God has blessed Katie and me with two girls and a boy ranging from ages 6 months, 2 years, and 4 years old. You may have guessed that our house remains a pretty busy place with three under the age of 5. Each little bundle of joy has different personalities that adds to our busy home. My oldest daughter has a heart of compassion and desires to be completely self dependent. I have a boy that remains strong willed, determined to have his way, and loves his daddy. My youngest little lady has not revealed her personality fully yet, but I remain convinced that her personality will be in the middle of her oldest siblings. However, God has been teaching me about divine grace as I attempt to bring up these three little ones in the instruction and discipline found within Scripture.
You may ask yourself, "How has God been teaching you about divine grace through parenting?" Let me explain. I love my children unconditionally. They can do nothing to remove my fatherly love for them. When they dump bubble bath all over their carpet, train table, floor fan, and bed, I still love them. I still love them when they tell me, "NO!" When they disobey their mother and me, I still love them. When they color on the walls, walls are more attractive to draw on than paper by the way, I still love them. Yes, all these have really happened before. I love them unconditionally when they do good things also. When my oldest daughter tells her mom that she wants to tell all people about the love of Jesus Christ, I love her. I love my son when he wants me to come into his room and sing him songs from the movie "Frozen," and then pray for him. I love my youngest daughter when she hears my voice, turns her head to make eye contact with me, and gives me the biggest toothless smile ever.
The main point of all this information exists to illustrate what God has been teaching me about divine grace through my parenting. Jesus Christ calls God our Heavenly Father throughout the four Gospels. As our Heavenly Father, God shows unconditional love for all humanity because God values humanity above all of creation. We are made in his image, and that makes us his image bearers (Genesis 1:26-27). We have done nothing to deserve God's love and earn favor in his eyes. In fact, God's Word declares, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Like my children, all humanity has told God, "NO!" All humanity has disobeyed God's commands. All humanity has rebelled and run from God. All humanity exists as selfish beings that want to be god instead of submit to God. Yet, God loves us unconditionally illustrated by the fact that he died for us so that we may be in a relationship with him. Divine grace means that we may receive favor with God even though we can do nothing to earn that favor. My children have found favor in my sight not for what they have or have not done. They have found favor in my sight because of the relationship that I have with them.
Read these words from the Apostle Paul carefully:
Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior through faith, and been adopted into the family of God? Do you know God as your Heavenly Father that loves you unconditionally? If you have, please share this post on Facebook or Twitter so your followers may see the grace of God more clearly. If you have not, what is holding you back from a relationship with the Creator? He desires you to believe in Jesus Christ and turn from your sin to live a life that glorifies his name. Follow him today.
You may ask yourself, "How has God been teaching you about divine grace through parenting?" Let me explain. I love my children unconditionally. They can do nothing to remove my fatherly love for them. When they dump bubble bath all over their carpet, train table, floor fan, and bed, I still love them. I still love them when they tell me, "NO!" When they disobey their mother and me, I still love them. When they color on the walls, walls are more attractive to draw on than paper by the way, I still love them. Yes, all these have really happened before. I love them unconditionally when they do good things also. When my oldest daughter tells her mom that she wants to tell all people about the love of Jesus Christ, I love her. I love my son when he wants me to come into his room and sing him songs from the movie "Frozen," and then pray for him. I love my youngest daughter when she hears my voice, turns her head to make eye contact with me, and gives me the biggest toothless smile ever.
The main point of all this information exists to illustrate what God has been teaching me about divine grace through my parenting. Jesus Christ calls God our Heavenly Father throughout the four Gospels. As our Heavenly Father, God shows unconditional love for all humanity because God values humanity above all of creation. We are made in his image, and that makes us his image bearers (Genesis 1:26-27). We have done nothing to deserve God's love and earn favor in his eyes. In fact, God's Word declares, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Like my children, all humanity has told God, "NO!" All humanity has disobeyed God's commands. All humanity has rebelled and run from God. All humanity exists as selfish beings that want to be god instead of submit to God. Yet, God loves us unconditionally illustrated by the fact that he died for us so that we may be in a relationship with him. Divine grace means that we may receive favor with God even though we can do nothing to earn that favor. My children have found favor in my sight not for what they have or have not done. They have found favor in my sight because of the relationship that I have with them.
Read these words from the Apostle Paul carefully:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience--among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:1-9).I see God's divine grace more clearly now that I am a father of my three little loves. Through faith in Jesus Christ, I have been adopted as a child of God (Galatians 4:5). That means I am in a relationship with God. I did nothing to earn this relationship. In fact, I did everything against God. I do not deserve this relationship. However, God loved me unconditionally and sent Jesus Christ to take my sin, my rebellion, my selfishness, and die a death that I deserved. I still have struggles, problems, sins, and temptations that I deal with on a daily basis, but when I mess up and confess my sin to God he remains faithful and just to forgive me of my sins and still loves me (1 John 1:9). Why? He is my Heavenly Father. Again, I love my children not because of what they have or have not done. I love my children because I am in a relationship with them. I love my children because I am their father.
Have you received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior through faith, and been adopted into the family of God? Do you know God as your Heavenly Father that loves you unconditionally? If you have, please share this post on Facebook or Twitter so your followers may see the grace of God more clearly. If you have not, what is holding you back from a relationship with the Creator? He desires you to believe in Jesus Christ and turn from your sin to live a life that glorifies his name. Follow him today.
Comments
Post a Comment