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"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people."
(Titus 2:11, CSB)
In this week's devotions, I want us to walk through Titus 2:11-14 together:
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works."
But also this week, I want us to try to MEMORIZE Titus 2:11-14! For the memorization piece, I would encourage you to memorize a version that works best for you. Above you will see the version of the passage from the Christian Standard Bible. If you like another version, like ESV or NIV, then memorize it that way.
One trick I will give you that has helped me a lot is to try to memorize the verse by only looking at the first letter of each word. For example: F T G O G H A, B S F A P. You can put this combination of letters on a note in your phone, on an index card, write it on your wrist, etc. I have found that these letters help trampoline my brain to the words and have helped me memorize passages more quickly!
Let's start by breaking down Titus 2:11 together today. From this verse, we see God's heart, that He wishes all to be saved. Read Titus 2:11 again now. As you read this verse, I want you to look closely at the first clause: "For the grace of God has appeared." This statement brings two moments into my head: the Cross and May 25, 2014. The cross was where the grace of God appeared for all humanity, where the Son of God took on the wrath of God so that humanity could have a relationship with God! May 25, 2014 was the day that I began my relationship with Jesus. It was the day I realized I was a sinner in need of the free gift of salvation, God's grace, and accepted that gift. When did the saving grace of God show up in your life? When was the moment that you realized that you were a sinner and accepted the free gift of God's grace?
As you reflect on the grace of God appearing and how it has appeared many times in your life, not just in your salvation, think about the next part of the verse: "bringing salvation for all people." Salvation is for all people! Just as your saving moment means everything to you, there are people in your circle, in your area, in your sphere of influence who need to hear about the saving grace of God. Kyndall and I recently went on a date night without our sons, and we got pedicures. (Hey! No judgment! They are incredible!) The person who was doing my toenails is named Mia. Mia had just started doing nails, and we struck up a conversation about video games, languages, and other topics. Through this conversation, I was able to talk to her about Jesus and the love and grace that He has for her. Mia did not repent in that moment and begin a relationship with Christ right then, but the beautiful thing that happened was, by the grace of God, I was given an opportunity to talk about God's grace with Mia!
With whom can you share about the Grace of God today? Be looking for an opportunity to have a conversation about God's grace today! If you do, we would love to hear about it! Reply back to this email later and let us know how it went!
P.S. Be working on your "homework" for the week. Memorize Titus 2:11 first: "F T G O G H A, B S F A P."
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