Knowing Your Identity in Christ: I am Rich in Grace (Ephesians 1:7-8)

What if understanding you are truly “rich in grace” could change how you lead your family, love your kids, and live with purpose?

In this episode of 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents, host Christen Clark gets real about Christian parenting in the chaos, showing how a deeper grasp of God’s lavish grace can bring inspiration, confidence, and spiritual growth to everyday family life. Dive into Ephesians 1 as Christen unpacks what God’s grace means for faith at home, discipleship in family time, and raising Christian kids who know their true identity in Christ.

• [00:01:18] Exploring the riches of God’s grace in Ephesians 1
• [00:05:03] Shifting from parenting out of fear to leading with abundance, forgiveness, and purpose in your home.

Resources:

• Instagram: @7minutedevotions, @christenclark
• Family Podcast: @collidekidspodcast

Transcript

Christen Clark [00:00:02]:

Hello and welcome to 7 Minute Devotions for Busy Parents. I'm your host, Christen Clark. I am a wife, I'm a mom, I am a very busy parent. I can tell you that right now. I've got a lot of things on my to-do list, as I'm sure you do as well. And so that's why we're here, is because we just need to set aside a few minutes a few times a week, maybe more than that if we can, just so that we can center ourselves on God's word and the truth of who he is and who we are because of Christ. And so that's what we're doing, especially in this season. I'm I'm so excited.

Christen Clark [00:00:32]:

If you've been walking through this I Am season with me, you know that we've been grounding our identity in what God says is true about us in Christ. And so I'm just loving it. I, I think Ephesians is such a solid book, and it was written by the Apostle Paul during one of his imprisonments. So it's interesting too to think about how someone who is in a very dark and lowly place like prison is able to make such profound and positive theological statements about who we are in Christ. Last week we talked about redemption and forgiveness, the difference between grace and mercy, and what it truly means that our debt has been paid because of Jesus. So if you missed that episode, I encourage you to go back and listen because this week we're going to really build on that foundation. Today we're looking at Ephesians 1:7-8, really the end of 7 and the beginning of 8, And this is where Paul expands the lens. He writes, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight." So the identity we're anchoring into this week is, I am rich in grace.

Christen Clark [00:01:51]:

When Paul says that our forgiveness comes according to the riches of his grace, he's telling us something about the source and the supply. Our redemption isn't given out sparingly. It isn't measured carefully as though God is afraid that it might run out. The word translated "lavished" comes from the Greek word "perieuseo"— I don't know if I pronounced that correctly, but that was my best attempt— which means to exceed a certain measure, to overflow, to go beyond what is necessary. Now that really changes the tone of how we read this verse. God did not just forgive you reluctantly. He didn't just redeem you minimally. He did not save you and then hold back the rest.

Christen Clark [00:02:33]:

He poured out grace in abundance. I saw a small glimpse of that overflow one Christmas years ago. My husband asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I, I just really didn't have a big gift in mind, so I didn't have an answer for him. So I told him, oh, just pick a couple things from my Amazon wishlist. Now I love my Amazon wishlist and it's like a running catalog of all the random things that I see when I'm late night online shopping. And I just put it in there so that I don't buy everything I see or to remind myself to get something later in the year, kitchen items, toiletries, practical things, things I've just saved for later. It's, it's long, I'm telling you. Well, I expected him to choose 1 or 2 of those items.

Christen Clark [00:03:14]:

Instead, he bought almost the whole list. And then he wrapped nearly every single item individually. So I remember sitting there that morning unwrapping gift after gift, and this was when my family was all around, so it took a very long time for them to all watch me open all of these gifts. And we're laughing and it's funny and it's cute, and it took a really long time. And finally I told him, next time you, you don't have to get me all of this. If he had just picked one thing, I would have been grateful. That would have been enough. But what he gave wasn't just enough, it was abundance.

Christen Clark [00:03:46]:

It was love expressed through overflow, and That's the picture I think that Paul is painting, only infinitely greater. It's way bigger than your whole Amazon wishlist. If Jesus had died on the cross and the only grace we received was the forgiveness of our sins, that would have been more than we deserved. That alone would have been enough. But God didn't stop at wiping our slate clean. He adopted us. He gave us the Holy Spirit. He invites us into relationship.

Christen Clark [00:04:16]:

He gives us spiritual gifts. He gives us blessings. He grows us in wisdom. He puts us in community. He promises eternal life. He brings us into his family. And verse 7 adds something really beautiful. It says, "This grace was lavished on us in all wisdom and insight." That means this wasn't impulsive grace.

Christen Clark [00:04:37]:

It wasn't careless. It was intentional. God, in his wisdom, chose to pour out mercy and favor in a way that reveals his character and secures our salvation. He gives us understanding of what he's done. He gives us confidence in its permanence and the ability to live it out. His grace doesn't just rescue us, it teaches us, it shapes us, and it matures us. As parents, this truth can shape the way we lead our homes. When we know we are rich in grace, we stop parenting from fear and scarcity.

Christen Clark [00:05:07]:

We don't have to strive for perfection or cling to control. As though one mistake will just undo everything. Instead, we parent from abundance. We model forgiveness because we've been forgiven. We extend patience because patience has been extended to us. And we teach our children not only that God forgives, but why? Because of Jesus' finished work. Salvation isn't fragile. It's rooted in the riches of God's grace.

Christen Clark [00:05:34]:

So when we discipline, when we correct and restore after conflict, we are reflecting the heart of a father who does not ration his grace. Well, before we pray, we're going to practice our identity rhythm. This is something we're gonna do in each episode this season. So we'll say these 3 short statements together, who we are in Christ, why it's true, and how we live from it. You can repeat these with me, or you can just listen and go to our social media so that you can follow along. And see the carousel we've created for all these statements so you can read along with me. So our identity statement today is, I am rich in grace. I am rich in grace because Jesus paid for my redemption and God has poured out his abundant favor on me.

Christen Clark [00:06:29]:

Because I am rich in grace, I will live with confidence instead of shame and extend grace freely to others. Let's pray. God, thank you so much that your grace is rich and that you lavish it on us. Thank you that our redemption comes through the blood of Jesus, through the cross, not because of our worthiness or anything that we've done to deserve it, but because of Jesus. Help us to truly believe that we are rich in grace. Teach us how to live from the abundance instead of fear. And God, would you shape our hearts so that the grace that we receive would overflow into our homes, our marriages, and in our children's lives. Give us the wisdom and insight as we reflect who you are and your character.

Christen Clark [00:07:15]:

In Jesus' name, amen. Well, I hope these episodes have been encouraging you, and if they are, would you just take a moment to share it with a friend or another parent that you know who might need some reminders today that they are rich, they are rich in grace and not running on empty. That really could make their day. Thanks so much for listening today, and until next time, remember who you are and who you belong to.