October 21 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Philippians 1:1-11:

¹Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
²Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
³I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
⁴Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
⁵For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
⁶Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
⁷Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.
⁸For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.
⁹And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
¹⁰That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.
¹¹Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Devotional

We are conceived and born in sin, and therefore by nature inclined to evil. If it depended on us, the good work would never be begun in us. But God, who has mercy on us, begins the good work in us, and also brings it to completion. Out of sinners He makes saints; out of children of the devil, sons of God.

What is the work that God has begun in us? "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." God works faith in our hearts by the preaching of the gospel. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." And this faith works by love. And when our faith is weak He strengthens it. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus with the ques­tion "Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" Jesus refers them to the Word of God. The prophecies concerning him were being fulfilled. So, of course, He was the One that was to come. He also sees to it, that his children grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And He has sanctified himself for them, "that they also might be sancti­fied through the truth." "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." "Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Prayer

Our Father, Thou hast loved us with an everlasting love. We thank Thee that Thou hast drawn us unto Thee with lovingkindness. Thou hast saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to Thine own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. We thank Thee, that we know that Thy gifts and calling are without repentance, that Thou wilt never go back on Thy word. Thou art not a man that Thou shouldest lie, but what Thou hast spoken, Thou wilt fulfill. May we then in faith rest on Thy promises and have comfort in life and in death. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: John 6:29; Rom. 10:17; Gal. 5:6; Matt. 11:3; 2 Pet. 3:18; John 17:19; Heb 10:24; 1 Cor. 1:18.

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