Pray Network Forum

I fear many Christians have the notion that we are saved by grace, but we are trained for righteousness by legalism. This is a serious mistake for Christians and it misses one of the most wonderful truths of scripture. In Titus Chapter 2 Paul tells us the grace of God trains us for Godly living. Look with me at these verses.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 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.”

Titus 2:22-14

Let me point out for you several ways that God uses His grace to train us to live Godly lives.

First, We Are Trained In The Gratitude of Grace.

We do not develop self control and godliness so we will be saved. We obey God out of gratitude that He has already saved us. This gratitude brings great devotion. “Look what  He has done for me!” It also produces humility in us that is foundational to a changed life. And focusing on His grace frees us defensiveness about our sin. Our sins were paid for on the cross.

We Are Trained In The Hope of Grace.

We are like a bride being adorned for our bridegroom. We love Him. And we are preparing our hearts to be ushered into His presence. We desire God's grace to be worked  into our lives more and more because we are looking forward to seeing Jesus face-to-face.

We Are Trained In The Transformation of Grace.

When we begin to follow Christ God brings about a radical change in our desires. But we still have habits of mind and behavior that must be changed on a deep level. Because the penalty for them has been paid we have freedom to deal with the root motivations of our pride, greed, lust, or whatever sin we would avoid dealing with if we were still being defensive. And God is planting more and more of His thinking and His holiness into our lives. The more we read His word, and live in fellowship with Him, the more like Him we become.

We Are Trained In The Fellowship of Grace.

God's Grace has appeared so that He might make us a people who are zealous for good works. We cannot do this, or be this, alone. We stand together. As we are united with Him by God's grace, we are united with others in the family. We love one another and encourage one another every day while it is still called today. (Hebrews 3:13)

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“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many;

not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

- Charles Dickens

God blesses us, not because of who we are, but in spite of it.

In the face of our self-centeredness and deceit, God still loves us.

Heaven’s blessings flow from God’s good heart, not from our goodness.

We should not get the idea we somehow merit God’s smile by personal virtue.

It is more rewarding to revel in enjoyed benefits, than to fret over what we do not have.

It is sweeter to count many current blessings, than to ponder a few historical disappointments.  

It would be unwise to demand that God give us what we deserve—if He did, we would really be poor.

Love enriches us immeasurably—to avoid being an ingrate we must be humbly grateful, not grumbly hateful.

It is rewarding to inventory the cornucopia of heaven’s gifts supplying all our needs—

faith to counteract worry, family to solve loneliness, health to relish life, income to pay bills,

pardon to cancel guilt, tomorrow to inspire hope, heaven to give us Someone to look forward to.

Whatever fails, we can be sure God’s blessings never will; He will never go back on His Word—thank God!

I blessed him with an irrevocable blessing.

Genesis 27:33 NLT

Johnny R. Almond

                Pastor, Colonial Beach Baptist Church, Virginia

Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—Scripture Personalized

Book available through local bookseller or preferred on-line retailer.

Author’s blog www.GentleWhispersFromEternity-ScripturePersonalized.com

[This devotion based on/adapted from Day 18 of Gentle Whispers from Eternity]

Every Sunday morning for over 20 years, with very few exceptions, I've been privileged to gather with a group of prayer partners to read a Psalm then spend an hour in worship-based prayer. The worship in the word is sweet and the Spirit always guides us as we take time to specifically focus on prayers for the Sunday services of the church and all God wants to do through them.

Recently, we enjoyed an hour of prayer from Psalm 92. The first verse of the Psalm is very familiar but, as often happens, struck me in a fresh way. It reads:

“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” Psalm 92:1-2

Maybe it is just me, but I am noticing that during these ever-difficult days in our nation, people are either responding with a deeper gratitude for the simple blessings of life or they are lapsing into grumbling about how tough things are. One thing is clear; it is still GOOD to give thanks to the Lord, even in 2010 – especially in these very challenging times.

But why?

I have considered the reasons it is good to give thanks to the Lord. I see a HEAVENWARD reason, an INWARD reason, a BACKWARD reason and a FORWARD reason.

A Heavenward Adoration

With a HEAVENWARD view, it is truly good to give thanks to the Lord – because in our gratitude we again recognize the priority and power of God’s glorious and unchanging character. Our financial security, family situation and personal health may be uncertain – but He never changes. When we give thanks, our hearts and minds are “renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created” us.

In gratitude we remember that while life may feel bad, God is still good – all the time. When thankful, we can rejoice in the name of the Most High God who is sovereign, just, gracious, merciful and true - -in spite of the earthly forecast. As Psalm 92:2 says, “To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning and Your faithfulness every night.” Gratitude makes our theology real and practical every day.

An Inward Transformation

From an INWARD standpoint, it is good to give thanks to the Lord because it changes us. Isaiah 26:3 reminds us, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Gratitude promotes peace in the midst of the storm. “Whatever my lot – Thou has taught me to say, ‘It is well’ with my soul.” We are able to count our blessings rather than complain about our burdens. Anticipation can replace anxiety and worship can replace worry when we realize how good it is to give thanks.

Psalm 107:22 declares, “Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing. “ Just as Old Testament sacrifices were accompanied by thanksgiving, so we sometimes have to sacrifice in order to give thanks. We sacrifice our self-trust, human reason, personal expectations, disappointments and even our very real pain in the midst of trials. We come to our Living God and say “thank you” in faith. The result is that we are able to declare His works with joy. Joy is an abiding well-being that transcends circumstances because is it rooted in spiritual reality. Truly, gratitude rearranges the interior of my troubled and doubting heart.

A Backward Recognition

From a BACKWARD angle, it is good to give thanks for the Lord because we recognize the pattern of His wonderful works in our life. Christians can be very forgetful, just like nine of the ten lepers in Luke 17:11-19 who never came back to thank Jesus for healing their bodies. One returned to receive a healing of soul in his worshipful gratitude.

Psalm 107 repeats the call five times, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! “ (vv. 1, 8, 15, 21 & 31). Reflect on His wonderful works in the story of your life. What has He done for you? Can you see the pattern of His faithfulness and care? Don’t forget all He has done. His past works will change the way you look at your present situation and your future path.

A Forward Anticipation

Finally, it is good to give thanks to the Lord from a FORWARD standpoint. We learn that some things in this life simply cannot be trusted. The Stock Market. Politicians. Big business. Media. People. Ourselves. But, when we give thanks we are reminded in the One in whom we can trust for the next chapter of life. “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, then life is worth the living just because He lives.” If the living God is good, has been good – the He will be good with every step I take into the future.

God’s Good Will

Hebrews 13:15 gives this command to our hearts, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” Also, 1 Thessalonians 5:18 is clear, “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

So, God’s good will for your life is to give thanks – and there are many reasons to do it. Let the fruit of your lips give thanks to His name today. By Jesus Christ, and through His life in you, it can happen – and it will be good. He has promised.

© Daniel Henderson - www.strategicrenewal.com