I had the privilege of writing morning devotionals for the students at Shorebreak. Every morning after breakfast we gathered for a time of music and then everyone got a copy of the devotion for the day and went to find a place of solitude; a place where they could spend quality time with God, without distraction from others.
This was the first devotion of camp and I wrote it to supplement Cyrus’ teaching on the G.O.S.P.E.L. (see the last post for the meaning). I wrote it for a High School audience, but God’s truth surpasses the generational gaps! Oh, and by the way, the theme for the camp was reversal, so I tried to sneak that in there too 😉
May these words and The Word be an an encouragement to you today.
Once Upon a Time
Bible Reading – Ephesians 2:1-10
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Once upon a time mankind was at peace with God. Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. But then they made a decision which caused humanity’s spiritual separation from God. From the moment they ate the forbidden fruit, humanity took a turn down the path of sin and death. So instead of following God, our passage points out that we have been obeying our fleshly desires, the course of the world, and the deceptions of Satan.
But there is such good news! God is rich in love and brought us life in His Son Jesus! We can now walk and talk with God the way He always wanted. We don’t have to go back to obeying the world, our lusts, or Satan. He has given us a great gift and prepared wonderful work for us to do to bring Him glory. Jesus has reversed and for all time demolished the power of death and sin in our lives.
- If you have not trusted Jesus as your Savior, will you take time to consider this passage more carefully? Read it a few more times and look for God’s tremendous love for you and His desire to bring you life!
- If you are a Christian, are you living in the life of Christ? Are you obeying the world and your own desires, or relishing the gift of God and seeking after those good works that He created and saved you for?
Pray – If you are convinced that you need Jesus as Savior, pray and tell God that you accept His free gift of grace! For those who are saved, ask God to convict you of areas you may need to choose to follow Him instead of your own desires. And ask for His help reverse the sinful directions you are going.
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