DAILY DEVOTION, January 24, 2022

 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me (Revelation 3:20).

Jesus spoke these words to the lukewarm church of Laodicea. Jesus is outside the church because the church has lost interest in Him. May this never happen to our church! Jesus speaks to the whole church but also to individuals within the church. Although the church has drifted away from Jesus, He invites individuals to open their hearts to Him. Those who hear His voice and open the door of their heart will find that He is gracious and forgiving. He wants to fellowship with every individual Christian. He wants to fellowship with you. We notice that He does not force Himself upon us. We must open the door.  An artist who painted a picture based on this text shows Jesus knocking, but there is no doorknob on the outside of the door. It is up to us to decide if we want Jesus to be in our lives. What about us? Do we want Jesus within, or do we want to exclude Him? Do you hear His voice inviting you to open the door?

Father, I want to throw open the door of my heart and invite Jesus to enter. Things do not go so well when I omit Him from my daily life. May my invitation for Him to enter my life be sincere. More than anything else, I want to be in harmony with Him. Amen. 

DAILY DEVOTION, January 21, 2022

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14).

One more thought from Titus. Paul teaches us that we receive salvation from the grace of God. That grace is fully revealed in Jesus, our Savior, who gave Himself up for us. Faith in Jesus leads to a new life, a life where we have made a once-for-all decision to deny ungodliness and worldly passions – – – a new life where our main interest is to live a godly life. Now we await the return of our Redeemer. Paul refers to Jesus as our great God and Savior. The day will come when He will return in triumph to bless His children forever and to judge wickedness. The coming of Jesus in power and glory is on the mind of every Christian. We do not know when that day will occur, but we wait for it eagerly. It is the day when God’s final plan will be put into operation.

So, who are we as Christians?

1.     We have received the grace of God by faith in Jesus who gave Himself for us.

2.     We strive to live free from ungodliness.

3.     We await the return of Jesus.

When these three elements are in place in our hearts, we know we are God’s children.

Our gracious heavenly Father, what an incredible plan You have put in place to redeem us. Help me to embrace Your plan with true faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, January 20, 2022

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. ¹² It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, ¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14)

The Gospel teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The Greek grammar undergirding “deny” is in the aorist tense.  We do not have this tense in English grammar.  The idea is “to deny once and for all.” Those who come to Christ do not get up each day and decide whether or not to engage in ungodly behavior. We have made a once for all decision to turn away from ungodliness. Ungodliness has to do with any thought, word, or deed that is contrary to the will of God.  Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness in any and all forms. If ungodliness sneaks into our lives, we are to turn away immediately.

The same is true for worldly lust. It refers to those who live without God in the world. Their behavior turns to gluttony, drunkenness, immoral sexual thoughts and actions, anger, malice, revenge, immoderate love of riches, power, fame, etc. These are all forms of worldly lust. Those who have received the grace of God are to turn away from such things in a once and for all decision. This is how we know our faith is real. We have a strong aversion to ungodliness and worldly lust, coupled with a strong desire to please God.

Father, I thank You that I have received Your grace. Thank You for leading me away from those things which are evil in Your sight, and into a life of godliness. When I fall short, forgive me for Jesus’ sake and empower me to do better. In His name, I pray, Amen.