Raised To A New Life With Christ

MY DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL

Devotion for Friday April 21, 2017

Topic: Raised To A New Life With Christ

Text: Colossians 3:1 – 11

Repentance without noticeable change amounts to mere deception. It is very important we understand our status and expectations as Christians. You can never live well as a Christian with poor understanding of your status and what that status has conferred on you. Here, Paul tells the Colossians and us by extension that our lives have been raised to the realm above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. By our salvation, we have been raised with Christ. Our status is not just ordinary person walking on the street; rather we now have special qualities that distinguish us from unbelievers. For this reason, we should seek the things that are above. This implies that now as Christians we should set our priorities right by having the heavenly priorities take precedence over our own. It is expected that we should concentrate more on the things eternal than the things temporal.

As Christians who have been raised to new life, we should seek heavenly things with a strong desire to possess them. We must take our focus off the worldly and temporal things and place them on Christ in the heavenly place. The reason for this is that the strength and grace we need to run this heavenly race so well comes from Him. Moreover, we should not brag with our new status in Christ. Rather, we should be humble enough to appreciate where God has placed us by serving Him in humility and a heart of gratitude.

Food for Thought: Ephesians 2:4 – 7

Memory verse: Colossians 3 verse 1

Prayer: God, grant me the understanding of my status in you so I will live according to what you have made me in Jesus name.

THE BLESSINGS IN PERSECUTION

Devotion for Thursday December 22, 2016

Topic: THE BLESSINGS IN PERSECUTION      

Text: Matthew 5:10 – 12                  

As we conclude the study on the Beatitudes, we should note these four ways to understand and imbibe its lessons.

(1) They are codes of ethics for us and a standard of conduct for all Christians. What it means is that we are not to choose the one we want and discard the others rather we are bound to have them and live by them.

(2) They contrast Kingdom values (what is eternal) with worldly values (what is temporary). Most Christians of today are much more interested in the worldly things and their values. We should be careful to understand the things that are needful for us so as not to be carried away by worldly value and we miss heaven at last.

(3) They contrast the superficial faith of the Pharisees with the real faith that Christ demands. What Christ demands from us is what matters even when people do not consider it as normal or they see them as outdated.

(4) They show how the Old Testament expectations will be fulfilled in the new Kingdom.

These Beatitudes are not multiple choices to pick from; rather, it must be taken as a whole. They describe what we should be like, as Christ’s followers and how we should relate with God and Man.

In this last of the Beatitudes, Jesus stresses what will mark us out as matured Christians. It takes a high level of maturity to endure temptations and trials without losing your faith. Jesus said we should rejoice when we’re persecuted for our faith for the following reasons.

(1) It takes our eyes off earthly rewards.

(2) It strips away superficial belief,

(3) It strengthens our faith when we endure, and

(4) Our attitude going through it serves as an example to others who follow.

We should be comforted knowing that God’s greatest prophets were persecuted (Elijah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc). The fact that we are being persecuted proves that we have been faithful. Remain faithful because God will reward those faithful by receiving them into His eternal Kingdom, where there will be no more persecution.  Will you be there?

Food for Thought: Persecution strengthens our faith when we endure it.

Memory verse: Matthew 5 verse 10: Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (KJV).

Prayer: God, I need your grace to endure persecution, trial and temptations that may come my way in Jesus name. Amen.

WAYS TO REDIRECT YOUR FOCUS 1: Devotion for Saturday July 30, 2016

WAYS TO REDIRECT YOUR FOCUS 1: Devotion for Saturday July 30, 2016

Text: Colossians 3:5 – 7                        Memory verse: v 5

Yesterday, we read Paul’s call on us to redirect our focus. Today and tomorrow, we shall be considering ways to redirect our focus on things eternal instead of the things, worldly. Paul noted 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 Paul, which he advised that they should put to death or mortify. The first five refer to sexual sin; the second five are sins of speech/action. We’ll discuss that tomorrow. These 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.

It is necessary to mortify sins, because if we do not kill them, they will kill us. Although Paul told them in 3:3, that they were dead to sin, yet here, in 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 basis and progressively. How can you mortify 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?

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