Devotion written by David Trenbeath, Director of Finance & Facilities, Central region
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. – 2 Timothy 2:1-2
I recently had the opportunity to observe a one-on-one parenting skill session through our Parent Aide ministry. It was my first time witnessing direct client interaction through this ministry, so I was really excited to see what it looked like. I was blown away. In the two-hour window, I observed counseling, teaching, moments of laughter between the parent aide and client and a full-blown gospel presentation. I know not all sessions are like that, the majority may not be like that, but my key take away was this: the gospel message that Christ is victorious over sin and death must always be what drives us if we are true followers of Christ, and then we are called to share that good news with others.
After the meeting, I went back to the office and started thinking if that key point is what drives me every day. If somebody asked me, I would respond with a, “yes”. The gospel impacts me every day because I accepted Christ into my heart at a young age. But in reality, there are many days where I act like the gospel has no power at all and I am overcome with the problems of the day. I so easily forget that Christ didn’t just die for the young me, but he also died for me today, tomorrow and for the rest of my life. As Paul talks to Timothy in the verses above, he explicitly tells him to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Our walk will not be easy as believers, so we daily need to find our strength in Christ and allow grace to win over our deficiencies. Once we allow ourselves to experience the gospel each day, we then need to respond by telling others. If you have direct interaction with non-believers, you tell them. If you work with believers, you need to remind them of the gospel and spur them on in their walk so they may tell others. We are called to disciple and sharpen one another as fellow believers, so don’t miss the opportunity to do so every day.