June 30 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 5:

¹For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
²For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:
³If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.
⁴For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
⁵Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
⁶Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
⁷(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
⁸We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
⁹Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.
¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
¹¹Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.
¹²For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.
¹³For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
¹⁴For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
¹⁵And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
¹⁶Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
¹⁷Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Devotional

Salvation is by grace. We have our physical life, health and strength from God. A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. Even so, or even more so, is our spiritual life a gift of God. By nature we are dead in trespasses and sins. Spiritual life can only come from God. He gives us a new heart, and a new spirit; He takes our stony heart away, and gives us a heart of flesh. He puts his Spirit within us, and causes us to walk in his statutes.

Even after our regeneration, we have no life and strength in ourselves to do God's will. Christ says, "Without me ye can do nothing." Paul says, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Our fathers confessed that "we lie in the midst of death; but that we seek our life out of ourselves in Jesus Christ." Christ is the vine; we are the branches. The life that is in the branches comes from the vine. "It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." He is our life. He works in us and through us by his Holy Spirit, so that we can say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Not I, but Christ, all glory belongs to him.

Prayer

O Lord, it seems so hard for us to believe that our whole salvation, from beginning to end, is by grace, and by grace alone. We are so prone to build on our own righteousness and good works. Increase our faith, and strengthen us in the convic­tion that our whole salvation stands in the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, accomplished for us on the cross. Help us to believe that we are perfect and complete in him, and may we boldly pro­claim this truth, so that others through us may learn to know the way of salvation and praise Thy name with all Thy children. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: John 3:27; Eph. 2:1; Ezek. 36:26f; John 15:5; 1 Cor. 12:3; Phil. 2:13; Gal. 2:20.

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