7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:7–10)
It is almost impossible to stay neutral when it comes to how we became saved. We read of his grace as the main actor by means of our faith, a faith which was certainly not triggered “as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” We don’t know why, outside of his grace, but some were “set apart” to experience this transaction through the exercise of faith that was gifted not acquired, and you ask why me? It does not seem fair, but we’ll take this low hanging fruit as did the thief on the cross.
You look back and can see how you were gently angled in the direction of Christ. Where there could have been a detour away from the savior there was a gentle push towards him. It is like we were sequestered for a time in the safe confines of his “grace” to contemplate his offer one-on-one which, under the circumstances, became irresistible. The chief agent in all of this seemed to be, in my case, God’s spirit through the pages of his written word, that became so compelling it couldn’t be put down.
At some point there comes the revelation beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’ve been given the greatest gift of all, and that I must obediently respond by walking in the good works prepared for me beforehand, whatever they might be. However described, this transaction is truly a mystery, one to be pondered for the full extent of one’s existence on earth as “settled science,” so to speak, because the “The sum of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting,” (Psalm 119:160), and, “Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
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