Today's Reading:
2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14
Colossians 1:1-17
Psalm 115:12-18
Click on Text Link to Read Online
Focus Verses: Colossians 1:3-6
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5 the
faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in
heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the
gospel 6 that
has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and
growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it
and understood God's grace in all its truth.
Insight:
The
truth of God and the good news of Jesus is bearing fruit all over the
world. Christianity is not a private thing or a western culture thing.
In fact, there are now more Christians in the southern hemisphere than
in the northern. English is not the first language of most Christians.
People
all around the globe are putting their faith in Jesus, which is
resulting in changed lives. Hope for life and love for others flows out
of an understanding of God's grace in all its truth. Hearing about the
worldwide response to Christ should make me thankful and move me to
prayer.
Response and Action:
I
want to be a world Christian who appreciates being part of the global
community of faith in Christ. I want to pray for Christians around the
world. I want to grow in my own faith as I gain understanding and
encouragement from Christians living in other cultures and
circumstances. I want to understand and experience God's grace in all
its truth.
Dear
Lord, thank you for your grace and mercy to all people. Thank you for
extending your love to the whole world. Thank you for saving all who put
their faith in Christ. Help me to understand and remember that my faith
in Christ is not just a personal, individual affair, but is, rather, a
reality to be experienced in a global community of believers. Help me to
be faithful to pray for Christians around the world. Help all who
follow Christ to be a light and witness, that the household of faith
will extend to and include people from every tribe, language, ethnicity,
and nation. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Revelation 5:9-10
9
And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to
open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you
purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and
nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our
God, and they will reign on the earth."
Resources:
Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight
by J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom
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