June 1 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

We must know if we are saved, and we must also know how we are saved.

When the question "How were you saved?" is asked, we must not give such unimportant answers as, "By meeting that person," or "By undergoing that surgery," or "By listening to that preacher." These details may be important for our personal files and friends, but such answers should not be the topics for speeches, books, or songs.

When the question "How were you saved?" is asked, we should all be able to answer: "By grace!" That's an important answer. And a worthy topic for a speech or a book or an eternal song.

"By grace" means that we did not save ourselves. God saved us through Jesus Christ. With Christ I died, and with Christ I arose. That's how I was saved, and that's how you were saved—or you are not saved at all.

"Grace" is God's unmerited favor. We did not get what we deserved. In fact, we got exactly the opposite of what we deserved.

"By grace" means that salvation is free—not cheap, of course, but a gift nevertheless. God's way of salvation makes a joke of all human efforts and all do-it-yourself religions. We are saved by grace, through faith in Christ—or we are lost.

If you have to explain to someone what you mean by the grace of God, you find yourself talking about Jesus. You can't help it. Why? Because God's "great love for us" (v. 4) has been completely revealed in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

We were saved because Christ represented us in his death and in his resurrection. Grace wiped out our sins on Good Friday, and God's grace "made us alive with Christ" on the first day of the week.

REFLECTIONS

What does it mean for your daily living that you are "saved by grace"?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.