No excuses…
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 4: “Share Grace!” (WATCH HERE)
1 Timothy 4:11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Have you ever felt inadequate to share the message of grace with someone? You wouldn’t be alone. I certainly have had those moments in life where I have thought (probably incorrectly), “Who am I to share the message of Jesus with this person?” Sharing our faith can be daunting at times, intimidating or make us feel insecure.
But why?
Usually when I reflect on why I felt “odd” sharing my faith is because I was creating an impression of myself that I dreamed up. I’m not the one to do it. I’m not experienced enough. I’m not old enough, seasoned enough, clear enough…etc. We can give ourselves many excuses to not speak about our Savior. Some of them are perceptions we create on our own and perhaps others are created by what someone else has said about us or to us.
So should we listen to those voices?
The short answer is “No!”
Messages that tell us not to speak about grace are not coming from the Spirit of God who desires that every person on the planet hear about grace. Rather, these messages have the look and sound of the deception that Satan loves to present to us to get us to remain silent when opportunity comes to share Jesus.
So what counters the voices that keep us quiet?
The voice of God.
This time through the Apostle Paul and his encouragement to Timothy. So try these messages on and see if they build your confidence to speak about grace.
God is the one who directs us to command and teach these things. Timothy wasn’t embarking on sharing the Gospel because it was his message. No, Paul wanted him to teach and share these things because God was using Timothy to be HIS messenger. We are just the messenger of a message that God has given to us.
We are not too young or too old, but God uses us when and where he desires. I have heard some of the greatest witness of the Gospel from people under the age of five. Just recently a little girl said with a smile, “Grandma is in heaven because Jesus died for her.” She’s not too young to share Jesus! We create our own insecurities and God says, “Get over yourself. Don’t listen to what others say. I love you and have chosen you to share grace.
We can’t control how others respond; we are responsible for us. Paul wanted Timothy to “set an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” We have no control over how someone will react to an expression of grace, we do have control empowered by God’s Spirit how we live out grace in our own lives. A small example just happened yesterday as I was selling my van on Marketplace. I listed the issues that were wrong with it and someone commented, “Wow, that was honest!” Of course, why would I not want to be honest? God’s love compels my behavior to reflect the impact of grace in my life.
Use the gifts God has given to us! To say we “can’t” or we are “not good enough” to share grace is to discount the gifts God has given to you. Maybe your way of sharing grace will be different than mine, but that’s ok. God’s grace is the same, the gifts he’s given us are unique. One may have a gift of hospitality and invite someone over to develop a relationship in which grace is shared. Another many have the gift of empathy that is able to meet people in a challenging time in life. Another may have the gift of logic and ability to answer tough questions. The list goes on.
Here’s the bottom line.
God has given YOU grace and all YOU need to share HIS grace!
Apply: Evaluate what “lies” are keeping you from being more bold in sharing your faith. What gifts has God given to you that you are neglecting, but could be a strong asset to communicate God’s love to someone?
Prayer: Lord thank you for your grace. Give me boldness to share that grace wherever and whenever you give me the opportunity. AMEN.
Train for Sharing Grace!
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 4: “Share Grace!” (WATCH HERE)
This is random.
There have been a few occasions where I thought, “It would be cool to run a marathon.” My second thought was, “I could just sign up and run one.” My third thought was, “I would never finish.”
The desire to run a marathon isn’t very strong in me, but it seems like a feat of physical accomplishment that could be kind of a cool thing to say that you ran a marathon. However it is obviously foolish to enter a marathon race and expect to finish without going through any training time period. The thought is noble. The execution is poor.
Wouldn’t it be cool to share your faith, share grace, and have many people put their trust in Jesus?
This is a more viable thought than wanting to run a marathon, however, the end result will be the same if no training is under taken. To WANT to share your faith without TRAINING to share your faith will usually end in NOT sharing your faith.
If you search on the internet for , “How to train for a marathon?” you will find a number of different plans and regimens to prepare your body for the grueling 26 mile race.
But what about sharing your faith? What is the training plan for that?
Perhaps often, we are simply encouraged, “Share your faith” without clear direction and training to do so. Our assumption is that we can “just do it.”
Maybe in a small way this is true as I believe God has given each of us his grace and the impact of it and so we can “Always be ready to give an answer to the one who asks.” Yet the Apostle Paul knows, like any good marathon coach, that living and believing Jesus is something we can get better at with proper training. He writes to Timothy (4:6-10)
6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
Training for athletic competition means eating the right foods, adding strength and skill to your sport and carrying the right heart and mindset as you compete. In a similar way, the Apostle Paul encourages Timothy and all of us to do three things:
- Be nourished on the truth of God.
- Train in godliness
- Put your hope in the living God.
Like food, nourishment for our souls is important. The truth of God’s word must find its way inside of our hearts each and every day. We don’t want processed or refined truth, just the plain, all natural, truth that God gives us in his Holy Word.
We need to then get into the gym of life and practice what we are learning from the Lord in his Word. Train in godliness. You want your spiritual muscles to grow so that in every circumstance of life you are able to perform at your best.
And you want your heart in the right place. Put your hope in the living God. This grounding keeps you going when the challenges of living and growing your faith become hard and real.
So be ready to share grace…eat God’s truth…train in godliness…put your hope in the living God.
Apply: As you consider the aspects of training for sharing grace, which of the one that presents the greatest challenge for you?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the opportunity to share your grace. Spirit of God, give me strength and determination to “do time in the spiritual gym” so I am best suited for sharing your grace! AMEN.
Who do you know that needs grace?
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 4: “Share Grace!” (WATCH HERE)
1 Timothy 4:1-4 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
It shouldn’t surprise us that there are people who are not followers of Christ. In fact, perhaps you, reader, have had a season you were apart from Christ. The heart of God is for all to be saved. The heart of Satan is to have all deceived and separated from the love of God that is in Christ. So the two are battling each other for your soul. As we looked at a few weeks ago, the battle is real and we must prepared for it.
So if we are on “Team Christ” and on the offensive to share grace, to whom are we looking to share that grace? The Spirit of God gives us three groups of people who need the grace of God.
First, people who have abandoned the faith. In 21st century America, I see these individuals who grew up in a Christian home and for some reason have drifted away from their roots and the grace of God they were exposed to as a little child. The story could be different for everyone, but perhaps there are a few themes. Some leave their faith because it was challenged in college and the logic of the professor made more sense to them than the stories of Sunday School. Some go through a tragedy or very hard time in life and believe that God is the author of their pain and just can’t reconcile a loving God allowing something this hard to come into their life. Or perhaps another reason is they had a bad experience in the church at some point and equated their experience with sinful individuals with all of Christianity. These people need you to listen, understand and bring them grace.
A second group of people are those who are deceived by the lies of Satan. No matter the motivation of those sharing the lies, they work to move a person away from Christ. The tactics of Satan are not obvious always but deceiving. They sound good, but are not truth. For example, some deceptions that sound good, but are spiritually harmful is the belief that all gods are the same but we just call them by different names. Satan wants us to believe that there are many paths to heaven and Christianity is just one of them. It sounds good in our woke culture, but the eternal consequences will be devastating to all who believe this lie. Satan loves to make us think we can be our own God. It worked on Adam and Eve and it works today. It sounds like this, “God wants me to be happy.” Yet, really I just want God to affirm the things I’m doing regardless if they are God’s will or ways. It sounds like, “Don’t tell me what to believe.” I want to determine what is right for me and not be under the authority of anyone else. These people need you to listen, understand and bring them grace.
A third group of people who are burdened by the weight of legalism and are missing out on the blessing of God. Unfortunately the visible church can be good at putting down rules for Christian living. Many of them can be guided by the commands of God, but sometimes they drift into laws that God has not spoken clearly or at all about. Forbidding people to marry leads to missing out on the blessing of marriage and opens the door to other sexual temptations. Burdening the conscience with dietary regulations that no longer apply or never did, leaves one missing out on good things God intended for them. Sometimes laws are put down to prohibit something that God allows for in moderation. Blessings turn into burdens. These people need you to listen, understand and bring them grace.
What was happening in first century Christianity is happening in the 21st. The solution is the same grace of God that changes hearts and lives. And the vehicle is you and me who have received grace to be bold to share grace.
Apply: Do you know someone in one of these three categories? Make an intentional effort to engage in conversation to understand their spiritual journey and as the Spirit leads, share God’s grace with them.
Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to see those that have drifted from you, have been deceived or are burdened by laws you never gave. Use me to share the freeing power of your grace with them. AMEN.
Know the Heart of God!
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 4: “Share Grace!” (WATCH HERE)
People can get mad at God. They can question God. They can blame God. When life presents a challenge that is unexpected or doesn’t seem fair, the human soul can turn against God and blame him for the problems and hardship they are experiencing. At times, the conclusion is that God is just an angry, vengeful, mean god.
Human examples limp, but a child at times can feel the same way about their parents. A child doesn’t like discipline. They don’t like to be told what to do. They want to figure it out on their own. A child pushes against boundaries and if something bad happens easily blames mom and/or dad for being the evil person they are.
Any loving parent knows this charge is baseless, but it still comes.
Why? Because a child doesn’t always understand the heart of a parent and a child of God doesn’t always understand the heart of God.
Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday and continued our journey through teaching given to Timothy in 1 Timothy. Both Acts 2 (Pentecost) and 1 Timothy 2 give us insight into God’s heart and what is behind everything he does for us.
Acts 2:17-21 “ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
The reason God poured out the Holy Spirit on the disciples was so they could prophesy and teach with clarity the heart of God: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. God’s ultimate desire is that ALL know, believe, and trust in him as their Savior. Paul writes this to Timothy to put it at the center of all he did.
1 Timothy 2:1-4 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
God’s heart is to have ALL people, including you with him in heaven. He sent his Son to accomplish what we never could and sent his Spirit to bring clarity of mind and strength of faith to our hearts. His ultimate desire for you is to spend an eternity with you!
So what about the challenges and hardships that come and we are tempted to blame God, abandon God or label God as an evil God? Start to filter them through the heart of God. How can God use this to draw me closer to him and strengthen my faith in him? I know God doesn’t want this to drive me away from him, but closer to him. So in times of trouble, like a child who runs to a parent when life gets hard, because they know their parent will give love, safety and security, so we can run to our God who loves us so much and desires only one thing: For us to spend eternity with him!
Apply: What situation in life are you struggling with today? How does knowing God’s heart is for your eternal salvation help you to run closer to God rather than away from him in this challenge?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for revealing your heart to me. As I find safety in your grace, lead me in all circumstances to remember your heart that loves me and has given your grace to me. AMEN.
Ground Your Family in Grace…It’s what really matters!
This week’s devotions are based on “The Key” Week 3: “Ground Your family in grace!” (WATCH HERE)
Permit a bit of transparency this morning.
It’s been an emotional week. I don’t show my emotions much, but have to admit that my heart is a bit heavy as I write this. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been in the ICU to visit a member who suffered a fall, a stroke, and a heart attack and as a result had a broken hip. After a week or so in the ICU the family decided to bring him home to finish the days God has for him in his own home. Confined to a bed, his dear wife and family along with great caregivers keep him company. This same couple has been watching their son slowly deteriorate because of cancer and said their final goodbye to him on Tuesday of this week. This morning (writing this Thursday afternoon) I sat with another member whose mom went from putting an offer on a house on Sunday evening to being on a ventilator struggling for life. God’s plan for her on this earth may be short.
I suppose added to that is a personal van with a failing transmission and our older daughter headed back to school to do a summer job and it all piles up to consider, “What is really important?”
Life can get very busy. We have our work schedule, our children’s schedule, our social schedule, our volunteer schedule, and more. Days turn into weeks, turn into years, and plans continue as if we are guaranteed a never ending supply of time. And then we aren’t and the days we thought we’d have are no longer.
Then what?
The blessing of sitting with these families is that both have a grounding in grace. Amidst the tears and the heartache and the sadness is the ability to find peace knowing that the ones at the end of their life are safe in the grace of God and covered in the blood of Jesus.
Nothing other than the grace of God transfers from this life to the next.
Not education.
Not possessions.
Not careers.
Not pets.
Not athletics.
Nothing.
Only the grace of God.
When our last breath is taken, what matters most is Jesus.
Jesus goes with us from this life to the next.
Jesus takes our family members with him as well.
So to enjoy an eternity with Jesus as a family…
Ground your family in his grace!
Revelations 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”
Apply: What is one thing you can do today to ground yourself and a family member more deeply in the grace of God?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your grace. Forgive us for the distractions in life that keep us away from your grace. Remind us daily that the most important thing in life is to be grounded in your grace. AMEN.