ESOCS Devotional 25 August 2021
TEXT: LUKE 9:46-56
MEMORY VERSE: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55-56 NKJV).
In our memory verse today, we learn a very important lesson from the words of our Lord. Like most other themes in the Scripture, it is central to the core or basic purpose of Christianity. As Christians, we are expected to think and act differently from the people of the world. We should moderate our life to align with the pattern of the life of Jesus: think only His kind of thoughts and do only the kind of things He would do.
When the Samaritans rejected Him on His way to Jerusalem to finally fulfil His mission, James and John, two of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” (Luke 9:54 NKJV). But He rebuked them because their thoughts were not in line with what He came to do, and what He stands for: “… the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.”
Here, our Lord instructs us not to be in the habit of putting our powers, potentials, privileges, and any other gift we have to wrong use. He wants us to think and act like Him always; and not like Elijah or any other person. Let us constantly ensure that the Spirit of is working in us; not any other: “… And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Rom. 8:9 AMP); and, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (v 14).
For the two disciples, it was not the Holy Spirit that was operating in them at that moment. The spirits of anger, furry, rage, destruction, annihilation, and ruin took over their hearts. We should be diligent to protect our hearts and minds from these negative things (Prov. 4:23). Rather, we should “… be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 5:18), which is the Spirit of Christ. He is our best possession!
- Watching over your heart and protecting it from sin and Satan is a very important task you must do.
- Lord, fill us with the Holy Spirit to be able to do your will always.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: 2 Kings 1:1-15; Jeremiah 45:1-5; Mark 14:32-42
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ESOCS Devotional 25 August 2021
