February 7

TITUS 2

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. ¹⁵ Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. –  Titus 2:11-15

TITUS 2 THE BENEFITS OF GOD’S GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God gave us grace because we cannot cleanse our sins

Only Christ’s blood made it possible to reconcile with Him

By the grace of God, we are able to train for righteousness

We can now have control over our desires and ungodliness

By the sacrifice on the cross, we no longer follow our cravings

Instead, we renounce our worldliness and seek godly living

With the grace granted to all those whom he has elected

Every believer is now able to praise God instead of pleasing self.

In this letter, Titus gives the church a guideline for the believers to follow by spelling out to them the benefits of God’s grace. It is almost like giving an instructional manual as to the profits of being granted salvation through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Here are some of the results of God’s grace in a believer’s life according to Titus:

• The believer is saved from the damnation of sin – no one can save himself from God’s wrath so

             God gave us Jesus to do that. He paid for our sins because we cannot pay it ourselves.

• It trains the believer to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions – by being freed from the

             wrath of God, we can now let go of all the sins we habitually do. We are now alive in Christ and

             no longer slaves to sin.

• It allows the believer to have self-control and upright lives – since the Holy Spirit lives in

             every believer, he is now able to take over the out-of-control lives they used to live.

• The believer now posses a blessed hope -the hopeful expectancy of the fulfillment of the

             promise of God to his own people. They no longer believe in lies from the world but looking

             forward for the coming of Jesus.

• The believer is now purified from his sins when he believed in Jesus – this means that he is now able to see himself as the temple of God and that everything he does is going to keep that temple pure and holy since God himself is holy.
• The believer is now able to do good works because he is now a slave of righteousness and no longer in bondage to sin-his heart is changed from the sinfulness to the righteousness of Christ.

REFLECTION

• Why is it important for us to understand the benefits of God’s grace as Christians?

 February 5

ROMANS 5

¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man, Jesus Christ abounded for many. ¹⁶ And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.¹⁸ Therefore, as one trespassled to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. ¹⁹ For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord – Romans 5:15-21

ROMANS 5 GRACE ABOUNDS WHERE SIN INCREASED

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Do you not know that Jesus came to pour out his grace on you?

Even though Adam made you sinful, Jesus made you righteous

Sin has made you guilty and exiled you from the presence of God

But Jesus has paid the price so you won’t experience his wrath

When sin increased, God’s grace overflows more

His steadfast love endures forever and his mercy abounds.

In this letter, Paul states the difference between the aftermath of Adam’s sin and God’s grace. When Adam rebelled and disobeyed God, he was banished from the garden and removed from God’s presence. The consequences of his sins were to work for his own livelihood and toil the ground where he came from. God kept the garden guarded with cherubim and a flaming sword (Genesis 3:24) so the tree of life will be protected from Adam and Eve, who are now defiled. This is what happens to us when we sin. We shut ourselves when we sin and hide from God’s presence because of our filthiness. We become spiritually dead and continue to be unable to cleanse ourselves.

But because God’s love for us is so vast and indescribable, He gave us a way out of that deadness to come back to life through Jesus. His perfect sacrifice on the cross was God’s solution to the problem of man’s sinful state. His anger over our sins cannot be appeased by unholy and defiled people, so he sent us his only Begotten Son to cleanse us from sin, while we are still sinners. Jesus didn’t die for the perfect people who are sinless since there is no such person. Jesus died for all those who need to be cleansed and reunited with God. Even though Jesus died for the whole world to be redeemed from sin, only a few are given the gift of faith. The invitation is open to all people, but only a few are given the ability to receive, accept and serve him. Many are called but only a few are chosen.

REFLECTION

• Give insights when sin increased and grace flourished.

February 2

1 PETER 4

⁶ For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.⁷ The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. ⁹ Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰ As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 4:6-11

1 PETER 4 STEWARDS OF GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When you declared Jesus as your Lord and Savior

It is because of his grace that you were able to do so

It is an unmerited favor that He gave you his grace

It is not for your own benefit but solely for his praise

Since he gave you such undeserved favor

You ought to use it to serve one another.

In this account, Peter teaches the believers the reason why the gospel was preached to them. He emphasizes the state of the sinner’s life which is dead. In other words, he wants them to recognize that it is the grace of God that saved them from their own sins. There is nothing that they can boast about when it comes to their salvation. It is all the Lord’s work that freed us from God’s wrath. By his grace, we are freed from the bondage of sin.

Peter gives the church instructions as to how to be stewards of God’s grace. He pointed out the following:

• To be self-controlled and sober-minded- they must not be following their flesh and gratifying their own selfish desires. They must be able to control their urges and pleasure seeking self.
• To keep loving one another earnestly so their sins will be covered- this means that they no longer live in fear or mistrust. They will choose the path to love instead of fear so that they are not bound to be slaves of sins.
• To show hospitality to one another without grumbling- to welcome and be open to carry each other’s burdens and exercise generosity to others.
• To be stewards of grace for the praise of the Lord- to manifest giving grace to others especially those who need it most and who are not deserving. Because we were given amazing grace when we don’t deserve it, we also ought to give such grace to those who are difficult or treat us badly.

By following these guidelines that Peter gave the believers, they can walk in love and steward the grace that they received from God while they didn’t deserve it. This way, they bring God all the glory.

REFLECTION

• How does grace and love work hand in hand in a believer’s life?

February 1

2 CORINTHIANS 12

⁶ Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:6-10

2 CORINTHIANS 12 THE SUFFICIENCY OF GOD’S GRACE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As a believer of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us be content

He gave his grace freely to all whom he has chosen

We do not have to prove that we are worthy of it

God gave us his Son freely, we just need to believe Him

We do not need to be afraid of hardships and difficulties

When we are weak, we are strong since his grace is sufficient

By his grace alone can we be free from the world’s corruption

Let us then rely only on his grace so we can avoid deception.

Before I was born again, I didn’t understand the meaning of grace. The Roman Catholic church where I was born and grew up in didn’t make the concept of grace very clear to me. I think it was messed up by false teachings on earning salvation through works. As a young girl, I was made to believe that if I go to communion and attend mass and confess to a priest, I would be okayed by God. I prayed the rosary daily and regularly confessed and heard mass, but my life was still full of habitual sins. We weren’t encouraged to read the bible, but just to listen to the stories about Jesus in our religion classes.

When I became reformed, it took me a while to understand grace because I was focused on works. If I am good, I will be worthy of God’s love. I wasn’t taught that I can do nothing to change whom God has elected to be his people. I had no understanding of covenant promises of God. In the Heidelberg Catechism, it explains that only by true faith in Jesus Christ am I righteous before God. It emphasizes that there is no merit in whatever I do but that it is only out of mere grace that I am credited the righteousness and holiness of Christ. It also explains that good works cannot be our righteousness before God, since our best works in this life are all imperfect and defiled with sin. It took me years to realize that every good work that I do also comes from the Lord himself. Even my decisions to live a life of service to the Lord also comes from his grace. There is nothing to be merited to me at all. When my false beliefs were straightened out by wrong doctrines from the Roman Catholic church and replaced by truth that God’s grace is sufficient for me as Paul highlights in this letter to the Corinthian church.

REFLECTION

·       How can a believer manifest living in the sufficiency of God’s grace?

January 30

EPHESIANS 2

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ² 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— ³ among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. ⁴ But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶ and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. – Ephesians 2:1-10

EPHESIANS 2 DEAD IN TRESPASSES AND SINS THROUGH CHRIST

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Once you were by nature children of wrath, like all humans

But Christ freed you and changed your nature to please God

You are now dead in your trespasses and sins because of Christ

You are not slaves to sin anymore but are now dead from it

Walk in the guidance of the Spirit and never follow your cravings

Instead, aim to focus your mind and heart to what is righteous.

In this account, Paul explains the concept of being in control of the believers’ bondage to sin. He says that since Jesus died for them already, there is no reason for them to live sinful lives anymore. The grace given to them through their faith is not based on what they do and how they perform but on the gift of God when He sent his son to die on the cross. Because of this, no believer can boast about any of these gifts of grace since they received them from God even while they were still sinners and don’t deserve to be given such privileges.

Paul focuses on God’s being rich in mercy and love for mankind. Because we are loved by a faithful God, Paul wants the believers to learn the way of living free from the bondage of sin. This means that we follow that which is the opposite of the systems of the world. We aim to live under the law of love and liberty instead of the systems of greed and covetousness. It also means living a life of starving the passions and desires of our flesh which are all against God.

In verse 10, he points out how we are the workmanship of God. In Genesis 1:27, we know this to be true since he made both man and woman in his own image. The problem lies in the fall when sin twisted the purpose of our make. Sin changed the trajectory of our love from God to ourselves. So, Paul teaches the believers to go back to the way God made us for. It was for us to bring him glory and not ourselves.

REFLECTION

·       How can we live a life of freedom from sin instead of bondage to it?