2 John 1:3

Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.

DAILY DEVOTION, Sept. 6, 2021

Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousnes” ⁷ Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. ⁸ And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” ⁹ So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham (Galatians 3:6-9).

Paul states God’s way of making us righteous. How did Abraham become righteous? Not by any good works he performed. He simply believed God, and God considered him to be righteous. Justification by faith was not a new idea. When Abraham believed God, God accepted him because of his faith.

Paul concludes that all those who have faith are blessed as Abraham was. However, we have much more light than did Abraham. We have God’s complete and final revelation in the person and work of Jesus, God’s Son. When we trust in Jesus, God considers us to be righteous. Our sins are forgiven. We are adopted into God’s forever family. Over and over, Paul leads us to trust in Jesus for our salvation. We are saved by faith alone. Yes, good works flow out of faith, but they have nothing to do with our salvation. Jesus has provided that to all who trust in Him.

How thankful I am, Father, that you have provided for our salvation. All You ask of us is that we trust in Your Son. I do trust in Jesus, and I want to honor Him in the way I live each day. In His name, I pray, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, Sept. 4, 2021

Paul spends considerable time in Chapters 1 and 2 of Galatians defending the Gospel and his own ministry. Chapter two ends with this great statement. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain” (Galatians 2:20-21).

Faith brings the resurrected Christ into our souls. His presence is so powerful that Paul is no longer just “Paul.” Christ living in him has utterly transformed him. That is what faith does, whether in Paul or us. The law can never do for us what Christ does. Paul is now living by faith in the Son of God. As we follow Paul’s example, we also receive the transforming presence of Jesus in our souls.

Paul speaks of being crucified with Christ. I think he means that by faith, his old way of life has died. He now lives a new life with Christ at the center. We should be able to read the above verse and say, “Yes, those words apply to me also.” Perhaps you are thinking, “But I’m no Apostle Paul.” True, our service to Christ will surely be less than his. But, nevertheless, Christ always indwells and transforms those who trust in him.

Father, how grateful I am to leave behind my old life and live a new life in Christ. While my accomplishments are small compared to Paul, I thank You that I know I belong to Him by faith.  Lord Jesus, abide with me and use me in some way to serve You in Your kingdom. Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, Sept. 3, 2021

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, ⁷ which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:6-9)

Paul is concerned about the Christians in Galatia. He had preached Jesus to them and they were converted. False teachers have entered the picture and are saying, “Paul did not give you the full gospel. We are here to correct Paul’s teaching.” The Galatians thought these false teachers made sense and were turning away from the truth. Paul does not pull any punches. There is only one Gospel, the one he had proclaimed in Galatia. Those who preach a different Gospel are accursed, repeated twice! That word “accursed” (Greek, anathema) means damned to hell. That is strong language indeed! If any of us dare to proclaim a “gospel” different from the apostolic Gospel, Paul says we are on the road to hell.

No matter how appealing a new “gospel” seems – – – even if an angel from heaven appears and teaches contrary to the apostolic Gospel, do not listen lest you join them in being cursed. In summary, there is but one Gospel proclaimed by Paul and the other apostles. Believe the Gospel and receive salvation. Those who pervert the true Gospel, unless they repent, are hell-bound. Yes, it sounds harsh, but is it true?

Father, I thank You for calling me out of darkness and into the light. Thank You for sending Jesus as my redeemer. Please protect me from all false teachings which seek to pull me away from the true Gospel. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.  

DAILY DEVOTION, September 2, 2021

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen (Galatians 1:3-5).

Grace and peace are two of Paul’s favorite words. God’s grace, His reaching out to save us even though we are unworthy, has brought us into the kingdom of God. Knowing we are among the redeemed brings peace to us. These two blessings flow to us because of the love of God and the sacrifice of His Son.

Notice also that Jesus not only delivered us from our sins, He also delivered us from this present evil age. Do you realize that the age we live in as we await the return of Jesus is evil? Yes, there are good people, yes there are faithful Christians, but evil is characteristic of the world in which we live. This why John warns us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

We don’t want to fall in love with this world where evil abounds. While we appreciate the good things God has placed in the world, our love for God must transcend our love for the world. If you fall in love with this world, you are admitting that you do not love God. Our duty as Christians is not to love this evil world but to do what we can to transform it through our service to Jesus. Jesus will complete the transformation process when He returns.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your grace and peace, which I receive through faith in Jesus.  While I cannot transform the world, I can do my part to make the world a better place by obedience to Jesus. In His name, I pray, Amen.

DAILY DEVOTION, August 31, 2021

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
They will see the land that is very far off.  (Isaiah 33:17).

In context, Israel is under siege by Assyria. Nevertheless, Isaiah encourages the people to be faithful. In the last analysis, God is in control. No matter what happens in this life, God watches over His people. The prophet gives a beautiful promise to Israel. One day, the faithful will see the King in His beauty, undoubtedly a reference to the Messiah, Jesus. Those who first heard that promise did not see the King during their lifetime.

For the faithful Jews seeing their King in His beauty took place in heaven. They could see a land afar off, no doubt a reference to heaven. It reminds me of the verse in Hebrews 11:39. These ancient Jews died without having seen God’s promises fulfilled. Yet, they believed in the Word of God. They believed the day would come when they would see their Messiah King. It was all far off into the distant future, but they believed.

It reminds us that some of God’s promises made to us might not take place in this life. But we too shall one day see the King in His beauty. So keep the faith because there is a new world coming. Now we see in a glass darkly, then we shall see our King face to face (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Father, please help me to hold tightly to Your promises even when they are not realized in this life. Thank You for the promise that I will one day see the King in His beauty. Keep me in true faith until that day. I pray in the name of Jesus, King of kings, Amen.