As Americans, we use the words “I”, “my,” and “mine” quite a lot. There are a number of reasons for this, ranging from the structure of English as compared to other languages, to participating in a fairly self-centered culture. As a society, we place high value on individuality and achievement. We live under pressure to set and attain goals, to be the best at what we do, to strive for excellence. And when we do, we love to receive recognition for our accomplishments.

But God isn’t limited by American cultural practices. It may be tough on our brains to figure out what it means that salvation is a God-given gift that we cannot earn or acquire through effort. We can’t boast about it because we didn’t do anything to deserve it. “Instead, we are God’s accomplishment, created in Christ Jesus to do good things,” says the writer of Ephesians. Stop and think about that for a minute. If you considered yourself “God’s accomplishment,” what affect would that have on your life?

By Becky Ullom Naugle from D365