By Robin Wiley
1 Timothy 1:12-17 (ESV) 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
For the Adults: Wait? Did Paul really just claim to be the worst of all sinners? He didn’t really mean that, did he? This is the Apostle Paul—the one who wrote almost half of the books of the New Testament (13 out of 27!). Surely, he was exaggerating to sound humble. Or was he?
Earlier in his ministry, he admits to being the “least of the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:9). Later he claimed to be the least of all God’s people (Ephesians 3:8). And now, he believes himself to be the worst of sinners?
But as we get more mature in our faith, aren’t we supposed to grow more holy, not less? What Paul is bringing to light is that as God works in our life to grow us, He is at the same time revealing how sinful we really are.
When you are playing outside at night, it doesn’t seem dark. Once you get inside and look out the window, it is only then that you discover how truly dark it was. So, it is with our faith. The more light that comes into our life, the more clearly we then see the darkness. The response to seeing ourselves as bigger sinners than we initially thought is to see a bigger need for Christ and His forgiveness. The more we see our sin, the more we need Him, and the more we will run to Him for forgiveness. The more we then experience His forgiveness, the more like Jesus we will become!
For the Kiddos:
· Is it hard to be a Christian in today’s world and to not sin?
· What are some ways that you see God working in your life?
· What are some areas in your life that God is working on right now to help you grow closer to Him? (give up things: social media, video games, tablet or smart phone)
Hear: Read the Bible Passages. (1 Timothy 1:12-17, 1 Corinthians 15:9, Ephesians 3:8 (ESV)) For younger children, a picture Bible may be used.
Pause: Take a few seconds, or maybe a minute to sit with the scripture in silence. This might be a great time to chose a different place to do your devotional time. Maybe sit outside or in the backyard and be still and let God’s word work in their hearts!
Wonder:
· What sin are you hanging onto that you need to let go?
· How can you let Christ’s light shine more in your life this week?
Bless: Affirm what was discussed about the story.
Have you ever tried staring at a bright light really close for about 8 seconds and then shut your eyes and cover them with your hands? What do you see? In the darkness you see the outline of the light image peeping through. It stays there quite awhile. That is an illustration of God’s love and grace shining through the darkness of our sin. He stays with us to shine Jesus’ light in our lives.
· Praise God, Give thanks, Pray for others, confess sins, Praise God!
Example:
Father God, thank you that you are working in our lives—both to make us more like Jesus AND to show us more of our sin. Help us when we are confronted with our sin to run to Jesus whose love and forgiveness is far greater than we can ever fathom. Please bless our family with your grace and love. In the name of Jesus - Amen.