November 17: 1 Corinthians 8:4-8
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
Devotion:
Sometimes we get carried away with wanting to know everything instead of resting faithfully in God’s grip! We like to think we are drawing closer to God though the things we read and all the things we do. Let us continue to always lift our one true God and to proclaim the name and deity of the name of Jesus Christ; let us also rest in the peace and mercy of the Holy Spirit who indwells us and continues to watch over us in everything we do.
I have been in churches where certain foods are not allowed to be eaten, in churches where certain drinks are not allowed to be drunk and, in many churches where certain things are not allowed to be said or done! God calls each one of us to live our lives with and for Him and those lives are going to be very different according to where we live. When we moved onto our local estate to live amongst the community, to belong to the community and to bring them the good news of the gospel, our lives changed dramatically.
If Jesus can come to live amongst people who are breaking the laws all the time, then we should be willing to do so too. It is not up to us to judge whether people are doing things right or wrong but to bring them the truth from and about Jesus Christ. We have done enough things wrong in our own lives to exclude us from Heaven – but because of Christ’s mercy and faithfulness, He has paid the price for our sins and allows us to join Him in Heaven.
Stop focusing on the rules people set up and focus on sharing the love Jesus has shared with us. We are the church, and we need to share the good news at all times wherever we are!
Points to Ponder:
Do you exclude things from your life?
Do you exclude people just because they are different?