Staying Faithful through the Gift of People
Jesus Christ is the best giver! He gives so many things to us that we don’t deserve and can never earn. He gives us these gifts out of His love for us. Paul teaches this in every one of his letters we have in the New Testament.
The gifts of the cross
As a direct result of Christ’s finished work on the cross, our relationship with God is changed forever because of our faith in His Son. We receive much more than just having our sins forgiven and going to heaven when we die. Christ gives us mind-blowing, heart-thrilling gifts.
- Here are a few of the best gifts He has given to you and I as believers.
- You can know that God is no longer angry at your sin because His holy wrath against sin was fully satisfied by Jesus’ death on the cross.
- You are given complete reconciliation in your relationship with God because Jesus becomes the bridge for you.
- You are given redemption meaning you have been freed from the slavery to sin and released to serve God in freedom.
- You are given complete forgiveness of your sins. This gift is ongoing and includes every sin—past, present, and future. God has erased your mistakes so that you are no longer guilty.
- You receive the gift of being declared righteous in God’s eyes so that now you are perfectly acceptable to a holy God based on your faith in His Son.
- You receive the gift of being sanctified—declared holy to God and set apart by Him for His special use.
- We also receive the gift of being a new creation with a new identity in Christ. Everyone who trusts in Christ is lavished with treasure in Christ. And, you get it all at once as a package deal the moment you place your faith in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:3-14
- God gives us people in our lives to cherish and strengthen us. God’s gift of people who model following Christ for us help us to stay faithful to Him.
The gift of mothers
God gave Timothy two special gifts in his life—his mother and grandmother—who taught him to love God and place His faith in Jesus Christ. They gave him what some would call “sticky faith.” 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14-15
The gift of sticky faith that lasts
- “Sticky faith” is what parents can intentionally do to help our children have real faith that sticks beyond the time when they live in our homes.
- In Three Common Traits of Youth Who Don’t Leave the Church, the author concluded that teens whose faith stuck throughout college and into their 20s had three things in common by the time they finished high school.
- Common condition #1: They were born again, and they knew it. That means they understood that at a specific time they had made a conscious decision to put their faith in Jesus Christ and to follow Him as His disciple.
- Common condition #2: They were equipped, not entertained, as youth. The teens with sticky faith knew how to share the gospel. They also knew how to disciple someone and lead a Bible study.
- Common condition #3: Their parents lived the gospel before them. More importantly, they lived out the gospel of grace rather than living by law. When you understand God’s grace and live it out for all to see, others can see that you are motivated to obey God because of love and gratitude for what He has done for you. This is catching so those watching will be motivated to love God and be grateful to Him, also. Having godly parents is important, but so is having godly mentors.
- Paul was such a mentor to Timothy. Throughout both 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul encouraged the young man to keep doing what was right and keep teaching truth even if some people who hated Christians would try to stop his teaching what the Bible says. His love for Timothy oozes from both of those letters.
- Every parent knows that regardless of how much you influence them in the right direction, each child must still respond to Jesus’ call on his or her life individually. So, we should pray and trust in our God to capture the heart of our child as He has already captured our hearts. Then, we depend on Jesus to help us do our part and leave the rest up to Him. Once a child trusts in Christ as Savior, the best influence for “sticky faith” ever—God’s Holy Spirit—moves inside to impact that child from the inside out for the rest of his or her life! Thank you, Jesus!
Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His faithfulness. Then, make the choice to stay faithful to Him for the rest of your life.
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