Connect Joshua 24:13 with Ephesians 2:8-9 on grace and works.

God’s Gift Without Labor — Joshua 24:13

“I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant.”

• Israel’s conquest looked like hard work, yet the Lord reminds them He is the One who achieved the victory and provided the inheritance.

• The verbs are all God-centered: “I gave… you live… you eat.” Israel’s part was simply to receive.

• This verse illustrates a physical picture of an unearned blessing—an Old-Testament snapshot of grace.

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Salvation by Grace — Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”

• Paul echoes the same pattern: God gives, we receive.

• Salvation is described as:

– “grace” — entirely undeserved favor,

– “gift” — impossible to earn,

– “not by works” — cancelling every ground for boasting.

• Faith is the open hand that accepts what God freely offers.

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A Single Theme: Grace Then and Now

• Joshua 24:13 shows grace in tangible form (land, cities, vineyards).

• Ephesians 2:8-9 shows grace in spiritual form (forgiveness, new life, eternal inheritance).

• In both passages:

– God initiates,

– people benefit,

– human effort is excluded as a basis of merit.

• Deuteronomy 6:10-12, Titus 3:5, and Romans 3:27 reinforce the same pattern—God’s mercy precedes human obedience.

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So Where Do Works Fit?

• Works are never the root of salvation, only the fruit (Ephesians 2:10 follows 2:8-9).

• Israel’s obedience was to flow from gratitude for the gift (Joshua 24:14-24).

• Our good works likewise become a joyful response, not a bargaining chip (James 2:17; Matthew 5:16).

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Living the Lesson

• Remember daily that every spiritual blessing—just like Israel’s land—is a divine gift.

• Reject pride; embrace gratitude.

• Let thankfulness energize practical obedience and service to others, displaying the grace we have freely received (1 Peter 4:10).