But God…

Favorite Verse

Growing up, every time someone asked me what my favorite Bible verse was, I generally took the easy way out and said, John 11:35… “Jesus wept.” It wasn’t my favorite verse, because it showed the humanity or the compassion of Jesus at a difficult point in His life whenHe lost a dear friend, it was because it is the shortest verse in the Bible and I hated doing memory work.

If you ask me now, what my favorite verse is, I just tell you I have too many to list – another great cop-out for not memorizing scripture. But, one of my favorites is just a portion of another verse, it too is comprised of just two simple profound words…

“But God…”

The sentiment is found in a few different places like Romans 5:8 and 1 Corinthians 10:13, but my favorite is Ephesians 2:4. Paul goes through and tells us about the sinful state we were in and how we were separated from God, and then in vs. 4 he says, “But, God…”

He says, you were not a part of God. You were an enemy of God. You were dead in your sins. But, God… He didn’t say, “But, Jason did all of these good works. Jason performed these great deeds.” No, he says, “But God…”

It’s all about God. It’s all possible because of God. I can be in a relationship with God, because of God. I can be saved from my wretched sinful state, because of God. Paul will go on to tell us later in the same chapter (Ephesians 2) that we are created for good works, but it is God that has truly transformed our lives.

Maybe one of the following speaks to you…

But God…

• I was a fornicator, but God…
• I was proud, but God…
• I was an idolater, but God…
• I was a complainer, but God…
• I was selfish, but God…
• I was unforgiving, but God…
• I was once a child of Satan, but God…
• I was an adulterer, but God…
• I was a murderer, but God…
• I was once a child of wrath, but God…
• I was a liar, but God…
• I was once a bigot, but God…
• I was dead in my sins, but God…
• I was a bad father, but God…
• I was unmerciful, but God…
• I was a drunk, but God…
• I was a cheat, but God…
• I was a gossip, but God…
• I was filthy, but God…
• I was a thief, but God…
• I was <fill in the blank>, but God…

But God!

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

But, God!