Category Archives: Grace

Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Commands, Death, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Eternity, Evangelism, Family, Fatherhood, Forgiveness, Glory, God's Will, Grace, Heaven, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Mercy, Modeling, Motherhood, Obedience, Parenting, Scripture, Surrender, Witnessing

I’M NUMBER ONE

1 TIMOTHY 1:15

“It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”  

Paul called himself the number one sinner. Why would anyone do that? That is not a title I want. But he was making a point. Jesus died for all sinners, even the worst sinner of all. Paul, obviously, was reflecting on his past actions before he came to Christ. He was a persecutor of the early church. He sanctioned murder of Christians. He was there when the first martyr, Stephen, fell. He was, in fact, eager to bring them all to justice.

So, how does this relate to us? We are just as bad. We may not have killed anyone or persecuted anyone, but our sins are just as wicked. Our sins, left unforgiven, will lead us directly to hell. There are no little sins. Sin is sin – period. We all vie for the title of number one sinner.

APPLICATION

If you are like most parents, you don’t want to see your little Johnny or Susie as a sinner. Sure, they misbehave at times, but to think they will spend eternity separated from a holy God breaks your heart. It is hard to accept. But it is the truth. Unless your little angel turns to Christ and surrenders their will to His, they will not see the glory of heaven.

Our number one job as parents is to do all we can to introduce them to Jesus. We must prepare the spiritual environment in our homes to allow them to know Him and accept Him. We can’t make them choose Christ, but we must do everything within our power to prepare the way. How are you doing with that?

And this responsibility doesn’t just apply to our household. We are commanded by God to share His good news to everyone. Are you sharing that? Will you share that today? Ask the Lord to send people into your life today with whom you can share the greatest story ever told. You won’t regret it. It will be the best part of your day.

O God, Savior of my soul, thank You for redeeming me. Thank You for not turning Your back on me when I came seeking You. I, like Paul, am the foremost of sinners.

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Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Comfort, Encouragement, Grace, Love, Mentoring, Praise, Thanksgiving

SUPER ABUNDANT

1 TIMOTHY 1:14

“and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.” 

I love it when I discover a word like the one today which is translated “more than abundant.” This word is only used right here in the New Testament. It literally means uncountable or beyond measure. It’s like trying to count the stars on a clear night. You just can’t do it. 

But look what it is used to describe. The Lord’s grace! Wow! His grace towards us is super abundant. It is infinite. It is limitless. It is constant and ongoing. It cannot be finished. There will never be a time when the Lord says, “Sorry, I just ran out of grace for you.” It is and will always be there.

APPLICATION

Ask your son or daughter how they would like a lifetime supply of ice cream. They could have any flavor, any time, and as much as they wanted. I am sure they would be excited. But I bet at some point they would tire of ice cream. They would say, “I am so sick of eating ice cream.” Even good things can get old after a while.

Now compare that with the grace the Lord gives us. Explain that the Lord gives us just the amount and type of grace we need each and every time we need it. His purpose of extending grace to us is the same as it was for Paul. He desires that our faith grow and our love deepen.  His grace is the instrument He uses to do that. And since we will never have a perfect faith or a perfect love, God’s grace is a continuous flow. Your children need to learn to depend upon it and accept it. Why? Because they will need it their entire life.

Have you received the grace of the Lord today? Sure, you have. You may not be aware of it, but you have received His grace through your very first breath this morning. He knows in advance what your day is going to bring. So, He prepares your daily dose of grace to see you through. Thank Him for that today.

God of grace, I praise You. I do not understand your limitless supply of grace, but I am so thankful for it. Your grace truly is amazing.

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Advice, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Commands, Completeness, Direction, Disciplemaking, Encouragement, Family, Fatherhood, God's Will, Grace, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Peace, Scripture, Surrender

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE

1 TIMOTHY 1:5

“But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” 

The line from the Beatle’s song just jumped off the page to me when I read this verse. Now, before you excommunicate me for doing that (lol), let me try to explain. I am NOT implying that the Beatles got the inspiration for their song from this verse. Paul is reminding Timothy, that in the midst of all his instructing, don’t forget love.

Have you ever had a teacher you just loved? I bet you loved them because you felt they loved teaching, right? They loved seeing students “get it.” They loved passing on the knowledge they had gained. And Paul gives some qualifiers – pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. In other words, you can’t fake this kind of teaching. It all comes down to love.

APPLICATION

Why do you teach your children? Because you love them. You want them to be prepared to face life head on with confidence. If you lied to them as you taught them, what good would that do? You teach them with a pure heart, don’t you? Your conscience is clear as you give them the house rules. And, of course, your faith must be pure for you to pass it on.

Children will be crushed if they find out later that all you have taught them is false. They will struggle with life questions if your teaching has all been based lies. That’s why it is important (spoiler alert) that you be truthful about things such as Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. If they find out (and they will) these things weren’t real, you can actually put doubt in their minds about all you have taught them about Jesus, whom they also cannot see.

How do you teach? Let me encourage you to evaluate your motivation for teaching anyone. It should never be to JUST pass on knowledge. Knowledge in itself will never transform. The purpose of knowledge and the application of it has the potential to change everything. Will you be that kind of teacher?

Father God, You are the perfect teacher. All You give is pure, good and sincere. Teach me to teach just like You.

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Affection, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Christianity, Encouragement, Forgiveness, Grace, Love, Mentoring, Ministry, Modeling, Obedience, Scripture, Thessalonians

SAME GOODBYE

2 THESSALONIANS 3:18

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”

Do you always say goodbye the same way? Most people do. I don’t know why, but when I say goodbye on the phone, I almost always say, “Bye, Bye.” It’s just a habit, I guess. Saying it twice doesn’t have any significance. It’s just me.

Paul had the same issue. He always mentioned grace in closing his letters. What’s so special about grace? Well, I’m glad you asked. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. It’s God’s unmerited favor. Paul is desiring that for the Thessalonians. He wanted them to receive and experience the same grace he had been shown on the road to Damascus. Paul knew about grace.

APPLICATION

I hope your children don’t think grace is just what is said before a meal. That definition of grace has nothing to do with what Paul is talking about here. So, how do you teach your children grace? Why not just show them? The next time they really mess up, explain that you are going to forgive them and let it go. You are not going to bring it up later. You are not going to work harder trying to catch them doing something bad. You are just going to forgive them.

Explain to your little Johnny or little Susie that by doing that you are showing them favor. You, and only you, have the power to do that. It is your choice to extend to them that favor. You didn’t have to do it. They deserve punishment. But you have chosen to forgive them. They, however, have to accept it.

Do you need grace today? The Lord is extending His favor towards you. All you have to do is claim it. Read Ephesians 2:8-9 for an even fuller description of grace. He wants to give it. Will you receive it?

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt. Thank You, Jesus. 

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