Daily Devotional: Wednesday, Dec 16
Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Receiving Forgiveness
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Salvation is Here by Hillsong United; Joy to the World arranged by Chris Tomlin; Let Us Adore by Hillsong; Oh Come All Ye Faithful arranged by Chris Tomlin.
Read: Acts 26: 10-11, 14-18; Timothy 4:5-8
Think: I love about what the Bible tells us about the Apostle Paul. From everything we read we can see he was full of ZEAL. Paul was always giving 110% of his effort towards whatever he did. When younger, he was known as Saul and was known as the persecutor of Christians. His decisions resulted in misery and death for many Christ followers. Because of his history, one might think it impossible for him to be forgiven by God.
The turning point in his life was when he encounters Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. I quote a conversation between Paul a.k.a. Saul at the time, "‘Who are you, lord?' I asked. "And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me.'"
Years later the same man who had been the instigator of the murder of many Christians, went on to be arguably the most passionate of the 12 disciples with an amazing testimony of transformation. Understanding what Paul went through, it's comforting to know Jesus can provide me with that same grace and forgiveness for my sins so that I too can fight the good fight for Jesus' sake.
Do: Fully knowing where you've been and where you are today in your life, Jesus always understands the role you will eventually play in the growth of his kingdom. Don't let your past, and don't let Satan trick you into thinking you're beyond God's forgiveness. Paul had a pretty bad history, but it didn't stop him from being used by God to become one of the greatest disciples of Christ.
Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, I pray we can see ourselves through your eyes knowing that once we've turned to you we are forgiven, no matter how bad the sins, no matter how wrong I've been in the past... You wiped the slate clean the moment I said yes to you. Moving forward in your forgiveness I am committing (again) today to live the life you want me to live. Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church. |
