Showing posts with label Colossae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colossae. Show all posts

Thursday, 27 August 2020

Ways to Redirect Your Focus 1: Devotion for Friday August 28, 2020



MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Friday August 28, 2020

Topic: Ways to Redirect Your Focus 1     

Text: Colossians 3:5 – 7                       

Yesterday, we read Paul’s call on us to redirect our focus from worldly things to heavenly. Today and tomorrow, we shall be considering ways to redirect our focus on things eternal instead of the things worldly.

Paul noted in this epistle that if the Colossian believers were to live as examples of Christ, they had to put to death certain aspects of the sinful earthly things lurking within them, the sinful nature; the old self.

Two sets of sins are listed by Apostle Paul, which he advised that they should put to death or mortify. The first five refer to sexual sin; the second five to sins of speech/action. We’ll discuss sins of speech/action tomorrow. The first five relates to the cultural background of the Colossians and were particularly deadly to the life of the church: Sexual sin, impurity, lust, shameful desires and greed for good things of life which he called idolatry. These five sins mentioned here directly affect our spirituality and they attract God’s anger too. Every true Christian should be cautious so as not to fall prey of these sexual sins.

It is necessary to mortify sins, because if we do not kill them, they will kill us. Although Paul told them in Colossians 3:3, that they were dead to sin, yet here, in Colossians 3:5, he charged them to mortify sin; intimating, that the work of mortification, at the best, is but imperfect, and must be carried on daily and progressively.

How are you mortifying your body so that you could be focused on Christ and heavenly things? Note that mortification is not a thing of once and for all.

Food for Thought: What are the ways you can mortify sin in your life?

Memory verse: Colossians 3 v 5      

Prayer: Grant me the grace O Lord to put to death all sinful desire in me in Jesus name. 

Tuesday, 8 January 2019

Is Your Faith Known To People?


My Daily Covenant with God Devotional
Devotion for Wednesday January 9, 2019
Topic: Is Your Faith Known To People?
Text: Colossians 1:1 – 8
The action of Paul in our text is a challenge for present day Christians. In this letter he told the Church at Colossae that he has heard about their faith through Epaphras and that he has intensified his prayer for them. He did not doubt their Christianity as some of us would have done. He believed that they were still in faith. We must learn how to uphold people in faith by praying for them not questioning their faith.
From Paul’s statement in our text, the faith of the Church at Colossae was known to people. It was not hidden. They were not compromising and that is what is expected of us. We should let the world know about our faith. Wherever we go; wherever we find ourselves, we should let people know what we believe in. Anything short of this equals denying Jesus Christ.  Jesus said "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house” – Matthew 5:14, 15. We shouldn’t hide our ideal identity as Christian. When we hide what we are and what we believe in, then it means that we have some “skeleton in our cupboard.”
We should make our faith known in our offices, schools, neighbourhood, business centres, market, inside the bus and other places we find ourselves daily. Hiding our identity means denying Jesus which has consequences (See Matthew 10:33).
Food for Thought: What is your testimony about your faith among your colleagues and in your neighbourhood? 
Memory verse: Ephesians 1:15
Prayer: God, help me to make my faith known to people wherever I may find myself in Jesus name.


Awake From Sleep: Devotion for Friday October 9, 2020

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL Devotion for Friday October 9, 2020 Topic: Awake From Sleep                                Text...