Sunday 20 Jul 2008

Sunday Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10
 
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 6:1
1  But working together, we also call on you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
 
Devotion:
How often do you make sure that you are clean by having a bath or shower and then put on the same clothes that you have done for some time? I think not… When we clean ourselves, we hope to be able to put on clean clothes too so that we may stay clean as well. So why should we treat our spiritual lives any different? If we are going to go out of our way to beg for forgiveness from God for the things that we have done, why should we then continue to subject ourselves to those same things after we have gained that forgiveness?
 
We do not have to wait for that forgiveness because Christ has already paid the price; we can accept that forgiveness as soon as we ask for it knowing that it is there. The Word of God gives us the knowledge by which we can be saved and through which we can learn to live for Christ. If we are going to use it to clean ourselves, then we must surely use it to clean our lives too. Whilst we do receive immediate forgiveness from Christ, we cannot expect the world to let us go easily… We still do live in the same world, the same world that gives in to Satan and all things that he throws at us. We can still expect to have to put up with all that he can throw at us but within a newfound confidence that Christ is protecting us and will deliver us!
 
God’s Word cannot be blamed for anything that does go wrong through not following Christ. God’s Word is not a stumbling block that will trip us up. Instead we need to remain confident and sure that we can depend on it and on Christ for all of our troubles. We can know that Christ is with us through all of our troubles of all kinds and that nothing will ever separate us from Him. We need to stand fast in His Word through all of our lives and not just the times we like to pick! Through troubles, we learn. Through blessings, we provide. Through sorrow, we mourn. Through joy, we bless. Through kindness, we love. Through Him, we live!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you try to live a different life on Sundays?
 
Are you depending on Christ through all your times?