Grace is Still Changing Me

📖 Truth Tuesday — Grace Is Still Changing Me
One of the beautiful things about the gospel is that it allows us to look honestly at who we were without forgetting who we are because of Jesus.

In Titus 3, Paul doesn't minimize the past.
He says, “For we also once were...”
But then everything changes:
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us...”
Our story changed because God acted.
And that grace didn't stop working the day we were saved.

Even as believers, the Holy Spirit continues to reveal attitudes, habits, words, and actions that don't look like Jesus.
When He does, we don't have to excuse them.
We don't have to hide them.
And we don't have to live imprisoned by them.

We confess.
We repent.
We receive His forgiveness.
And we keep walking with Jesus as He changes us.

💭 Today's Truth

Grace doesn't erase the truth about who you were. It changes who you are becoming. And remembering grace should change the way we see others too.
When I remember how patient God has been with me, I should become more patient with you.
When I remember how much mercy I've received, I should become more willing to give mercy away.

🙏 Today's Prayer
Lord, thank You for Your mercy toward me. Thank You that when I could not save myself, You saved me according to Your grace. Thank You for giving me new life in Christ—and thank You that You are still changing me. When You reveal something in me that doesn't look like Jesus, give me humility to confess it and courage to repent from it. Continue Your renewing work in me through Your Spirit, and help me extend to others the grace and patience You have so generously shown to me. In Jesus name,  Amen.

If these words express your heart today, make them your prayer. Or find your own words and spend a few moments honestly talking with the Lord.

🎙️ Today's Five More Minutes is also available wherever you listen to podcasts.

God's grace doesn't teach us to make excuses for yesterday. It teaches us to walk differently today.

Let's walk with Him today.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello, friends. Would you join with me as we spend five more minutes with God? Today is a Truth Tears Day where we anchor our hearts in the unchanging truth of God's word and we allow his truth to shape the way that we live. Today I'd like to ask you to look with me at Titus chapter 3. Titus the third chapter. If you have a Bible nearby, I'd love for you to turn there with me. One of the beautiful things about the gospel is that it allows us to look honestly at who we were without forgetting who we are because of Jesus. Paul does just exactly that in today's passage. He's writing to Titus about how followers of Jesus should live in the world that's around them. He tells believers to be ready for every good deed, not to malign anyone, to be peaceable, to be gentle, to be considerate toward others. And then Paul tells them why. He asks them to remember where they came from. Listen to these words in Titus, the third chapter and the third verse. For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. Notice the word that Paul uses, for we also once were. Paul included himself. We were disobedient. We were enslaved to our sinful desires. Paul doesn't soften the reality of our condition before Christ. But thankfully, that's not where he stops. Because listen to the beautiful turn that comes next in Titus chapter 3, verse 4. He goes on and says, But when the kindness of God, our Savior, and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace, we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. There it is. But when the kindness of our God and Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, the scripture says. That's the difference. Paul doesn't say, but we finally got ourselves together. He doesn't say, but eventually we became better people. He says, He saved us. Our story changed because God acted. And Paul makes sure that we understand why. He says it was not on the basis of deeds which we've done in righteousness, but according to his mercy. We didn't earn it. We don't deserve it. We couldn't accomplish it ourselves, but God was merciful. That's grace. Paul says we've experienced the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. God didn't simply just improve the old life, He gave us new life. Now, Paul is primarily describing who these believers were before Christ. But I think there's something that those of us that have followed Jesus for a long time need to remember too. Coming to Christ doesn't mean that God is finished changing us. Even as believers, there are times when the Holy Spirit puts his finger on something in our lives and says, this doesn't look like Jesus. Maybe it's an attitude. Maybe it's a habit. Maybe it's something we've said. Maybe it's the way that we've treated someone. Maybe we look back over part of our Christian journey and realize there were times that our lives did not represent Christ the way that they should have. What do we do with that? Well, we don't excuse it. We don't pretend it didn't matter. And we also don't allow it to convince us that God's grace has somehow run out. We repent, we confess, and we make things right where we can. And we keep allowing God to change us. That's why the promise of 1 John chapter 1, verse 9, is such a precious promise for believers. I'd like for you to listen to this. 1 John, the first chapter and the ninth verse. We read these words if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Listen to that. God's grace doesn't give us permission to ignore sin. It gives us somewhere to go when he exposes it. We go back to him. We confess honestly. We receive his forgiveness and we keep walking with Jesus. That's sanctification. That's what God is doing in each of our lives, each and every day. I can look back over my life and say, God has changed me. And at the very same time, I can say, God is still changing me. And friend, he isn't finished with you yet either. Here's today's thought. Grace doesn't erase the truth about who you were, it changes who you're becoming. But there's one thing that I don't want us to miss here. Remember why Paul brought up their past in the first place? He was teaching Christians how to treat the people around them. That's where remembering grace becomes incredibly practical. When I remember how patient God has been with me, I should become more patient with you. When I remember how much mercy God has shown me, I should be more merciful toward you. When I remember that God did not define me by the worst thing I had ever done, I should be more careful about defining someone else that way. People who remember how much grace they've received should become people who are increasingly willing to give grace away. Friend, don't be afraid to share with people around you what grace has done in your life. I created a prayer to go with today's devotion, and it's in the description. If those words express your heart, I hope you'll make them your own in prayer today, or find your own words and talk honestly before the Lord. Sometime today, go back and read over Titus chapter 3, verse 3 through 7. Rich truth in there. Grace doesn't erase the truth about who you were, it changes who you are becoming. And by God's grace, we will grow in Christ Jesus. God bless you. I'll see you tomorrow for five more minutes with God. Have an awesome day.