Paul continues to remind Timothy, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 1:14). We are all here because of God’s mercy towards us. There is nothing in and of ourselves that makes us worthy to be called God’s children. We are in terrible shape without God’s grace working in our lives. Paul was a very righteous person according to the standards of Judaism, but he saw himself lacking in the fundamental area of faith in the Messiah. I have been blessed by many things in life: a loving wife, two wonderful children, parents who loved God, siblings who have encouraged me, many opportunities to go places and serve the Lord, and many other things. These are all direct results of God’s mercy in myself. Paul saw the greatest aspect of God’s mercy was to experience new life in Christ. He found his life overflowing with faith and love because of what God was doing inside him through Christ. If these are evident in my life, I need to consider whether I have opened my life fully to the flow of God’s mercy.
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