The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 1:14 (NIV)
You are not yet what you one day will be. But you are not what you used to be either. And the reason for this is that God has poured grace, faith, and love into your life.
Grace poured out
Don’t think of God’s grace as a past experience. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1:15). He does not say, “I was the worst.” He says, “I am the worst,” present tense.
If we have really understood grace in the present tense, it will mean that the message of the church will be: “Christ came into the world to save sinful people like us.” There isn’t one of us who has lived a single day this week in a way that merited access to heaven. Our righteousness is not found in our performance. It is found in Jesus Christ. Right now, if you are a Christian, the grace of God is being poured out on you abundantly in Christ.
Faith poured out
Where did Paul’s faith come from? He says that he acted “in unbelief” (1:13). He resisted Christ. Where did his faith come from, then? “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).
Love poured out
Paul was an angry man who was hurting others. But then the love of Jesus was poured out on him: “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom. 5:5). An unbelieving heart was flooded with faith. An angry heart was flooded with love. That’s the transforming power of the gospel.
How did you come to trust Christ? How did you come to love Christ? God’s grace has been poured out on you abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Affirm these things by giving thanks to God for His inexpressible gifts!