God is all-powerful, making His Word powerful, too. This daily devotional looks at how God wants our relationships grown.
Nuggets
- God strengthens us through His power to deepen our faith.
- Disciples inherit the light because Jesus is the Light.
- Sin lives in the darkness because that is where Satan is.
- Redemption brings us forgiveness of our sins, therefore, a relationship with God.
Devotions in the Joy in the Gospel series
When we read Scriptures, we are introduced to the power of God. He has one purpose: our salvation.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Strengthened by Power
“being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully” (Col. 1: 11 CSB)
God strengthens us through His power to deepen our faith.
Have you ever really thought about what this strength God is giving us really is?
There was a saying that I haven’t heard in a while. “They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. At this point, I should be able to bench press a Buick.” What is the Buick God is giving us the strength to lift?
Morison cautioned that this is not referring to an intellectual strength. He said that does have its place, as he wrote, “It is important as a shield to protect from imposition, for guidance in times of sifting or wild speculation, and its possession widens the distance between man and the lower creation, and assimilates to Him whose understanding is infinite.”
Resource
We know God is not talking about a physical condition here. He is always more interested in our spiritual condition.
Morison called it strengthening the ethical principles. We have been calling those spiritual graces.
Specifically, Morison said Paul’s prayers probably centered on strengthening their faith, hope, and love. “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13: 13 ESV).
Those are the big three.
- Faith is a gift from God that enhances the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives and distinguishes us from others.
- Hope is the expectation, also called a living hope, based on the confidence that, because of our relationship with God, our names will be found in the book of life.
- Love is an intense feeling of deep affection.
If we don’t have faith, we don’t have salvation. If we don’t have salvation, we don’t have hope for a future. All of this is built on God’s love for us and us returning that love to Him.
Paul talked about “being strengthened with all power …” (Col. 1: 11 CSB). His point was what we just talked about. “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4: 19 CSB).
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God can supply all our needs because He is omnipotent. Omnipotent means God is all-powerful. “Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3: 20 CSB).
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God is all powerful in everything. Nothing is impossible for Him (Mt. 19: 26).
God gives us that strength. “I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4: 13 CSB).
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This power is because of “… his glorious might …” (Col. 1: 11 CSB) because God’s power is ingrained in His glory. God’s glory is, in part, the product of the adoration created when we praise God and give Him honor.
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We took the scenic route to get to glory.
- Glorify: to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration
- Glorious: possessing or deserving glory
- Glory: worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving
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Have you ever thought about why God surrounds us? Davenant got me thinking about us being surrounded.
Resource
- “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore” (Ps. 125: 2 ESV).
- “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31: 8 ESV).
God knows we will be surrounded on all sides by enemies. Yes, He knows we also have to stand. But He is going to fight for us.
It is very comforting to know that we have the power of God fighting for us. Satan is going to surround us, too, and he isn’t going to come alone.
We will need God fighting for us.
God will using this glorious power that can and will conquer Satan.
Inheriting the Light
“giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to shareholder in the saints’ inheritance in the light” (Col. 1: 12 CSB)
Disciples inherit the light because Jesus is the Light.
Paul was given to break out in prayer at any given moment. This was because he was so thankful at what God had done, was doing, and would do.
Yes, Paul was thankful about all the physical stuff. He was more thankful for salvation.
- Salvation is the gift of life through the deliverance from condemnation and sin to acceptance and holiness and changes us from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
- Holiness is the transcendent excellence of His nature that includes elements of purity, dedication, and commitment that lead to being set apart.
- Purity means possessing God’s moral character, having eliminated the stain of sin.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
Glossary
Sometimes, we keep the feeling that we are not worthy enough for God to even approach God. In a way, this is good.
We, by ourselves, are not and can do nothing to make us worthy to get us in the same room as God. We don’t want us to get an inflated ego and think we are entitled to be His children. There is nothing we can do to earn our way into Heaven.
We’ve got to get the we part out of it. We have to focus on the God part.
We are worthy because God deemed us worthy when we ABCDed.
Maclaren wrote, “The inheritance is, ‘in the light,’ a realm where purity and knowledge and gladness dwell.”
Jesus had always been identified as being the light of the world.
- “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; a light has dawned on those living in the land of darkness (Isa. 9: 2 CSB)
- “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life’” (Jn. 8: 12 NASB)
- “Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light” (Eph. 5: 11 RSV)
- “For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (II Cor. 4: 6 RSV).
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The key here is that being in the light is an inheritance. We inherit the light because we are children of God. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (Jn. 1: 12 ESV).
Glossary
So, we have done full circle back to those who will be strengthened by the power. Maclaren wrote, “If it be a kingdom of light, then only souls who love the light can go thither, and until owls and bats rejoice in the sunshine there will be no way of being fit but by ourselves being ‘light in the Lord.’”
Resource
Maclaren made another great point. We may not be a perfect fit yet for Heaven, but God is making us fit.
Rescued from the Dark
“He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col. 1: 13 CSB)
Sin lives in the darkness because that is where Satan is.
Barlow described what all the darkness entails.
- Ignorance/moral blindness
- Danger and misery
- Captivity
Resource
One of Paul’s favorite themes is that we were slaves to sin. He was following Jesus’ lead. “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin’” (Jn. 8: 34 ESV).
This is that from which Jesus has rescued us. We are no longer in the darkness of sin after we ABCD. We have been delivered to the light.
Paul said that when he said we are “… transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col. 1: 13 CSB). Barlow said that gives us moral freedom and privilege.
Noticed that does not mean we have the license to sin. That means we are freed to be the moral person that imitates God.
God will shovel out all of the bad stuff we’ve been holding onto and replace it with His love. We just have to let Him.
We have to remember that Jesus is King Jesus. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (I Tim. 6: 15). Love rules His kingdom.
The kingdom of the Son might be a different term than we are generally use. Davenant told us why this term is appropriate.
- We receive salvation only through the Son.
- He is our Mediator.
- Jesus is an example of the Father’s love.
- It is a good transition to what comes next.
Resource
Salvation Means Redemption
“In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1: 14 CSB)
Redemption brings us forgiveness of our sins, therefore, a relationship with God.
I see this as Paul’s summary statement. This is what it is all about.
This takes it full circle, too. God is more concerned about our spiritual condition.
Let’s break it down a bit.
- Redemption is where something is used in exchange for something else to gain or regain something. Jesus is our Redeemer because He was born of a virgin, making Him 100% God and 100% man; gave His life on the cross for us so that His blood could pay the price for our sins; and because of God’s great might and power, rose from the grave, conquering death and paying the price for our sins. Redemption allows us to receive forgiveness for our sins.
- Forgiveness is, when we ask, the act of God pardoning us because we have shown repentance for breaking His laws and commandments, which allows us to become holy as He is.
- Sins are actions by humans that disobey God and break one of His reasonable, holy, and righteous laws and commandments, goes against a purpose He has for us, or follows Satan’s promptings.
This is the only thing that is going to right our relationship with God. We have to ask for salvation.
Davenant reminded us that, a lot of times, we are not looking for God’s deliverance. God comes looking for us.
Not only that, when we take a step in God’s direction in faith and repentance, He comes running to us.
It is important that we search for God. Since Adam and Eve sinned, we are all born into Satan’s sinful nature. We have to make the conscious decision to ask for God’s saving grace.
Making the Connections
Pope said we have to endure the trials and resist the temptation in order to strengthen our relationships with God.
How Do We Apply This?
God wants us to grow our patience, long-suffering, endurance, and joy.
Resource
Father God. You are all-powerful. We need that power to call us from the darkness to the light. We consciously choose to follow Your Light. Amen
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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