#DailyDevotion Jesus’ High Calling For Your Life

January 29th

Read 2 Tim 1:1–18

2Ti 1:8-11  Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,  (9)  who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,  (10)  and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,  (11)  for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher,

 

Unlike many “popular” preachers today teach, Paul tells us that we might have to suffer for the Gospel by the power of God.  Of course the Gospel is the power of God.  The Gospel here being the full message of Christ, repentance of sins and faith in Him.  But if we have to suffer, Christ will give us the power to endure underneath it.

 

Jesus himself saved us to a holy calling.  This calling is to acknowledge our faults, our sins, our guilt and our shame.  It is to believe we are acceptable to God because of the work of Jesus.  It is to live out that faith in our daily lives.  This calling is not because we were so good but the opposite, we simply needed it.  It is a calling by his own purpose and grace calling us from before the foundation of the world.  It is a sure and certain calling us to eternal life in Christ in God.

 

Now this calling is made manifest to us through the sending forth of men into the world with this saving message, “Repent and believe the good news.”  That is again acknowledge you complete inability to save yourself and believe God has saved you in Christ as a free gift of his good favor.  Not based on anything you did but only on what his son has done for you.

 

Jesus then defeats sin and death through his death and resurrection.  This wins for us the gift of life and immortality.  This good news defeats sin, death and the power of the devil.  Jesus tells us in John 10 that if we believe, that is trust him we will never die because faith is immortality.  We need not fear death.  Death is not merely cessation of breath or brain waves but separation from God’s life.  Faith brings us into the life of God through Christ.  So even if our breath ceases, brain waves stop and we assume room temperature we are still alive in Christ.  And as people who are alive we await the resurrection from the dead even as Christ is alive and risen from the dead.

 

Lord Jesus Christ, ever keep us faithful to your gospel that we may believe we have life and immortality now and forevermore.  Amen.