Love Letters

GETTING STARTED

What do guys often do when they fall in love? Write a poem or letter to express the intensity of their feelings for the love of their life. I am willing to bet that every guy who has ever been in love has tried his hand at poetic utterance at least once. And what lady doesn’t thrill to get such a love letter, no matter how unskilled the message may be? Why? Because the love letter expresses the depth of the suitor’s heart. Now imagine that suitor using a representative to relay his message to the one whose heart he hopes to win. What an awesome responsibility and privilege to be given!

  • What would you think of the suitor’s messenger if he misrepresented the message for the suitor?

READ THE WORD: EPHESIANS 2:1-10 (ESV)

2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not 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, that we should walk in them.

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. How did Paul describe our human condition in verse 1? What do you think people who are in this condition need most?
  2. List all the things that God is and all that he does for us (vss. 4-10).
  3. Compare the two “walks” in verses 2 and 10. How would you describe their differences?
  4. Find at least two things in this passage that state God’s motive for being so gracious to us and describe them.
  5. “Workmanship,” in verse 10, is translated from the Greek word from which we derive “poem” in English. How could we be considered God’s poem?

RESPOND TO GOD

The Greek word from which we derive “poem” began being used in English in the 1500s. Although we cannot force this meaning into what Paul wrote, there is a sense that it was used at that time for writing of great purpose and significance (Acts 17:28). It was, in one sense, a writer’s masterpiece or work of art. Paul chose this word to tell us that we are God’s message to the world, part of his grand plan to communicate his love story of redemption to this sin-ravaged world full of people “dead in trespasses and sins.” Poet Paul Gilbert wrote these words:

You are writing a Gospel,

A chapter each day,

By deeds that you do,

By words that you say.

Let’s choose to live lives that tell the truth about God’s message, his love letter to mankind!

  • Spend some time thanking God for his indescribable gift of salvation.
  • Ask for God’s insight and leading about the works he has “prepared beforehand” for you to do today.