Devotional Sharing, Submitted by Susanna Lee, Waypoint Community Church
To what has God called those whom he has saved, and in what ways have I responded to this call? God has called those whom he has saved “to a holy life” (v. 9). I have responded to this call to holiness by confessing my sins on a regular basis, inviting the Holy Spirit to search and examine my heart for sins that I may not be aware of, and owning up my sins when others point them out to me as there are many sins that I am blind to. This needs to be my continuous pattern until I meet Christ face to face. I have been saved into a life of holiness because God is holy.
How does the fact that I have been saved “not because of anything [I] have done but because of his own purpose and grace” affect my attitude toward my life? This fact affects my attitude toward life in two significant ways:
- My life is not my own. God has saved me because of his own purpose and grace. This new life I have received as a gift is not to be used to fulfill my own purpose for life but to be surrendered to be used for what God desires.
- Salvation is not something I deserve or something that I can earn my way to receive. It was given to me by God’s grace. This tells me that my new life in Christ is all about God’s grace. This is especially relevant when I fail in something or fall into sin. All that God asks of me is to humbly cry out to Him for His forgiveness. There is no sin so horrible that God can’t forgive. The cross tells me that God is God of redemption and God of second chances. When facing a failure, I need to humbly come back to this truth and receive God’s grace of forgiveness and receive His grace to get up again.
Reflect on the scale of the description of Jesus and what he has done in v.10. What might be the relationship between Apostle Paul’s high view of what Jesus has accomplished and his view of himself? The relationship is that Apostle Paul considers it such an honor and privilege to be a herald and an apostle and a teacher for such amazing Gospel that he has suffered greatly and is also willing to SUFFER in whatever situation for the gospel to be furthered.
To what extent do I share in this recognition of the breathtaking scope of the gospel, and the sense of privilege that flows from it?
I can know to which extent I share this by measuring how much I have and how I am willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel. When the breathtaking scope of the gospel is not recognized, my sense of privilege to suffer for the sake of the gospel diminishes. There is a direct correlation. Jesus has destroyed DEATH–the greatest fear of every human being. There is LIFE and IMMORTALITY through the gospel. The greatest reversal took place! God has reversed my life from eternal death to eternal life, and He invites me to point others to this miracle only possible through the person of Christ Jesus. In light of such good news, no suffering is too much.
Prayer: Abba Father, may I never lose sight of this breathtaking scope of the gospel that reverses our lives from eternal death to eternal life. All this is possible because of Your purpose and grace. May I live each day with such a tremendous sense of privilege that nothing You ask me to do is too much or too hard. May I follow in obedience to the pathway of cross as You have demonstrated so that others may experience the miracle of reversal from death to life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen
Thank you.