received by faith.
Oh, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. You Father chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in your sight. In love you predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with your pleasure and will— to the praise of his glorious grace, which you have freely given us in the One you love. In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, you made known to us the mystery of your will according to your good pleasure, which you purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
Gracious Father, no words could describe our thankful hearts. We were enemies and are now forgiven, orphans and now sons, guilty and now blameless, indebted and now rich, aimless and now an integral part of Christ’s kingdom work. We find ourselves lavished with your grace and love! Oh, the blessings!
In Christ,
Blessings!
Romans 3:10-20
10 There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.” 13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; 16 ruin and misery mark their ways, 17 and the way of peace they do not know.” 18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Romans 3:23-25
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood to be received by faith.
Ephesians 1:3-10
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.