“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, that no one should boast.”  ephesians 2:8,9

TODAY was all about my husband.  i worked nonstop for several hours.  i’m talking hard work.  organizing. moving furniture. cleaning out.  and attacking a very scary garage.  every project around the house was done for his benefit.  to lift his load.  to give him more time to rest.  to help his business run more efficiently.  to reduce clutter and distraction, enabling him to focus on what is most important.

he was (mostly) pleasantly surprised tonight when he arrived home.  he saw it.  took it in.  realized the intentional planning.  the time.  the effort.  the accomplishment.

as we sat on the sofa he took my hand and said, “what did i do to deserve this today?”  my response (smirking, then serious:)  “nothing, sweetie.  you don’t deserve it.  it’s just for love.  it’s that thing Jesus teaches us to do.”

and here’s the truth:  he doesn’t deserve it.  and neither do i.  and neither do you.  we all fall miserably short of being worthy to receive any special treatment or recognition.  and yet.  Jesus died.  chose to die.  yes, chose it.

don’t believe that stuff about someone “killing Jesus.”  don’t even let someone pull you into that discussion.

Jesus answered that question long before it was asked.

“I lay down my life that I may take it again.  no one takes it away from me, but I lay it down on my own initiative.”  John 10:17, 18

salvation is a gift.  Jesus’ gift of love to you.  to me.  a gift offered to us, not on the basis of anything we’ve done.  no amount of goodness, kindness, generosity, love, religion, or selflessness could ever be enough to earn the gift of salvation.  we do those things in response to His love for us, not in an effort to earn it.

part of journeying with God is learning to live that way.  the Jesus way.  loving people who don’t deserve it.  throwing grace on those who should receive far less.

gifting people with kindness just because.

just because it’s the Jesus way.