The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:14 (NIV)
You are not yet what you one day will be. But you are not what you used to be either. And the reason for this is that God has poured grace, faith, and love into your life.
Grace poured out
Don’t think of God’s grace as a past experience. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1:15). He does not say, “I was the worst.” He says, “I am the worst,” present tense.
If we have really understood grace in the present tense, it will mean that the message of the church will be: “Christ came into the world to save sinful people like us.” There isn’t one of us who has lived a single day this week in a way that merited access to heaven. Our righteousness is not found in our performance. It is found in Jesus Christ. Right now, if you are a Christian, the grace of God is being poured out on you abundantly in Christ.
Faith poured out
Where did Paul’s faith come from? He says that he acted “in unbelief” (1:13). He resisted Christ. Where did his faith come from, then? “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).
Love poured out
Paul was an angry man who was hurting others. But then the love of Jesus was poured out on him: “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). An unbelieving heart was flooded with faith. An angry heart was flooded with love. That’s the transforming power of the gospel.
How did you come to trust Christ? How did you come to love Christ? God’s grace has been poured out on you abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Affirm these things by giving thanks to God for His inexpressible gifts!
By: Colin Smith
Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.
Picture: Pixabay User
In terms of the Christian faith, grace is concerned with the nature of God's love. It is the unmerited favor of God. We do not deserve the love and goodness that is freely and unconditionally given from heaven. All we can do is receive it. Jesus tells a story about a son that squanders his father's inheritance (the parable of the prodigal son). When the son returns, rather than rejecting or disciplining him, the father runs to greet him and celebrates his return. This story gives us an insight into the kind of love that God gives.
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How Do I Pray
“Very carefully…irrationally…and in thanksgiving; in pain and in sorrow…in the pure joy of living and laughing. Asking for magic…begging for a miracle. I am seeking, searching, forgiving, repentant; looking for answers for the sick, the lonely, the hungry; looking for direction, asking for mercy; seeking silence and trying to listen, listen, listen. On my knees, in the dark of night; while peeling onions; on my walk, with the Psalms and to the Father.
Those are my Alleluias and my Amens.”
Mrs. Jean M. Hicks
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