DCLM Higher Everyday 21 August 2023 — Then And Now
DCLM Higher Everyday 21 August 2023 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — Then And Now!
Topic: Then And Now!
Text: Ephesians 2:8-13
8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
11Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
12That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
13But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Key Verse: “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12).
Message
According to Oscar Wilde, “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” Having descended from Adam and Eve, after they acquired heart depravity due to the original sin in the Garden of Eden, the entire human race became “aliens…strangers from the covenants of promise…and without God in the world.” In other words, every human soul was already damned, just awaiting consummation at death, when the body gives way. But Jesus came and died for the world, offering us eternal life, total freedom to all who would repent of their sins. Now, once converted, we receive a gift – eternal life with Christ in Heaven forever!
Dear friend, can you see a difference between your past and your present? Can you truly say that old things are passed away and everything has become new (2 Corinthians 5:17)? When Paul was converted on the way to Damascus, the old man in him died and the new man in Christ took over. You must examine yourself to see if you are changed morally and spiritually.
Quote: The old man in him died
Challenge: What a transition, what a gift!
Prayer for today: Father, I willingly yield my whole life to you, in time, and in eternity.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
