Becoming Like Jesus: Scripture MemorizationSample

Count It all a Gift

Don’t you love birthdays? Each year we look forward to the one day of the year where we get to be celebrated, eat as much cake as we want, and receive gifts from our loved ones.

Many of us have that one grandparent that we can always count on to send a card with some cash in it. Though you might not be that close, you have come to know, with a high degree of certainty, that that gift is coming.

Do we deserve it? No. Did we work all year to earn that person’s kindness? Probably not! See, we all receive gifts that we don't deserve.

So, what do we do with the gift of salvation? Do we deserve it? No. But Christ freely gives it to us, kind of like your grandma does with that birthday card.

Pray...

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son as a free gift to us. Lord, help us have hearts to receive from you and lives that are different because of you. Thank you for your grace. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. Philippians 3:7-9 NLT

Consider...

There is nothing we can do in our human power to ever deserve what Christ has done for us. Yes, nothing.

It doesn’t matter how much we serve, how many Bible Plans we do, or even how crazy we go in worship. All of those things combined will never add up to the amount of grace God has given us.

We have this gift, and we have done nothing to deserve it, now what do we do with it?

What is your response to receiving an unexpected, undeserved gift from a family member or friend? Do you respond to God that way? How might your response to God’s overwhelming gift of grace need to change?

Practice...

As we look at our memory verse, we are reminded that there’s nothing we can do to earn our salvation. Instead of being disappointing, this is actually so freeing—knowing that we are chosen by God to live in the finished work of His Son. Write these words down:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 NLT

Listen...

Set a timer for five minutes.

Create space in your mind and heart to hear from God.

Ask Him to speak to you.

When you get distracted, come back to Jesus by reading the verses you just wrote down. Say them out loud. Focus on each line and let the truth you are learning redirect your thoughts.

Confess this out loud: today, I will walk in the freedom that Christ has given me.