Listen:
“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:15)
Reflect:
Jesus called Paul from a persecutor to follow Him as a missionary so the Good News may be heard, understood, believed, shared all over the cosmos. From what you know about Paul and his missionary journeys, write a few things included in “all” of his life proclaiming Jesus as Lord and planting churches throughout the Roman Empire. How would you describe this kind of person in your context?
Have you had a desire to go above and beyond what is reasonable or expected in a relationship towards an individual or group of people, and recognized this as something that was God-inspired, God-initiated, and expressed His good heart for the world? What was it like?
I confessed in my February Examen listening group about a recent time I became aware that I withheld love. It was like I was wrapping a rope around my own feet, no where to go but down! While I was asking God for forgiveness, he called to my mind a key point in my life where He was gracious to me and changed my life.
Questions to Ponder:
Take a moment now to reflect on ways God’s grace has met you and thank Him.
Is there is a person who shared God’s grace with you this week? Thank them, too!
Extending out to others may bring up resistance with abiding in Jesus. What is He saying to you about this now?
Prayer of Response:
Gracious God, you are glorious. Thank you, Father, because you gave your Son for my sake, and your Son suffered separation from You in my place on the cross. By the power of your Spirit, draw all kinds of people everywhere to be saved by your grace.
—Submitted by Shannon Alley
Welcome to one of our new Tuesday Together writers: Shannon is a Lifesprings member since 2020. She gives thanks for God’s grace extended to her and her household through a traveling evangelist and Pakistani pediatric surgeon.