April 24 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 3: 1–4

Bible Text:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above (Col. 3:1).

Devotional:

Being in Christ defines a Christian. Just as all humanity is identified as being "in Adam," so the worldwide body of Christians is comprehended "in Christ." With him we died and in him we have been raised.

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above."

We must continue to seek our joy in Christ. He has saved us from sin's just punishment. In him we have found real life and the promise of a whole new world. Now nobody can know us apart from Christ: "Your life is now hidden with Christ in God." But what we really are in Christ is not only hidden from the world but also from us. We have not yet fully experienced the life in which we now participate: "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

In saying we should set our "hearts on things above" and "not on earthly things," Paul is not telling us to ignore this world and meditate on heaven. In fact, the rest of the chapter focuses on our relationships in the present world.

His point is that a person in the present world must not seek or find the sense of life in anything below. Christ, who is above, gives meaning to our lives.

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.