REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on December 19, 2016. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal. He and his wife Jessie are the proud parents of two young boys.
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“More Than Doctrines and Theologies”
2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises.
Sadly, many of us have minimized the gospel to a set of doctrines and theological truths that need to be accepted. In one sense, this is correct. Part of the demands that derive from the gospel require our belief in its propositional truths, such as the identity of Christ and His atoning work on the cross. However, this is only part of the picture. As the apostle Paul states in Romans 1:16, the gospel is also the power of God; it is more than a list of facts—it is also the very power that grants salvation and transformation in our lives. It is neither our self-discipline nor our willpower that changes us, but it is the power of the gospel that ultimately shapes us.
And we are reminded of the dynamic nature of the gospel in the opening statements of 2 Peter. Here, the Apostle makes an astonishing claim: God has provided by His divine power everything necessary for life and godliness; all of which is made available through our knowledge of Christ. In other words, trust and belief in the gospel affords us all that we need to be transformed into the likeness of God. He has given us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live differently, a new heart made of flesh and responsive to the commands of God, and a community that walks alongside us for the entire journey. There is nothing that we lack in our endeavor to become more like Christ!
This is an important truth to remember. We all go through seasons where true change seems impossible, and we find ourselves stuck in a vicious cycle of sin. In moments like these, it is so easy to give up and believe that victory is out of reach. However, Peter reminds us that God does not leave us ill-equipped. He gives us all that we need to live lives of freedom and true transformation. Let us take time this morning to meditate on these truths and find hope and encouragement, as we strive to reflect the character of Christ!
Prayer: Father, I come before You broken in my sins. I desire to live a life of godliness, one that is pleasing to You, but I cannot do it on my own. Help me to understand that when I depend on You alone, You provide all that I need to overcome my areas of struggle. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: John 13
Lunch Break Study
Read Ezekiel 36:26-27: And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Questions to consider
- What are we promised in this passage?
- What is the result of receiving of new heart and God’s Spirit?
Notes
- God promises that those in the New Covenant are going to receive hearts that are made of flesh. They will no longer have hearts of stone. Furthermore, God will put His Spirit in them.
- Man is finally able to walk in the statutes of God and obey His rules.
Evening Reflection
As you went about your day, did you take time to acknowledge your dependence on God? Oftentimes, we fall into sin because the busyness of life, which makes it difficult for us to sense our need for Him. Take some time tonight to ask God to make you more aware of your need for Him. The more we are aware of our need for God, the more we will learn to depend on His strength and not our own!