I can’t put to words what God is doing in my heart.
To read Words penned out thousands of years earlier, and to find each one to be my own beautiful story of redemption in Christ – I just can’t describe it.
Without purpose, useless, futile, empty –
But by His grace,
I have been redeemed with the unblemished, spotless blood of Christ.
It’s this beautiful gift of divine grace… bringing faith and hope and obedience to truth.
For years I’ve wondered about when to show grace and when to teach obedience, and here in these words there is this sweet mixture of both.
For when I see His incredible love, His blood poured out paid as a ransom for me – I realize it’s not what I have done, but only what He has done, and I can’t help but want to live in obedience to Him.
And I can’t help but want to share this beautiful story of both grace AND truth with others, so it becomes theirs as well…
Family {Bible} Time – 1 Peter – Week 4
(Correlates with this week’s 1 Peter 1:13-25 Bible Study.)
***This week my two oldest girls planned our Family {Bible} Time! What a joy to watch their little minds and hearts working as we read the passage together, talked about the topic we wanted to highlight (God’s grace & redemption), and remembered past Family Times together. And then to see them teaching and demonstrating grace and truth… it was priceless!
***This Family {Bible} Time will best be done when sin issues are abounding! (In our house you don’t have to look far!)And will hopefully be a wonderful reminder that teaching our children about God and His saving grace should be a part of our days!***
*Have them stand at the bottom of a flight of stairs and tell them that if they figure out the only way to get to the top without touching the stairs, walls, or railing- they’ll get a favorite treat! (If you don’t have a flight of stairs, or have a super athletic child that can jump that high, :) or if you’re up for a different challenge, simply use two marks on the ground that are clearly too far apart for them to reach without touching the ground. We have done this before using a bench and a picnic table, and last year we used a swimming pool. So feel free to be creative.)
*Cheering for treats may be heard around the neighborhood. And (if you’re like our family) it won’t take long for each child to try jumping and striving to get to the top.
*Here’s where my two oldest brought in some extra fun – they’d stand at the bottom with the others whispering ideas of ways they could try –
Maybe if they ran fast and took a big leap…
Maybe if they balanced a Bible on top of their heads…
Maybe if they paid some money…
Or maybe they’d just have to climb the railing and break the rules…
*But it won’t take too long for them to realize that there is NO way they would be able to do it on their own (if there is, then you need to make the challenge a bit harder), and let. me. tell. you. the whining might just get as loud as the cheering (just saying).
*Until (with possibly a little hinting) they realize that someone else could help them to the top – carrying them so they won’t touch the forbidden (labeled hot-lava) steps (or ground or water or whatever you’re using).
*And you might just get a little teary eyed when you see some sacrificing their favorite treat for the others. (Or the precious way the others are so in awe of their sister giving up her treat for them, that they can’t help but want to give and do special things for her… kind of like how His grace makes us want to obey.)
*When they get to the top. Celebrate and talk about the redemption of Christ (He paid the price for our sins with His blood) and His amazing grace (that He would give us the gift of saving us and sacrificing Himself for us) and that we are ONLY saved by grace which is a gift of God (no amount of jumping, striving, bribing, trying, balancing-Bibles-on-top-of-heads can save us)!!!
*Enjoy a yummy treat together.
*Thank God for the special treat and His sweet grace!
(I know many of us have children that do not know the saving grace of God yet. Keep telling them and showing them and pouring this precious Good News into their little minds, and keep praying that God would grow incredible faith in their hearts! This is grace and this is truth. And the only way to true obedience is through His grace. So keep showing grace and keep teaching truth. You can’t have one without the other.)
1 Peter Family {Bible} Times: #1 1 Peter Introduction “When All Our Kids Hearts are Dirty” – #2 1 Peter 1:1-2 “How to Get Kids to Love the Bible” – #3 1 Peter 1:3-12 “How to Share the Gospel With Kids”
Do I Show Grace or Do I Teach Obedience? is a post from: Our Family For His Glory
Click here to download the {FREE} twelve week 1 PETER BIBLE STUDY – Growing in the True Grace of God. {Please give it a few minutes to download… thank you for your grace!}