March 1: Graces for the Heirs of Grace
♫ Music:
Day 17 - Friday, March 01
Title: GRACES FOR THE HEIRS OF GRACE
Scripture: Titus 3:4-7 (NKJV)
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Poetry & Poet:
“Inheritance”
by Tyree Daye
My mother will leave me her mother's deep-black
cast-iron skillet someday,
I will fry okra in it,
weigh my whole life on its black handle,
lift it up to feel a people in my hand.
I will cook dinner
for my mother on her rusting,
bleached stove with this oiled star.
My mother made her body crooked
all her life to afford this little wooden blue house.
I want her green thumbs
wound around a squash's neck
to be wound around my wrist
telling me to stay longer.
O what she grew with the dust
dancing in blue hours.
What will happen to her body
left in the ground, to the bodies in the street,
the uncles turned to ash on the fireplace mantles
the cousins we've misplaced?
How many people make up this wound?
No one taught my mother how to bring us back to life,
so no one taught me.
O what we gather and O Lord
bless what we pass on.
GRACES FOR THE HEIRS OF GRACE
Today’s passage in Titus 3 emphasizes the saving work of God through Christ with the Holy Spirit. It expresses the divine collaboration between the members of the Trinity who execute a great rescue plan and extend the gift of eternal belonging in the family of God to human believers. It is a message of abundance.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains that what he “received,” he also “passed on” to us. His language in this passage is familial as though he inherited something which he then passes along to his cherished lineage. This language is used for good reason. In addition to mercy and salvation, Paul reminds us that we inherit the identity of the heir along with all the blessings that come with it. And in the Titus passage, Paul, as a fellow brother, lays out these wondrous blessings before us.
The poem for today beautifully depicts how the objects we inherit are precious because they represent the people we loved. But on careful reading, we notice that beyond the tangible objects themselves, the speaker primarily cherishes the lives and lifestyles modeled by the women who came before her—their small daily gestures that inform the speaker’s own way of living. It reminds us that one of the great blessings of living in a family is inheriting life-giving instruction from those who come before us.
Like the speaker in the poem, I’ve inherited a few things in my life: a set of silver, an antique mirror, a dresser. These objects are precious to me in part because I hope that, by owning the things they owned, I might somehow resemble the women who came before me. Perhaps this intangible reality is the greatest thing we can inherit: an identity that roots us in how to live.
And Paul, who shares and models our identity in the family of God passes on both the blessing and the instruction. This particular instruction from Paul in Titus 3 gently reminds us that the righteousness through which we claim our inheritance is not our own. Righteousness. It’s so far out of our grasp, we sometimes fail to comprehend its significance.
But nevertheless, the enormity of the blessing continues to unfold; we bask in the kindness and love of God; we put on the righteousness of Jesus that we could not achieve on our own; we partake in abundant family blessings first lived out by the Trinity. And then, amazingly, we rest in assurance of our salvation. For as the music for today puts it, “He blesses, and blesses, and blesses again.”
Prayer:
Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
–––Psalm 86:11-13
Christine Watson
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Art:
Forevermore from the Unfolding Grace Series
Delro Rosco
Mineral pigments, gold leaf, and gofun
on canvas mounted on panel
20.4 x 20.32 cm.
2017
Private Collection
The work in the Unfolding Grace series was created as a way for artist Delro Rosco to cope with the loss of his beloved mother to cancer. Forevermore is about reflections of God’s incredible and generous grace revealed through brokenness and total dependency. The series speaks of gratitude for the fullness of life, love received, love given, and the search for hope through faith.
About the Artist:
Delro Rosco is known for abstract paintings that are inspired by observations in nature, prayers, memories, interactions with others, and everyday life experiences. His work is meant to offer encouragement driven by the search for hope in the midst of human brokenness, imperfection, and the fragility of life. Creating intricate and deeply layered works reflect this as Rosco incorporates materials such as pulverized mineral pigments, sand, glass, hand-beaten paper mulberry fiber, and metal leaves into his work. “I’m moved by what I see; I paint what I hope for,” says Rosco. His deep faith takes him from being inspired by creation to focusing on the Creator.
https://www.delroroscoart.com/about-artist-delro-rosco
About the Music:
“He Gives Us More Grace”—A Capella Hymn
Lyrics:
He gives us more grace as our burdens grow greater.
He sends us more strength as our labors increase.
To added afflictions, He adds His great mercy.
To multiplied trials, He multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed, ‘ere the day is half done.
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources,
Our Father’s full giving has only begun.
Fear not that your need shall exceed His provision.
Our God ever yearns, His resources to share.
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing,
The Father will bear up both you and your cares.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure.
His power no boundary known unto men.
For out His infinite riches in Jesus,
He blesses, and blesses, and blesses again.
About the Composers:
Annie Flint (lyrics) and Tim Berman (music)
Knowing the story of Annie Flint (1866–1932) brings depth to this hymn. As a young woman, Flint was diagnosed with what became a debilitating and ultimately crippling arthritis. From her grief and pain were born the lyrics to this hymn, and many others—she wrote about her writing "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Johnson_Flint
Tim Berman is an entrepreneur and hymn writer. When Berman was invited to a Singing School, that marked a turning point in his own ministry. During that experience he was equipped with the necessary tools to help him on his journey from a cocky young song leader to a humble worship leader who wants nothing more than to guide people to the throne of God through life-changing worship.
https://getthemsinging.com/author/singtothelordmusic/
About the Performer:
Michael Eldridge was raised in Connersville, Indiana, in close proximity to his large family, who were brought together by their shared love for singing. While studying to be a pharmacist at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, Eldridge continued his music passion by singing with the Purdue Varsity Glee Club. After college, a friend showed him an app that allowed one to sing multiple parts concurrently while simultaneously recording an accompanying video. After that initial spark, Eldridge decided to invest in proper equipment and learn about recording and producing music. He persevered, continually praying that God would help him and that God would be glorified through his music.
https://acapeldridge.com/
About the Poetry and Poet:
Tyree Daye was raised in Youngsville, North Carolina. He is the author of the poetry collections a little bump in the earth (2024), Cardinal (2020), and River Hymns (2017), winner of the APR/Honickman First Book Prize. A Cave Canem fellow and a Palm Beach Poetry Festival Langston Hughes fellow, Daye is the recipient of a Whiting Writers Award. He was the 2019 Diana and Simon Raab writer-in-residence at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Daye is an assistant professor at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
https://books.google.com/books/about/A_Little_Bump_in_the_Earth.html?id=fagO0AEACAAJ&source=kp_author_description
http://www.tyree.work/
About the Devotion Writer:
Christine Watson
Instructor
English Department
Biola University
Christine Watson teaches in Biola’s English Writing Program and is currently working on her doctorate in higher education at Azusa Pacific University. She researches problems faced by historically underserved student populations, as well as instructional design models exploring how writing practices transfer across disciplinary boundaries. Christi has also served as assistant co-director of the writing program and coordinates its Celebration of Student Writing. In addition to her work as scholar-practitioner, Christi enjoys travel, the beach, and spending time with her husband, Phil, and her two kids, Ally and Micah.