Ephesians 2:1-10 [NIV] | 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Helen, 8, and Brandon, 5, squealed excitedly at the sight of a small petting zoo set up in the middle of the mall. “Can we go, dad? Can we? Please?”
Smiling, their dad gave them each a quarter, and then stepped into the hardware store to pick up the items they had come to purchase. A few minutes later, Helen wandered into the store. Mildly alarmed, he asked, “Helen, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you in the petting zoo?”
“Well, the entrance fee wasn’t a quarter, it was fifty cents,” replied Helen. “I knew how much Brandon loves baby animals, so I gave him my quarter and let him go in instead of me.”
They walked back out to the petting zoo and watched Brandon playing with the baby animals. The dad knew he had two more quarters in his pocket, but he didn’t give them to Helen. He wanted her to understand that love requires sacrifice.
Now that is a great display of love from a sister to her brother. Love costs; if it doesn’t cost, it isn’t love. That story gives us a small glimpse of what God is like. His love was willing and sacrificial, without thought of what we could give to Him in return.
In this story, we also find all three people being blessed. The dad was blessed to see his daughter give out of love. The daughter was blessed to watch her brother play, and of course the boy was blessed to be able to go in and play with the baby animals. That day, all three caught a glimpse of what love looks like.
Love in Action:
Which of the three people in the story do you connect with the most?
