faith, love, hope...works, labor, endurance

It is clear in Ephesians 2:8-9 that is by God’s grace and through faith in Him that we are saved- not of our works…contrary to popular (worldly) opinions. However, our works and good deeds are not completely detached from our faith…but they do not produce our faith, nor do they bring us eternal salvation. Rather, our faith produces good works…because of our faith in Christ, we have a reason and a passion to please Him and to glorify Him in everything we say and do (2 Corinthians 5:9). This truth is found in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, where Paul writes, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith…”. He also continues on in this passage, saying that the Thessalonians’ labor was prompted by love and their endurance was inspired by the hope in the Lord Jesus. Just like our faith results in good works... our love results in good labor and our hope in the Lord results in our endurance.
Lord, may our faith, love, and hope, result in good works, good labor, and endurance...all for You.

My God is...

An email or a letter can tell you a lot about a person, right? Maybe it’s in the wording they choose to use, or the stories they tell, or even how they describe their day or circumstances. As I was reading a passage in Titus today in my devotions, God painted a picture of Himself. In less than three verses, He told me so much about Himself. Check it out:
“…He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:5b-7)
By looking at this passage, I know that my God is…
-the Giver of new beginnings
-generous
-gracious
-forgiving
-loving (adopts us as heirs)
-the Giver of hope
Thank You, Lord, for showing me clearly Who You are! And, You are so much more! May I dig deeper into Your Word to have the privilege of knowing You more and more!

Stating the Obvious

In my study of Titus, I was reading a passage which struck me as humorous. Now, I’m not talking about the “ha-ha” kind of funny. No, it was more of how Paul stated the obvious to Titus, his son in the faith. Paul writes:
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.” (Titus 3:3-5a)
Did Paul really need to write, “...not because of the righteous things we had done…”? Obviously, by looking at the qualities (vs. 3) we were before His mercy and grace appeared in our lives, it would be ludicrous to think of ourselves as close to righteous…and even more absurd to think we could save ourselves through our deeds. Although it’s an obvious statement when you step back and look at it, Paul still needed to write it because God knows our tendencies. He knows that our pride gets in the way…believing that maybe our good deeds had some sort of pull in getting us saved. No…after looking at how we were before salvation (foolish, disobedient, deceived, …), we can truly testify that our salvation is through Jesus Christ and by His amazing grace.

SPECK- Bible Study Tool

This week, one of my dear friends recommended a great Bible study tool to me. I have always used the Observation, Interpretation, & Application outline in studying Bible passages. Now, I started implementing this study tool as well. My friend is a mother of three small kiddos...all under the age of three. Yes...wow! Sometimes, in the midst of dirty diapers, crying children, and potty training, she only has a few moments at a time to soak in a Bible passage. She said that no matter how much time she has, she can use this Bible study tool to help her dig deep into the meat of the Scripture.
When, reading a passage (1-4 verses), look for...
S- sin to confess
P- promise to claim
E- example to follow
C- command to obey
K- knowledge to gain
I've enjoyed using this study tool- I pray that you will, too!

One minute blessing

This past week, I have witnessed the power of encouragement...through a passing comment, a short email, a friendly hug. There were no trophies awarded, achievement plaques received, or large headlines on the front page of the newspaper. These words and acts of encouragement were simply from hearts that took one minute out of their day to uplift a brother or sister...a one minute act of kindness turned into a blessed memory for a lifetime. So, take a minute today. Share with someone you love how much they mean to you...send a quick email, drop off a short note, leave a brief message..."let us encourage one another" (Hebrews 10:25). Your obedience to encourage could change someone's life for the better.