All of Us

I sometimes struggle with the fact that God offers the same kind of grace
and love to someone who has hurt me as He does to me. I mean that person
doesn’t deserve all that, do they? Maybe you are the kind of person who
goes out of your way to do nice things for others. And then you have
someone in your life who only thinks about their own needs. Does it bother
you when you realize that God loves them just as much as He loves you, and
He wants to accept them into His family too? We are all equal. We might
feel like we’re better than some of those around us. We might feel worse.
But we all have the same value in God’s eyes. The death of Jesus on the
cross was not just for me or you or certain people who are “good” or
“worthy” of being saved. There was a criminal dying on the cross next to
Jesus’s, and he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”
(Luke 23:42). Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me
in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The truth is, we are all sinful. We could never
do enough good things to earn God’s grace. That’s not how grace works. God
loves us with a never-ending love, a love that isn’t affected by what we do
right or what we do wrong. And when we realize this is how God loves and
accepts us, it becomes easier for us to accept others and to admit our
own faults. We are not better than others. We struggle too. We need God’s
grace. Without Jesus giving His life for sinners, we would not have the
hope of eternity. We are just like those who hurt us, those who look out
only for themselves. All of us are unworthy. But Jesus is the Worthy One
(Revelation 5:1-12). He went to the cross and rose from the dead so that
EVERYONE who puts their trust in Him can be counted worthy in God’s sight.
• Emily Acker • Do you ever struggle with thinking that you’re better than
others? Jesus invites us to bring these thoughts to Him. He won’t condemn
us; He will help us turn away from sin and live in His love. • Do you
sometimes feel like you’re not worthy of God’s love and forgiveness? You
can bring these thoughts to Jesus too. According to today’s Bible passages,
what does Jesus say about you? For the grace of God has appeared that
offers salvation to all people. Titus 2:11 (NIV)

Read Verses:

Romans 3:23-Romans 3:24; Ephesians 2:1-Ephesians 2:9; Titus 2:11