Friday 20 Jul 2018

July 20: 2 Corinthians 6:1-11

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 6:1
As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

Devotion:
How often do you make sure you are clean by having a bath or shower and then put on the same clothes you have had on all week? I think not… When we clean ourselves, we hope to be able to put on clean clothes too, so 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 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 help clean ourselves through the initial forgiveness, then we must surely use it to cleanse our daily 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 this same world, the same world which gives in to Satan and all things 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 Christ is protecting us and will ultimately protect us!

God’s Word cannot be blamed for anything which 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 we can depend on it and on Christ for all of our troubles. We can know Christ is with us through all of our troubles, of all kinds, and 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! Standing fast in His Word means all of the above, By reading our bibles and learning, blessing, believing, loving, providing… living!

Points to Ponder:
Do you try to live a different life on Sundays?

Are you depending on Christ through all your times?