Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Precious, Amazing & Awesome Grace

1Tim. 1:12-16
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (1Timothy 1:14)
One day a Student reached his Teacher and said, “I don’t think I deserve Zero in this test?” And you know what teacher said; she answered, “I agree, but that’s the lowest I can give you.”

We get strength and satisfaction in our claims. But in reality what claims we can make? As sin prone, fragile human beings we have nothing to claim. And it’s because of God’s grace only we are still alive. So what does it mean by word “Grace”? Word Grace is used in three ways in Bible. The first two meanings are - “A gift which we are unworthy of” & “The presence of God”. But here third meaning is more relevant; where Grace means “A Chance” or “An Opportunity”.

So how do we experience this Grace in terms of “Opportunity” in our day today living? Answer is given in this 14th verse. Grace involves “Love” and “Faith”. Wait a minute! But how “Love” & “Faith” are related to Grace?

Love: There is always a question why God gives us opportunities even though we repeatedly move away from Him? Is it out of sympathy or as a Charity? Surely none of these! Instead because of His Love towards us. As His precious creation & Children He doesn’t want us to be destroyed. And That’s why this love combines following 2 characteristics:

Divine Providence – means He provides everything physically, mentally & spiritually needed to make use of those Divine Opportunities. Divine Strengthening: There is always a struggle between “God’s will revealed to us in terms of Divine Opportunities” and worldly opportunities presented to us as our Temptations. God strengthens us, by giving us His Divine Wisdom to “Know & Understand” our Temptations and fills us with Courage to say NO to those temptations.

Faith: There comes the next question – why does he repeatedly provide us with opportunities when most of the time we fail and fall down? The answer is - As he loves us, he trusts us - that one day we will win and that’s why he keeps on encouraging us to fight back and move forward. Here Faith means God’s trust on us and this trust we experience as His Divine Encouragement.

Couple of weeks before I heard an experience of a father of three young girls. This summer he sent his daughters to a summer camp situated in the midst of very dense forest. He warned them - never to go out of the camp alone without someone’s knowledge. But in the second night the youngest one sneaked out of camp and got lost in the woods. They searched for her for 3 days and at last got her safe, but weak. When they brought her out her father was waiting for her. And you know what her father did? He just went to her, hugged her tightly and said to her, “I still Love You.”

Prayer: “Abba Father let me live in your Love and Faith surrounded with your Grace.” Amen.

Rev. Alex Peter, Chicago



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