Day 1: Because He Lives, Grace Is Yours
1 Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
We talk a lot about grace as something that happened in the past, something that saved us back then. Other times we look for it in the future, something that will carry us to heaven. But what about right now? What about the middle of your mess? The Monday morning chaos, the regret from last night, the fears you’re trying not to name– is grace there too?
Peter calls it a living hope. Not just a belief. Not just a doctrine. Not something dead or dusty. A living, breathing hope that reaches into this moment because Jesus is alive.
The resurrection isn’t just a historical event; it’s a present reality. Jesus didn’t rise so you could simply admire His power. He rose so you could walk in it. Because the tomb is empty, grace is alive—and active—in your everyday life.
That means grace is there…
- When you snap at your spouse.
- When you lie awake replaying what you wish you hadn’t said.
- When your doubts get louder than your faith.
- When you’re tired of pretending and afraid to be honest.
Right then—right now—grace is there.
And not just there. It’s working. It’s resurrecting things you thought were beyond healing. It’s breathing life into dead places in your heart. It’s giving you strength for another step, peace that doesn’t make sense, hope that holds on.
Because Jesus lives, grace lives. And because grace lives, you can too.
Prayer: God, thank You that Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb. Help me live like my Savior is alive. Fill me with the hope the resurrection brings. Let my day not be shaped by fear, but by your grace that is alive in me.
Day 2: When You Can’t, Grace Does
Ephesians 2:8 For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.
Have you ever tried fixing something that you had no idea how to fix? Like staring at car trouble with a butter knife in your hand, hoping for a miracle? Or maybe you’ve tried fixing yourself—your temper, your guilt, your secret sin—thinking you just needed more effort, more time, more willpower. But what if the problem isn’t that you’re not trying hard enough… but that trying harder was never the answer?
Scripture says you were dead in your trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Not sick. Not stuck. Dead. And dead people don’t fix anything. They don’t get better. They don’t crawl toward God or clean themselves up. They need resurrection. That’s why grace saves—because you can’t.
Grace is God’s undeserved kindness toward people who couldn’t lift a finger to help themselves. It’s not God meeting you halfway. It’s not you doing your best and Him filling in the gaps. It’s Him doing what only He could do—saving you when you couldn’t save yourself.
That means you don’t have to pretend you’ve got it together. You don’t have to act like your past isn’t messy or your heart isn’t heavy. Jesus came for the spiritually dead, not the barely-hanging-on. He came to rescue you, not recruit you to earn your way.
So what now? Rest. Stop striving to prove yourself. Stop trying to earn what can only be received. Cry out to the One who raises the dead. Let His grace carry you where your strength never could.
Prayer: Father, I know that I can’t save myself. Thank You that I don’t have to. Thank You for doing what I never could. Help me rest in Your grace today.
Day 3: Grace Isn’t a Trade—it’s a Gift
Ephesians 2:9 …not from works, so that no one can boast.
Receiving gifts is not always easy. Have you ever received a gift and then felt like you needed to earn it? Maybe someone paid for your meal and so you felt like you had to pay next time. Or maybe you got something that was so generous it made you uncomfortable because you felt like you owed them.
That’s how we treat God’s grace sometimes. We try to turn it into some sort of trade. We think, “God saved me, so now I have to be good enough to stay saved.” Or, “He gave me this gift, so I’ll pay Him back with a perfect life.” But grace doesn’t work that way. Grace is a gift, not a trade.
The minute we try to pay for grace, we ruin it. If grace could be earned, it wouldn’t be grace; it would be payment. And Scripture is clear—it is not from works, so that no one can boast. There’s no room for bragging. No place for spiritual résumés. God gets all the credit because He did all the saving.
And get this: the only thing you brought to the table was your need. You didn’t trade your “best behavior” for forgiveness. You handed Jesus your sin, and He gave you His righteousness. That’s not a trade; that’s mercy. That’s grace.
So stop trying to earn what He already gave you. You don’t need to live today with the weight of guilt or the pressure to perform. Just receive, live free, and let your obedience flow not from delight, not debt.
Prayer: Lord, I admit that I treat Your grace like something I need to pay back. Help me live like someone who’s been given a gift, not like someone hired for a job. Thank You for saving me with no strings attached.
Day 4: Grace Is Now—Because Jesus Lives
Ephesians 2:8 For you are saved by grace through faith…
It’s easy to treat grace like it belongs in the future, like it’s something that kicks in when we die and stand before God, like it’s a coupon we’re saving for the checkout line of eternity. But Ephesians 2:8 says, you are saved. Present tense. Not just “you will be saved” someday; you are right now.
Why? Because the tomb is empty right now. The good news of Easter is that Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose, and because He rose, grace isn’t some dusty doctrine we tuck away until life falls apart. It’s the real, living kindness of Jesus offered to you in every moment.
That means something for you.
- You don’t have to carry shame for what happened last week. Grace is now.
- You don’t have to pretend you’re okay when you’re unraveling inside. Grace is now.
- You don’t have to wait until you’re stronger, wiser, or better to come to God. Grace is now.
Think about your life today. Where are you living like grace is in the junk drawer—saved for later, but not used now? Pull it out. Trust that Jesus really did rise, and because He lives, His grace is ready for whatever you face.
Grace isn’t an emergency escape hatch. It’s your lifeline. Right now.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You that grace isn’t just for later but for right now too. Help me lean on Your mercy today. Help me live like You’re alive…because You are.
Day 5: The Illusion of Earning
Ephesians 2:9 Not from works, so that no one can boast.
We live in a world built on transactions. You work, you get paid. You study, you get a grade. You perform, you get applause. IWe’re wired to believe that everything has to be earned, even love…even God’s love.
That’s why grace is so different. It undoes our pride and our self-sufficiency. It tells us that no matter how good we are, it’s not good enough. And it tells us that we don’t have to be.
This verse says, “Not from works, so that no one can boast.” That means we have no bragging rights, no spiritual trophies, no backdoor deals with God. We only have a level playing field where all of us come empty-handed and receive a gift we could never afford.
But if we’re honest, even after receiving grace, we still try to earn it sometimes. We try to read more, pray better, serve harder—not out of joy, but out of fear. And we’re afraid that we’re not measuring up or that God’s love might run out.
Friend, you don’t have to live like that. You didn’t earn grace in the first place, and you don’t have to maintain it like a subscription. It’s yours because God is good, not because you are. So, let go of the illusion of earning and rest in what’s already been given.
Prayer: Father, forgive me for trying to earn what You’ve already freely given. Remind me today that grace isn’t a reward for the good, but a gift to the unworthy. Help me live like someone who’s already loved.
Day 6: Boasting in the Right Place
Ephesians 2:9 So that no one can boast.
You’ve been around a “one-upper” before, right? Like you tell a story about your dog doing a trick, and then they share that their dog won a national dog show. That kind of bragging gets old quick. But we all like to boast. We want people to know that we’re capable, accomplished, and worth admiring.
But when it comes to salvation, God shuts all that down. So that no one can boast isn’t just a phrase, it’s a warning. If we could take credit for our salvation, we definitely would. And if we did, we’d completely miss the point.
The cross doesn’t leave any room for celebrating ourselves. Grace demolishes our pride and redirects our bragging to where it belongs– in what Jesus has done for us. The only right response to grace is worship, not boasting.
So what do you boast in?
- Your knowledge of the Bible?
- Your consistency in spiritual disciplines?
- Your church attendance?
- Your ability to avoid “big” sins?
If any of that becomes the foundation of your identity, you’ve missed the wonder of grace.
But if you can say, “I’m saved because Jesus saved me, period,” then you’re boasting in the right place. And that’s the kind of humility that magnifies Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, I confess that I sometimes find pride in spiritual things. Help me boast in You alone. Let my confidence rest not in what I do for You, but in what You’ve done for me.
Day 7: Grace That Won’t Let Go
Ephesians 2:8 For you are saved by grace through faith…
I love fresh starts. I think we all do. New calendars, clean slates, blank pages—they carry a kind of hope with them. But the problem isn’t usually starting over; the problem is staying. We fall back into old patterns and old fears, and we wonder if grace really sticks.
Do you want some good news? Grace isn’t fragile. It doesn’t shatter the second we mess up. It doesn’t expire. It doesn’t walk out when we fail. You are saved by grace—not by your consistency, not by your performance, not by how good your week has been.
Grace is steady when you are shaky. It holds on when you fall short. It refuses to let go even when you try to run from it.
That’s the difference between grace and religion. Religion says, “Keep it together or you’ll lose what you have.” But grace says, “You didn’t earn this, and I won’t let go.” That’s the kind of love that actually changes you—not guilt, not fear, but grace that’s strong enough to stay.
So if you feel like you’re barely hanging on today, hear this truth: grace is holding on to you.
Prayer: God, I fail a lot. Thank You that Your grace doesn’t ever fail. Hold me close today. Remind me that I’m saved not because I hold on to You perfectly, but because You hold on to me.