May 24 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

We live between Christ's coming in grace and his coming in glory. These two great events, one past and the other future, determine the way in which we live "in this world."

The grace of God in Christ has appeared already. God's grace did not "appear" only to "disappear" again; it continues to instruct or train us in living. And the glory, although it has not yet appeared, is already attracting us. That's why it is called "our blessed hope."

The grace of God teaches us how to live in the present. It is "training us ... to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world." The words sober, upright, and godly describe three aspects of our Christian behavior. Sober is a description of our personal ethics. Upright says how we behave in relation to our neighbors. And godly is a form of life that results from fellowship with God. None of these virtues is acquired by self-development. It is the "grace of God" that "trains" us to live in a sober, righteous, and godly manner in this present world.

Let's pay special attention to the word sober. The word recurs in this chapter (vv. 2, 4, 6, 12) and throughout the New Testament. Sober is the opposite of drunk or intoxicated. In this present world, everyone is in danger of becoming intoxicated by the things of this world. When we are sixteen, we are under the influence of different things and powers than when we are sixty. But the effect of the powers is equally intoxicating. Love, popularity, and possessions can make a person drunk.

We are trained, by the grace of God, to remain sober, that is, to retain a sense of direction in the midst of all the attractions, diversities, and adversities of the present world. The Spirit of Christ won't let us forget that we live our lives between the coming of grace and the coming of glory.

REFLECTIONS

What does "sober" (in the sense used in this reading) look like in your life?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.