By Beverly Lomosad
Not by works done in righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. – Titus 3:5
Timothy Paul Jones, an educator and pastor from the southeastern U.S. state of Kentucky, and his wife, Rayann, have four adopted daughters. One of the girls was eight when she joined the Jones family after another family had started the adoption process for her then, a couple of years into it, decided to make an about-face. In his book, PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace, Timothy shares a story, with a focus on the little girl, about a planned family vacation to Disney World. Little did he know that planned outing would provide a window into the girl’s past. Timothy found out that she had seen photos of Disney World. And she had heard about the rides, the characters, the parades.
But when it came to passing through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, she had always been the one left on the outside. You see, to her previous adoptive parents, she was in the family but not of the family, so to speak. When they made trips to Disney World, the biological children were always brought along while the adopted child was always left with a family friend. In the girl’s mind, she must have done something wrong that disqualified her from the family Disney fun.
That bit of the girl’s history later helped Timothy to understand why she showed, in his own words, “a stream of downright devilish behavior” in the run-up to their Disney vacation. She stole food. She lied. She hurled razor-sharp insults to her older sister. What she said to him when he pulled her into his lap to talk about her latest mischief spoke volumes, “You’re not going to take me to Disney World, are you?” He reassured her that she’s part of the family and that she’s going on a vacation to Disney World no matter what.
Truth be told, even some grown-ups also think like that little girl, holding on to the notion that “Disney” is a reward for good behavior. But the Bible says God blesses because He is good. Full stop (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 11:5-6). God’s grace, or unmerited favor (Ephesians 1:2, AMPC), is about the love of a father, who threw a feast for a wayward son (Luke 15:11-32); it’s about a man marrying a woman and staying true to the marriage covenant in the face of her infidelity (Ezekiel 16:8-63). That’s the gospel. That’s the message of salvation.
CALL TO ACTION
A life with God starts with a relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
- PRAY OUT LOUD: “Father in heaven, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe that he died on the cross for my sins. I ask you to forgive me of all of my sins. I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Savior and Lord. Amen.”
- WHAT’S NEXT: Be part of a good, Bible-based church.