“Yet the grace of our Lord poured over with faith and love in Christ Jesus.”

(1 Timothy 1:14)

The language of the twenty-third psalm echoes behind these words of Paul. What pours over from the cup on the table that pours over (Psalm 23:5)? It is God’s grace (symbolized by the wine). What is the result of our cup pouring over? It is faith and love in Christ Jesus. Recognize this: Paul did not believe in Jesus because he consciously decided to do so. In fact, Paul left behind a comfortable life on the Sanhedrin for a life of persecution when he became a Christian. He became a Christian entirely because of the work of God in him. And the same goes for you and for me. We did not become Christians because we made a decision, prayed a particular prayer, answered an altar call, or did any good work. We became Christians because God poured out His grace into our lives and made us ones, giving us faith and love in Jesus Christ.

What ought the work of God in our lives look like? We live lives of faith in Jesus and love for Jesus. Faith is more than just an intellectual assent. It is assent to the Word of God that flows into applying the teachings therein to every aspect of your life. Love applies likewise. Love is worked out in a life of obedience to Christ (John 14:15). It is behaving in a manner that is consistent with the teaching of scripture and living for God’s glory and not for your personal goals or pleasures. We spend ourselves and are spent for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is indeed what we see modeled by the Apostle Paul. This is rarely what we see in western Christianity. Something to consider…