 I admire the apostle Paul for several reasons. One of them being his persistent prayer for the churches to whom he ministers. He makes it clear in his letters how thankful he is for the churches and how he prays for them often.
 Does the grace of God have an effect in your life?
The apostle Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10 ESV).  What does a successful life look like?
In our Americanized way of thinking, we usually answer that question with things like a nice home, a stable relationship, and a steady job with a good salary. Of course, none of those things are wrong in and of themselves. But we must never forget how, as followers of Christ, our definition of success must be shaped by God’s kingdom rather than this world.  Do you ever just take a moment to thank God for your salvation?
We tend to forget the magnitude of God’s work in our lives. But we rarely forget about our cares in this world. It’s hard for us to go a single day without considering how we might satisfy our fleshly desires. Why? Because we love this world.  I began my fourth year of college this week. But I’m in a five-year Master of Divinity program, so it’s not exactly my senior year. On Tuesday, Jordy had an appointment for her pregnancy. While waiting for her to return from seeing the OBGYN, I read Systematic Theology. Thankfully, our baby is looking good. And so is my life. But it’s looking a whole lot different than I expected.
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