April 23 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the beginning of a new life for all believers. It's also the pledge of our resurrection (1 Cor. 15). The study of Colossians is part of this month's meditations on the meaning of the resurrection.

Bible Reading:

Colossians 2:20–23

Bible Text:

Since you died with Christ to ... this world, why ... do you submit to its rules...? (Col. 2:20).

Devotional:

Christians keep certain rules. But keeping rules does not make a person a Christian. I remember when people were called Christians because they went to church and observed Sundays carefully. Yet it is not going to church but being in Christ that defines a Christian.

Being in Christ means that what happened to Jesus Christ has happened to us. And all that he has we either already have or will have someday.

Thus we share in Jesus' death. We confess that he died for us, in our place, but also that we died with him. He represented us all. We are all joined with him by baptism. His death was our death, and his life is the source of ours.

We died to the world. That means that whatever is outside of Christ can neither frighten nor fascinate us. This death we died once, in Christ's death. But we must also "die" every day. Death to the world. Death also to the old religious world.

People today have a renewed interest in the practices of all religious traditions. Remember, however, that religious rules and observances have no saving value, because they are outside of Christ. Worldly religiousness is defined by what people do. Christians are defined by what Christ has done.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

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 edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.