My Daily Covenant with God: Belong

Showing posts with label Belong. Show all posts

Tuesday, 23 June 2020

Those Who Belong to Christ: Devotion for Wednesday June 24, 2020

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Wednesday June 24, 2020

Topic: Those Who Belong To Christ

Text: Galatians 5:24 – 26

There are things that exemplify a Christian and make such fellow peculiar or distinct. They are the fruit of the Holy Spirit we read about yesterday. Any professing Christian who doesn’t possess these virtues is mere compromising and should not be taken seriously.

How can a Christian lack love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If any of these is lacking in your life, then you have either backslidden or you have been compromising. Those who have these are those who actually and really belong to Christ according to Paul in Galatians 5:24.

Those who are Christ’s have crucified their flesh when they became Christians (Romans 6:3, 4), and it is done continuously (Romans 6:6) so that the Holy Spirit will be able to produce in them the fruits just listed (Galatians 5:22, 23). It is by faith in Christ that a man becomes dead to a sinful life and rises to a new life of fellowship with Christ (Colossians 3:3).

Brethren, if our inner life be in the Spirit; that is, received from the Spirit, sustained by him, and conformed to him in character then we should also walk in that Spirit (Galatians 5:25).

Our outward life also should be in the Spirit; in other words, let it be conformed to Christ in character, so that our inward principles and outward conduct shall be in harmony with each other. This, in Paul’s opinion is what it means to belong to Christ. Is your inward and outward life in harmony with that of Christ? Think about it.

Food for Thought: Do you truly belong to Christ in your character?

Memory verse: Galatians 5:24

Prayer: Lord, help me to conform to the image of Christ in my inward and outward character in Jesus name.

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: Devotion for Thursday October 20, 2016

BOUGHT WITH A PRICE: Devotion for Thursday October 20, 2016

Text: 1 Corinthians 6: 12 – 20 Memory verse: 1 Corinthians 6 verse 20

Yesterday, we read how Paul asserted that people who say they are Christians but are still living in sin will not be part in the Kingdom of God. We summed up by saying that Christians must not willfully commit sin or condone it in any way. His stand according to yesterday’s devotion is that we cannot be selective about the sin we condemn or excuse. God expects His followers in any age to have high moral standards.

In our bible reading for the day, the Apostle continues his admonition by stressing the importance of living a life of purity and righteousness. He gave instances of how we can defile ourselves especially through immorality. The reason he was so particular about immorality is in 1 Corinthians 6:18 and 19. Christians should take this admonition is very seriously because as they are no longer the owners of their bodies.

Now, our bodies belong to God and should be honoured and exclusively be used to glorify Him. We can do this by absolute obedience to God (1 Corinthians 6:19). Paul stressed this because we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20). The price with which Jesus Christ bought us is stated in Matt 20:28; Galatians 3:13 and 1 Peter 18, 19. The precious blood of Jesus Christ is not what we should take for granted and abuse it. We should consider the sacrifice Jesus Christ made and take our call and faith seriously.

Beloved, since our bodies belong to God, it is our duty to glorify God with them. The fact that we are His, purchased and now belong to His spiritual temple makes our obligation to consecrate our spirit and body to His service imperative. Unfortunately, some Christians today who belong to the permissive group don’t see anything wrong in this. They hold the view that we can live in the world and do whatever we like in the name of freedom. It ought not to be so. We need the grace of God to fulfill our obligation of consecrating our lives to God and we can only succeed if we apply the counsel of Paul in Romans 12:1–2. To present the body to God as a living sacrifice is to consecrate it, with the living soul that inhibits it, to God's service.

Food for Thought: Act 20:28

Prayer: God, grant me the understanding that I have been bought with a precious price so that I will live my life to conform to the standard expected of me in Jesus name. Amen.

Monday, 13 June 2016

THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST: Devotion for Tuesday June 14, 2016

Text: Galatians 5:24 – 26 Memory verse: v 24

The fruit of the Holy Spirit exemplifies us as Christians. Any professing Christian who doesn’t possess these virtues is mere compromiser and should not be taken seriously. How can a Christian lack love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? If any of these is lacking in your life, then you have either backslidden or you have been compromising. Those who have these are those who actually and really belong to Christ (5:24). Those who are Christ’s have crucified their flesh when they became Christians (Rom 6:3, 4), and it is done continuously (Rom 6:6) so that the Holy Spirit will be able to produce in them the fruits just listed (5:22, 23). It is by faith in Christ that a man becomes dead to a sinful life and rises to a new life of fellowship with Christ (Col. 3:3).

Brethren, if our inner life be in the Spirit; that is, received from the Spirit, sustained by Him, and conformed to Him in character then we should also walk in that Spirit (5:25). Our outward life also should be in the Spirit; in other words, let it be conformed to Christ in character, so that our inward principles and outward conduct shall be in harmony with each other. This, in Paul’s opinion is what it means to belong to Christ. Is your inward and outward life in harmony with that of Christ? Think about it.