ESOCS Devotional 1 December 2022
TEXT: JOHN 17:12-18
MEMORY VERSE: “This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” Titus 3:8
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
In Acts 11:26, the Scripture records that the “disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” The reason they were called Christians was that the people of Antioch observed that they were living the life of Christ. Their attitude was different from those of the people of Antioch. They lived an exemplary lifestyle. They did only the things our Lord Jesus would do; and refused to do anything that the word of God did not allow. They were conscious of their calling into Christ Jesus. For this reason, they lived a saintly lifestyle.
God called us into a “holy calling according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Tim. 1:9). The purpose of God is to separate us from sin and worldliness. The essence is to make us fit into the mold and image of our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:29). We are therefore expected to be like Him in our hearts, in our minds, and in our thoughts. He is the standard that God has set for us; and He has also given us the abundance of grace through our Lord Jesus to meet that standard. Therefore, we do not have any excuse to fail. In John 15:22, our Lord Jesus said, “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.”And truly, we have no excuse!
As people who have been taught the word of God, we should do what the apostles did. They allowed the word of God, which our Lord taught them to change them completely. It helped them change their mind-set, manner of speech, dispositions, view of life, understanding of what God actually demands, sense of morality, true commitment to God, developing the attitude of not being interested in the pleasures of the world and all forms of worldliness, having a quiet spirit, being gentle, humble, kind, mild, and having many more of such Christian virtues. Our Lord Jesus observed the great change the word that He had taught them did in their lives and said to them, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (John 15:3).
What have we done with the word of God we have heard from the scriptures? What about the ministration of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, what have we done with it? How about the wise counsels people have given us at different times, what have we done with them? It is important that we develop in us the habit of doing exactly what the word of God says without compromise. Let us not be found wanting in works of charity too. The Scripture says, “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (); and also, “… let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Gal. 6:9). Let us live our lives like the saints of old.
CHALLENGES
- Develop the attitude of examining your life constantly to ensure that you fit into the image of our Lord Jesus.
PRAYERS
- Pray fervently that God may fill you with the Holy Spirit as He did to the saints of old.
- Pray the Holy Spirit to help you develop the consciousness to maintain good works.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
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ESOCS Devotional 1 December 2022
