ESOCS Devotional 21 April 2021
TEXT: JOHN 17:1-19
MEMORY VERSE: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:16 KJV
Christians are supposed to “be in the world, but not of it.” But what does that look like? How can we interact with lost people without being influenced by the unbelief and hostility towards God, so prevalent in our culture? In John 17:14 Jesus says, “I have given them your word and the world hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.” It’s a lot like a boat on the water. The boat is designed to float on the water – to be on the water, surrounded by it on all sides. But there should not be any water in the boat. Our goal as followers of Christ is to actively engage our culture with the Gospel without allowing the culture’s ungodly morals, values, attitudes, and behaviours to infiltrate our lives. Unfortunately, many sincere Christians struggle to get it right.
Some of us take our boats out of the water altogether. Our intentions are good. We want to protect ourselves and our families from the sin of the world. But there’s one big problem with that. In doing so, we also remove the influence of Christ from the world. Jesus calls us to go out into the world and preach the Gospel (John 17:14–18). God’s intention is that we be a light in the world, to show them the way and not to be removed from the world. Our duty is to shine our light before the people of the world so that they may see our good works and come to Jesus.
So, how can we live in a way that impacts the world for Christ without allowing the world to impact us? In our text, Jesus did not pray that the Father should take His followers out of the world. In fact, Jesus commissioned them to go into the world as His ambassadors; He asked the Father to protect them (both the disciples and all those who will later come to accept Him as Lord and Saviour) from Satan and his schemes, to guard them from temptation, and to make them holy through the truth of His word. This is what they needed to fulfil the commission (John 17:15–21).
How does this apply to us? First, we must guard our own heart and lives from temptation. Ask God to help you identify those weaknesses and take steps to protect them. Take precautionary measures. Find an accountability partner. Take things out of your life that constantly cause temptation. Secondly, immerse yourself in God’s Word. Know the truth inside and out so you can recognize lies when you hear them. Obey what God shows you in His Word so your life will be holy and above reproach. Then get your boat on the water. There are some drowning souls in need of rescue.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
CHALLENGES
Identify areas of your life that have not allowed you to be an ambassador for Christ; and work on them.
PRAYER POINT
Ask the Lord to help you in the areas of your weaknesses and fill you with His word to guard against temptations of this world.
FURTHER READING: 1 John: 2:15-17; James 4:4-10
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ESOCS Devotional 21 April 2021
