Ephesians 1; Ezekiel 4-5; Psalm 150

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 1:2 NKJV)

What beautiful words those two words are: grace and peace. It’s the grace of God that brings us peace with God. We’re granted forgiveness through God’s grace and that allows us to live in peace with God and with ourselves. At the same time, Paul blends greetings from two cultures, the Greek greeting of grace (charis) and the Hebrew greeting of peace (shalom) as a way of reminding the members of the Ephesian church that there is no division between the two ethnic groups. The gospel, when seen in all of the beauty God planned, brings former enemies together and unifies those who would never get together otherwise. 

Grace and peace brings together the “you guys” from up north and the “y’all” folks from the south. Grace and peace unites all ethnic groups in amazing ways that speak volumes to a society that thrives on division and confrontation. Our lives should reflect the peace of God in our hearts as we share the grace of God in our words and actions. God’s grace and peace should overflow in our lives to allow us to speak grace and peace to others no matter how different their sin may be than ours, or no matter how different their skin color or language may be than ours. God wants all people to experience His grace and peace: sometimes we are the way He shows it.

Lord, thank You for the grace and peace I’ve experienced, Let my life reflect those qualities and may I always show others Your grace and peace.