ESOCS Devotional 16 January 2021
TEXT: COLOSSIANS 1:1-14
MEMORY VERSE: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” Colossians 1:13 NKJV
How does it sound or look, that as a parent you pull your infant child from a muddy pool of water, bathe and make him clean, only for him to waddle back into the muddy pool? How does it feel that as a parent you make the efforts to see your child or ward through school, only to discover that he plays truancy, he does not take his studies seriously, and wastes your genuine efforts and hard-earned money? How does it touch your heart that your son or daughter thinks nothing of the wise counsels you spend lots of time to give him or her? He or she would always act in the negative, and would deliberately do so to trash your good intentions, and cause you pain in the heart.
Unfortunately, this is how we treat our God daily in our life. We grieve Him. We thwart all the efforts He has made to win us over to Himself, and take us away from the world. We trifle the gruesome pains our Lord Jesus took in our place on the Cross. We crucify Him many times over, again and again (). In so doing, we give the evil one the opportunity to mock our God. Is it a wise thing to do? Should we grieve our heavenly Father by our lifestyle or bring joy to His heart? Would it not be better and wonderful if He declares to the world that we are His beloved children whose life brings Him joy and praise?
In Christ Jesus, God took us away from the world. He brought us into His bosom with a warm embrace. He soaked us deep in the precious “blood that speaks better things than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:24). We became transparently clean; and without spot or wrinkle. He gave us the glorious garment of salvation to wear, which is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is the personification of God’s love for us. We would have been separated and alienated from God, condemned, and preserved for eternal damnation and destruction in the fire of hell. But we received redemption through Him. He is our sustenance and benefactor. The Bible says, “… in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, for we are also His offspring” (Acts 17:28 AMP).
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Since we are God’s offspring through Christ, He has made us members of His divine family. Christ is the First Son in that family. We are His brothers and sisters. Every family has its rules and regulations. What have we done with our redemption, Christ our Lord, the family of light into which God has brought us, and His rules and regulations? Do we conduct our life by that standard? Are we in that light? How much have maintained the heavenly citizenship we were given freely?
Many Christians throw caution to the wind. They do not take that redemption seriously. They are careless about their Christian life. It should not be so with us. We should be diligent to live a holy life. It would make us true children of God. It would pave way for us in God’s heart. We owe ourselves the obligation to continue to live in that light to which He has called us. It would be a sweet experience because we would be privileged to commune regularly with our heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. His love, care, blessings, favour, protection, provision, and many more would not elude us.
CHALLENGES
How do you handle the problem of sin having dominion over you? Think seriously about it.
PRAYER POINT
Lord, teach me how to remain strong in you at all times and in all circumstances.
FURTHER READING: 1 Kings 17:1-16; Malachi 2:17-36; Luke 3:1-14
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ESOCS Devotional 16 January 2021
