God's Abundant Grace For You

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.  Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief.  The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” -1 Timothy 1:12-14

Paul was very open about who he used to be before Jesus and very clear on how much grace was poured into his life! Paul called God’s grace abundant (v.14) and he seemed to live with a continual awareness of that amazing grace!

Everyone has a unique story before they made their commitment to Jesus. For some, they experienced grace at a young age and others later in life. Some people experienced grace out of horrible circumstances and others experienced grace while living a fairly moral and productive life. However, the thing we all had in common is that God’s grace was sufficient, abundant, and far more than we deserved!

If you think you were a pretty good person that just needed some life adjustments, you will lose sight of all Jesus accomplished for you on the cross! Without Christ, you were headed to hell, dead in your sin, and lost spiritually!

When we fail see to see the greatness of God’s grace for us, it deadens our worship and lessens the passion we have for Him!

If you ever feel like you have lost your desire to worship and your heart is not in it anymore, reflect on the amazing grace of God for you personally! Consider all that He has accomplished in your life since you placed your faith in Him!

Take time to reflect on how abundant God's grace has been for you and bring that to Him in worship! Through the lens of God's amazing grace, we can finally see how far away we were and how close He has brought us! We were once strangers and now we are His children (Ephesians 2:19). Never lost sight of the grace of God in your life because He never lost sight of you!

Right on?

Read/listen to 2 Thessalonians chapters 2-3 and 1 Timothy chapter 1

Prayer focus: talk to God about how massive His grace has been in your life, how far away you used to be, and thank Him for how close He is to you now

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More Joy On The Ordinary Days

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

How can you experience more joy on the ordinary days, especially when life seems frustrating, disappointing, or your feelings are just blah? The cloudy days come both literally and metaphorically, but there can be abundant joy on those days as well!

There are a lot of things that can leave you feeling like you have less joy, but what can bring you more joy in those ordinary moments?

There’s nothing that can deliver greater joy into your life than dwelling on the Good News of what Jesus accomplished for you on that cross! He saved us by faith in Him and secured a feature home in heaven for us!

Not only did He save us from hell, but He restored our personal relationship with the Father! Now His Spirit is in us who believe and we are never alone! Walking in the Spirit and engaging in continual prayer (v.17) covers our soul with a canopy of great joy!

If grace was the only thing you were ever given, that would be enough to bring joy no matter what the situation!

We're surrounded by the presence of God and encompassed by endless blessings that should trigger continual thankfulness (v.18)! If you were to think objectively of all the things that could easily be worse off, it reminds you of how many good things are going better than they could! Even on our worst days there are blessings we can overlook!

What are you thankful for? Are you aware of the Spirit of God, considering the depth of forgiveness extended, and living with joy because of what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross?

There is so much more joy available for you even on the ordinary days! Refocus your mindset on Christ and what He accomplished on the cross! Then dwell in the richness of joy that only He can give - even on the ordinary days!

Right on?

Read/listen to 1 Thessalonians chapters 4-5 and 2 Thessalonians 1

Prayer focus: ask God to fill your heart with greater joy on the ordinary days as you reflect on the Good News, walk in His Spirit, and offer continual thanks to Him

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Stay In Your Own Lane?

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”  -1 Thessalonians 3:7-9

There are many areas in life where it makes so much sense to stay in your own lane! From driving down the highway to running on a track, it just makes sense! However, it’s the exact opposite of what God wants for you in your spiritual development! In many ways the fulfillment of so much of what God wants for you is getting out of your lane and into the lives of others!

Paul is describing how much joy he receives from watching God‘s church grow (v.9)! When he sees the spiritual development in the lives of others, he genuinely cares and is deeply fulfilled! The growth in his own relationship with God impacted his relationship with other people. He is not thinking just about himself, he is thinking about what benefits others.

Have you matured to the place where you get genuinely excited about what the Spirit is doing in the lives of others? Do you authentically and deeply care about the growth of God’s Church? Does it bring genuine joy to your heart when you can help in the development of God’s people?

You have responsibilities and concerns in your own life, but don’t let your mind be consumed with just thinking about yourself! Life gets exciting and spiritual development really takes off when you get out of your own lane and start caring about what’s happening in the lives of others!

If this is an area you see the need to develop more in your life, start serving others and investing in them. It may be a matter of function and without a lot of feeling at first, but your feelings will catch up as you walk in faith! Start taking small steps to build up others, pray for them, and get more comfortable making sacrifices in your own life so God can accomplish more in their life!

Where do you need to get out of your own lane and enter the lives of others so you can serve Jesus by blessing His people?

Right on?

Read/listen to 1 Thessalonians chapters 1-3

Prayer focus: ask God to help you see others the way that He does and talk to Him about some of the people in your life that you want to care more about in Jesus name

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