The Big Shuffle

The Big Shuffle

Bible:Ephesians 2:4-10

It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God (V.8).

Reading

As a bus driver, the woman showed great care towards the kids she drove to school each day—quizzing them on homework and making a big deal of their successes. “I want to see these kids make it in life,” she said. But there was another motivation for how she lived her life. When she was a teenager the words of an aunt had shaken this woman to her core. “She’d tell us that we had to do something God would notice,” she explained, “or else we’d get lost in the big shuffle!” Worried at the idea of hell after the “big shuffle” of judgement, this woman had come up with ways to “get God’s attention”—going to church so “He’d see me being loyal” and working
hard to serve others so God might “hear from others what I was doing.” I was so sad reading her words. Why had no one told this woman that she already had God’s attention (MATTHEW 10:30)? How had she not heard that Jesus took care of the big shuffle for us, offering freedom from judgement forever (ROMANS 8:1)? How had she missed that salvation can’t be bought with a ‘good’ life but is a gift to anyone who trusts Jesus (EPHESIANS 2:8-9)? Jesus’ life, death and resurrection take care of our future with God and set us free to live for Him now with joy.

WE DON’T NEED TO TRY TO GET GOD’S ATTENTION
OR IMPRESS HIM.

YouTh Edition – Our Daily Bread Ministries