Healing Grace
Because of God’s grace, our lives are full of potential usefulness for Jesus Christ. God has a proven track record of consistently reaching out to restore his stumbling servants. Proverbs 24:16 compares the “falling” of two kinds of people – those who get up and those who don’t. Thankfully, as Jesus demonstrated by extending forgiveness and restoration to Peter after his threefold denial (Jn.21), God’s mercy and grace extend to his people to stand them up, dust them off, and move them forward into productive and fruitful Christian lives. God wants your life to count. He wants you to make a difference for someone this week. So if your focus is on yesterday’s failures, get a biblical new year’s perspective: agree with God about your sin, affirm his promise of forgiveness and say to him, “Here am I, send me” (Is.6:6-8).
-- Pastor Mike
JANUARY OFFER
Nothing has the potential to capture your heart like a brand new baby—especially when it is your own. Seventeen years ago I experienced the joy of being a dad for the very first time. I can still remember that cute little guy all bundled up in blankets snuggled with his mom. He looked so small, so helpless, and so innocent. But I knew better. He might have been tiny and dependent, but he was not innocent, at least not in a theological sense. From the very moment of his existence, my son, like every other child, was a sinner.
As parents, one of our primary callings is preparing our children for conversion. Unfortunately, we are incapable of saving our kids. It is the Holy Spirit alone who convicts the heart and brings people to repentance. But we can equip our sons and daughter with a clear understanding of who God is. It is never too early to begin teaching your kids sound theology.
Our passion for helping families understand and communicate the gospel message is reflected in the book we chose this month. We would like to send you a copy as our “thank you” for your donation to Focal Point. Written by Marty Machowski, the book is titled Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God. This substantial devotional provides 78 weeks of interactive material on biblical stories that all point back to the gospel message. As you read through with your family, you will have opportunities to study Scripture, discuss questions and pray together. Of course, this book is not just for parents. It is a useful resource for grandparents, aunts, uncles, Sunday school teachers, childcare workers, and anyone who has an opportunity to influence children and prepare them to know and follow after God.
Request Old Story New with your donation of any amount this month.
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