God’s Loving Desire for You
1 Timothy 2:1-8
In this passage from First Timothy, Paul is talking about worship in the church and about praying. But in the midst of those topics, he gives us two of God’s desires for us. Understanding God’s will changes our perspective about Him, ourselves, and the lives we lead. We will study the first objective of God today and the second tomorrow.
Verse 4 tells us that God desires all men to be saved. Salvation is God’s work of deliverance from eternal death and His endowment of eternal life. When He looks at our hearts, He doesn’t see anything that motivates Him to save us – no goodness or righteousness on our part. Instead, God chooses to save us because He loves us. (Ephesians 2:4) We are trophies of His grace, to which He can point for the benefit of all the generations to come (Ephesians 2:7). We human beings are unique in our ability to experience the grace of God. Grace cannot touch fallen angels, and those who did not fall will not need it.
In living out God’s mercy on us, we also perform His work. Consequently, men may see the goodness of God and give glory to Him. That is why we are charged with being lights here on Earth to reflect our Father. (Matthew 5:14)
It is not the will of God that anyone be lost. He is not in heaven keeping score of our failures and trying to figure out whom He will send to hell. Everything in the heart of God reaches out to pour love upon humanity.
Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries