Simmons Wrapped in Christ

365 Devotions from the Pauline Epistles
1. Auflage 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4245-6369-2
Verlag: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 384 Seiten

Claim full gospel freedom as you encounter Christ's power in you. The thirteen letters of Paul were written to encourage, inspire, and instruct the church in the importance of right doctrine and right living. His words are bursting with the rich, glorious realities of new life in Christ. Wrapped in Christ shares 365 daily devotions and prayers to immerse you in heaven's freedom, love, truth, hope, and joy. Featuring Scripture from The Passion Translation®, this devotional will strengthen you to live in total life-union with Jesus.

DR. BRIAN SIMMONS is a passionate lover of God. After a dramatic conversion to Christ, Brian knew that God was calling him to go to the unreached people of the world and present the gospel of God's grace to all who would listen. With his wife, Candice, and their three children, he spent eight years in the tropical rain forest of the Darien Province of Panama as a church planter, translator, and consultant. Having been trained in linguistics and Bible translation principles, Brian assisted in the Paya-Kuna New Testament translation project. After his ministry overseas, Brian was instrumental in planting a thriving church in New England (U.S.) and currently travels full time as a speaker and Bible teacher. He is the lead translator of The Passion Translation®.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Simmons, Brian

Leseproben

January

JANUARY 1

Among the Chosen

You are among the chosen ones who are called to belong to Jesus, the Anointed One.

ROMANS 1:6

In his letter to the believing church in Rome, Paul wrote to encourage and establish them in their faith. In the same way he encouraged the Roman church, we can be grounded in the gospel of grace that we find within Paul’s writings.

The kindness and compassion of God toward us has called us out as his children. We are among the chosen! All who come to faith in Christ have already been called as sons, daughters, and co-heirs with him in his glorious kingdom. May we each find the open door of Christ’s invitation to know his love in deeper, truer, and more liberating ways. His glorious grace meets us with generosity as we turn to him. He has all that we need to thrive in his merciful righteousness. What a wonderful King he is and how oh so tender he is with our hearts.

Jesus, thank you for calling me your own. You have drawn me to your heart with tender kindness, and I cannot stay away. Flood me with your tangible goodness as I look to you.

JANUARY 2

Built Up by Community

Now, this means that when we come together and are side by side, something wonderful will be released. We can expect to be co-encouraged and co-comforted by each other’s faith!

ROMANS 1:12

Something incredibly powerful happens when we gather in the company of those who believe in Jesus and are committed to wholeheartedly following his ways. Even when we are first getting to know other believers, our faith can build each other’s confidence. Our testimonies of God’s grace in our lives can be the encouragement that we didn’t even realize we needed.

There is comfort in being able to share each other’s victories and each other’s burdens. We were created for community. We were made to lean on each other in hard times and to celebrate one another in our triumphs. Seek out the company of other believers today, and may you find courage and relief there.

Lord, I know that you have called me to know you, not only through the beautiful relationship between your Spirit and my own but through the body of your believers as well. Flood me with your love through others today and help me to be a conduit of your loving courage to them.

JANUARY 3

Not Ashamed

I refuse to be ashamed of the wonderful message of God’s liberating power unleashed in us through Christ! For I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved—the Jew first, and then people everywhere!

ROMANS 1:16

The message of the cross is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Jewish nation received the promised salvation message of the Messiah first, and then the rest of the nations received it as well. Jesus Christ is the Messiah of everyone who comes to him through faith. Both the outcast and the fortunate find their home in him.

Can you echo Paul’s statement about refusing to be ashamed of the gospel? Not only is it good news, but it is also the message of That is wonderful news! As you fellowship with the Spirit of Christ today, may you be infused with the power of his love and grace.

Christ Jesus, you are the Lord of my life. I submit my heart to you, and I won’t be ashamed of who you are. Your love is better than any I’ve known before. Thank you for your free gift of salvation. I am undone by your mercy.

JANUARY 4

Explosive Faith

This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith.

ROMANS 1:17

What would it look like for you to move past simply receiving life and salvation through faith to the power of living by faith, as Paul explains? Are there areas where you are still trying to earn your favor with God? Christ is clear—salvation is through faith alone. And it is through a living relationship with Christ, through fellowship with his Holy Spirit, that we find our true freedom.

We do not need to “do more” to be righteous in God’s sight. The Father sees us through the purity and power of Christ’s righteousness. We are free in the love of God, and there is more revelation to receive about the kingdom of Christ than we could ever contain. Let your faith lead you in wonder!

Jesus, I want to know your liberating love more in my life so that my faith becomes an expression of a life lived in communion with you. Thank you for being my righteousness!

JANUARY 5

Extravagant Kindness

Do the riches of his extraordinary kindness make you take him for granted and despise him? Haven’t you experienced how kind and understanding he has been to you? Don’t mistake his tolerance for acceptance. Do you realize that all the wealth of his extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?

ROMANS 2:4

There is little else in this world that can rightly compare to the extravagant kindness of God. He is infinitely patient. He does not grow weary of giving us the space and opportunity to accept his mercy. He draws us with loving-kindness, not with threats.

His kindness melts our defenses when we realize how indescribably good, merciful, and powerful he is! His love leads him to extend mercy at every opportunity. When was the last time you considered the incomparable love of Christ that reaches out to you at every moment? Remember his kindness today, for he is full of compassion toward you.

Lord God, thank you for your love that leads me to repentance. I don’t want to take it for granted or let the troubles of this world taint my view of you. I draw near, and I ask for your hand of mercy to give me deeper revelations of your kindness.

JANUARY 6

Continue in Goodness

For those living in constant goodness and doing what pleases him, seeking an unfading glory and honor and imperishable virtue, will experience eternal life.

ROMANS 2:7

In this verse, Paul explains the destiny that awaits those who live for the Lord and seek to do his will. He describes these people as living out what they believe, what Jesus has said to do, with their focus on their heavenly reward.

Doing what pleases God comes from faith. We first believe in Jesus, who is the Anointed One and Messiah. Then we live out of that place of faith, aligning our actions with our values. When this happens, we bring honor to the one who calls us his own. If we want to be sure of eternal life, we must not only pay attention to what we profess with our mouths but also what dwells in our hearts and how it plays out in our lives.

Lord, my heart is yours. The faith I have is from you in the first place. Build up the foundation of my faith, teaching me your ways as I submit to you. I’m so grateful you’re not looking for perfection but for willingness to transform. I want to look like you, living a life of loving intention.

JANUARY 7

Covered in Peace

When we do what pleases God, we can expect unfading glory, true honor, and a continual peace—to the Jew first and also to the non-Jew.

ROMANS 2:10

When we live for what pleases God, the expectations of our hopes are great. Though we will walk through trials and troubles in this life, we can fix our eyes on the prize of our lives—the age that is yet to come in the fullness of Christ’s kingdom. We see in part now, but then we will see everything fully. There is unfading glory in our eternal places in his kingdom.

True honor comes from submitting to the Lord and letting him be the final say over our lives. He is kind, patient, powerful, full of love and grace. He is the most loving leader. He is the strongest ally. He is all that we need and so much more than we can imagine. He covers us in his peace even in the midst of our storms. He is with us, steadfast, and good.

Jesus, you are the one I look to today and every day. You are my hope, and I long to please your heart more than any person. Cover me in your glory, honor, and peace.

JANUARY 8

Heart Circumcision

You are Jewish because of the inward act of spiritual circumcision—a radical change that lays bare your heart. It’s not by the principle of the written code, but by power of the Holy Spirit.

ROMANS 2:29

The Jewish nation practiced many rituals in line with the law of God, as given through Moses. One such practice is circumcision. In this passage, Paul encourages those who have come to follow Christ by explaining that their salvation and belonging don’t come from religious rites but from the power of God at work in their hearts.

This is true for all of us. It is not what we do that makes us pleasing before the Lord. It is the power of his work in us that purifies us. The Holy Spirit radically transforms our hearts as we submit to his hand in our lives. We should all rejoice that this is God’s work and not ours. May true confidence and comfort come from the living and active work of God in us and not what we can do for him.

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