Seek First – Kingdom Focused Devotionals

I grew up in Thomasville, North Carolina, the site of Mills Home Orphanage.  The campus was lovely, replete with large trees, green grass, ball fields, swimming pools, and lots of young people.  It seemed like an idyllic place for a young person to live.  I once confessed to one of my Mills Home friends that I was jealous of all he had.  He looked at me with a pained expression and declared that he would gladly trade it all for one thing. 

            “What,” I inquired. 

            “A father who loved me,” he responded. 

            I had never fully understood what it meant to be an orphan until that very moment.  Good news, we have a heavenly Father who loves us and has adopted us as sons, enabling us to cry out “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15).  The image of adoption declares that God lovingly and specifically chose you to be His own. 

            The Spirit will assure our spirit that we are the children of God.  If we are children, we are heirs; fellow-heirs with Christ (8:16-17).  As believers we are privileged to call God by the same name Jesus used.  That is why Jesus taught His followers to pray “our Father.”  As sons of God, we have been given the privilege of intimate and continuous access to the Father. 

            Have you taken full advantage of Sonship?  Are you spending quality time with your Father? 

Prayer:  Father, forgive me when I live like a slave and not like an heir with Christ.  Give me courage and victory to live like a son.  Amen.   

The devotionals for the last week have been abbreviated from We Are, available at your local book store or online at Lifeway.

Are you thinking that I should have asked, “Is the Spirit in you?”  Both are relevant questions and are clearly interrelated.  Paul connects them in Romans 8:9, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.  But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

            First we should note that only the Spirit of God can bring us into a living relationship with Christ.  Thus if one does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ.  I occasionally hear people suggest that we can separate the experience of new birth from that of receiving the Spirit.  Such is not the case.  We cannot belong to Christ at all until we are “in the Spirit.” 

            When the Spirit is “in us” we are empowered to live a Christ centered life and defeat the power of the flesh (sin) because we live “in the Spirit.”  In other words, we volitionally allow the Spirit to control our daily lives.  This is what the Bible means when it talks of “walking in the Spirit.” 

            What specific areas of the flesh cause you the greatest struggle?  Do you find yourself defeated by envy, jealousy, impure thoughts, greed, or anger?  Find victory “in the Spirit,” who continuously and progressively gives you the power to resist evil and live for God. 

Prayer:  Thank you for giving me Your Spirit.  In return, I give you myself that I might live in the Spirit.   Amen.

When someone chooses to live with reckless abandon, we might say they have chosen to walk on the wild side of life.  The Bible challenges us to walk on the high side. 

            In Romans 6:4 Paul refers to the act of baptism to demonstrate why believers are now capable of walking “in newness of life.”  When we accepted Christ, the old nature was crucified with Christ and we were given the new nature of Christ.  Our new walk is made possible because we have died to sin and thus we no longer have to say “yes” to temptation and sin. 

            Before we became Christians we were often powerless to say “no” to the passions and desires that led us away from God.  Our new birth means that we died to sin (6:2) and therefore we are no longer enslaved by sin’s power.  Resurrection life is not something simply waiting for us in the future, unavailable until life is over.  It is a present reality.  We are a new creation, empowered to live a life that is pleasing to God. 

            If we are going to walk on the high side, we must refuse to present the members of our body again to sin, but we must present them to God as instruments of righteousness (6:13).  We gain victory over sin as we daily make ourselves fully available to God. 

 Prayer:  Thank you for giving me new life.  I present myself to you today to serve as an instrument of your righteousness.  Amen.

No word is more characteristic of Paul’s vocabulary than “justified.”  In Romans 3:23 we are confronted with the issue that plagues all mankind—“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  I thank God that verse 24 follows verse 23.  “Being justified is a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.” 

            The word “justified” means to “make right” or “to clear.”  In practical terms, it means that we are acquitted in God’s courtroom.  Notice that our justification is a gift.  There is nothing we could do to earn it, for there is nothing we could do to atone for our own sin. 

            Most of the Jews of Paul’s day hoped that by rigorously observing the law, they might earn God’s favor and be pronounced righteous.  The tragedy is well stated in Romans 3:10—“There is none righteous, not even one.”  But now in Christ the whole process is reversed.  God pronounces us “justified” as a gift of grace.  You may wonder how this can be possible.  The answer is found in the last phrase of verse 24—“through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”  Jesus paid the debt for our sin. 

            If you have never made this wonderful discovery, ask Him right now to forgive your sins and be your Redeemer.  If you have, tell someone else about this wonderful gift.  

Prayer:  Thank you for the gift of justification.  Give me the opportunity to share this good news with another person today.  Amen.

If you enjoy art, no doubt you have visited a show where paintings are being offered to the public by a single artist.  As you browse the display you will find a few that are marked, “not for sale.”  The artist possesses a special affection for the painting and has thus marked it as one for his/her own possession. 

            In Romans 1:7 Paul addresses the Roman believers as “loved by God, called as saints.”  Did you know that you were a saint?  That label does not suggest we are “perfect.”  It does, however, mean that we are separated unto God.  Not only are we loved by God, we have been set apart for His own possession.  What a privilege!

            Yet with privilege comes responsibility.  We are His and thus His will becomes our greatest desire.  We represent Him to the world.  Being God’s possession should affect our behavior, language, and attitude should always reflect the nature of the One to whom we belong. 

            Does this idea seem a little overwhelming to you?  In Romans 8:27 Paul tells us that the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  Be assured there is nothing you will face today that you cannot handle as one of God’s saints.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for loving me and that you want me for your own.  May all I do today reflect your character.  Amen.

“In whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12).

                Are you feeling a little overwhelmed by the assignment that has been given to us as His church?  Are you wondering whether the church you attend can truly express God’s manifold wisdom?  I have some great news for you.  You are not alone in this task. 

                We have been given “boldness and confident access” to the mighty God who created everything and works everything according to His eternal purpose.  The word “boldness” is essentially “freedom of speech.”  Read Hebrews 4:16 and 10:19 to see a clear expression of the freedom of speech we now have before Mighty God.  “Confident access” is similar to boldness but it has a much more personal element to it.  “Faith in Him” (Christ) is our means of access to holy God.  The forgiveness of sin that was purchased by Christ on the cross not only provided for our redemption, but it daily allows us to enter into the presence of Mighty God.

                Faith is not merely intellectual belief; it is a personal knowledge of Christ as we accept Him as Lord of our life.  When we understand the access we have to God’s throne, it makes prayer a privilege not to be neglected.  Further, it gives us assurance that the resources necessary to complete the task of discipling the nations have already been made available to the church.  Why then are we so prayer less and powerless? 

Prayer:  Thank You for boldness and confident access.  Forgive us for our failure to come and our fear to go.  Amen.

“This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:11).

                Throughout this letter we have seen that God is declaring that behind all the events of world history God is working out His own eternal purpose.  God’s plan was conceived in eternity past, is eternal in its scope and will thus be complete in heaven.  Christ is the agent through Whom God is accomplishing His eternal plan. 

                Perhaps you are wondering how the church is related to God’s eternal purpose being carried out in Christ.  In Matthew’s gospel there is an event where Jesus asks His disciples who they have come to believe that He is.  In response, Peter declares the growing conviction—“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).  Jesus not only affirms this conviction concerning His identity, He declares His intention of building His church and giving it authority over Hades itself. 

                Thus the work begun by Christ in His incarnation will be completed through His church.  The mission of the Messiah is the heartbeat of the church.  Christ not only came to provide individual redemption, He came to establish His church made up of those who have experienced His redemption.  For that reason the church can be spoken of as His body, His field, His building, and His bride. 

                The church is designed and empowered to express God’s fullness in the same manner that Christ did during His incarnation (Eph. 1:23).  The resurrection and ascension of Christ were accomplished for the church that it might fully complete the task of taking the “keys of the kingdom” to the ends of the earth.  Wow!  Can you imagine being part of something that was in God’s heart from all eternity past and that has been empowered to complete the task of reaching the nations? 

Prayer: Father, thank You for saving me and incorporating me into Your body.  Amen

“And to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph. 3:9-10). 

                We have already noticed that the first task of the apostle Paul was to make known the “unfathomable riches” of Christ to those who had never heard them.  However, the preacher’s task is not yet complete.  As men and women come to faith, they must be made aware of the wonderful purpose of God for believers.  Thus Paul spoke of this task as “bringing to light” the mystery which has been hidden for ages. 

                This mystery has been hidden in God who is the Creator of all things.  The fact that it has not been previously communicated does not mean it is an after-thought.  On the contrary, Paul was privileged to unveil that which God had planned from the beginning of time.  That is the point made by the reference to creation.  There is no evil intent in the hiding of the plan; it was simply the wisdom of God to reveal it to man in progressive stages as man was able to comprehend it.  Thus with the full revelation of God made available in Christ, His plan for the church as the bride of Christ can now be made known.

                God’s eternal plan was to display His multi-faceted wisdom to a breathless and waiting world through the church.  Did you notice that even the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places are enlightened concerning God’s ongoing plan of redemption through the church?  Those who are baptized into the church by the redeeming work of Christ have a superior position to all spiritual powers.  They are able to declare the redeeming work of God to these spiritual beings (cf. 1 Pt. 1:12).  We certainly can’t take our fellowship with Christ through His church lightly when so much is at stake. 

Prayer:  Forgive me when I forget what it means to be a member of Your body, the church.  Amen

“To me, the very least of the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3:8).

                Paul was so overwhelmed by God’s grace and his own unworthiness that he felt compelled to dwell on the topic of grace a while longer.  The literal translation would read “less than the least of all saints.”  Paul invented a comparative of a superlative to underline his unworthiness.  This is no false humility.  When one fully understands the gravity of one’s sin he/she will always be overwhelmed with God’s “amazing grace.” 

                Paul was not at this moment thinking about his past as a persecutor of the church, he was simply so patently aware that there was nothing in himself that deserved such mercy from a holy God.  Not only was he allowed to be a recipient of grace, he was privileged to become a preacher of this grace to the Gentiles.  By the way, you don’t have to be an apostle to the Gentiles or a pastor of a church to be a preacher of grace.  Once you have experienced God’s grace you are, of necessity, a preacher of grace.

                If you have been reading this letter along with these devotional thoughts, you have probably noticed Paul’s love for terms that speak of infinite wealth and value.  “Unfathomable” simply means that we have neither human ability to comprehend nor terms to describe the “riches of Christ.”  Christ Himself is the “unfathomable riches” Paul was allowed to preach to the Gentiles who had never heard of Him before.  Did you know that when you tell someone your story, you are preaching the unfathomable riches of Christ? 

Prayer:  Give me greater boldness to declare Christ to someone who needs Him today.  Amen

“Of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power” (Eph. 3:7).

                We all love to receive gifts.  Gifts are made special by the relationship which prompts the giving and the benefit derived from the gift.  There is no gift to compare with God’s gift of His only begotten Son.  It was completely undeserved on our part and provided for the forgiveness of our sin and made possible our relationship with holy God. 

                That initial gift of grace received in salvation is the beginning of our new life in Christ.  But the word “grace” has a range of meanings in Pauline writings.  Here Paul was referring to the gift of grace that enabled him to be a minister of the gospel.  Paul was overwhelmed to think that a former persecutor could become a preacher of God’s word.  Paul used the term diakonos, which is sometimes used to describe persons who have a function of office of deacon.  Its more general sense, which is meant here, is one who lives and works in God’s service.  In that sense it should be true of all Christians. 

                Paul was not only enabled to minister because of the manifestation of grace but also by “the working of His power.”  The apostolic task to which he had been called could not be accomplished in human strength or ingenuity.  Paul needed supernatural empowering to accomplish his work for God.  This power was made operative in his life by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. 

                God has graced and empowered each of us for service to Him.  Have you found your place in service to the King?

Prayer:  Father, thank You for the grace and power to serve You effectively.  Amen