July 27 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

By God’s Word and Spirit the world was made, and he uses the same tools to rebuild the creaking cosmos. God does not save some souls from the wreckage of the planet; instead, the whole groaning creation must be delivered from bondage by the love and power of God.

Bible Reading:

Romans 8:1–4

Bible Text:

There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.... The Spirit of life set [us] free ... that the ... law might be fully met in us (Rom. 8:1–2, 4).

Devotional:

As long as we are in Adam we are under the curse, unwilling and unable to do what God requires. But when we are in Christ, we possess two tremendous benefits: we are without guilt before God, and we are able to obey him.

"There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." That's the first golden nugget. Hang on to it for dear life. In Christ Jesus—that is, with him as our Savior and Lord—we are forever safe and forever blessed. The just condemnation of God, which must hit all that's sinful and sordid, will not reach those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus bore the condemnation of God for our sins. Now punishment is past will not be repeated. This is the first benefit:

No condemnation
now I dread,
for Christ,
and all in him is mine!

The second benefit is the ability to obey the will of God. When we are forgiven, we are also renewed. Christ's death paid for the guilt of our sin, and Christ's Spirit breaks the power of sin. He overcomes the weakness of our sinful nature.

Christ paid the debt and sets us free to obey!

The proof of our redemption is in our obedience. Wholehearted thanksgiving through an obedient life is the only thank offering God requires.

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.