Most of us are staying at home to do our part in stopping the coronavirus. I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to catch up on your prayer time and Bible reading. I believe with all my heart that reading God's word today can give us fresh hope and revelation.
I will share my devotional reading and my insights about the verses with you. I hope this encourages you to start your devotional time with God.
We will start with the book of Romans, and we will focus on these verses:
Romans 1:1-4
New International Version (NIV)
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God— 2 the Gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Here are my key takeaway from the verses:
1. Paul knew his identity.
Paul knew exactly how to describe himself. He said that he was an apostle and that he was set apart to share the Gospel.
Like Paul, I believe that it is essential to know who we are because it will help us stay calm and focused regardless of our situation.
We are living in stressful times. We are confined to our homes, and things are going to get worse before it gets better. We need to be secure of our identity.
Losing sight of our personality will hinder us from fulfilling God's promises in our lives. It will prevent us from helping others, as well.
2. Paul knew the God he worshipped.
Paul is extremely confident with his mission because he knew that he was serving the most powerful God.
He knew that if God is with him, nothing can stand against him. He knew that he was doing something with eternal impact, and he is living a life worth living.
We worship the same God that Paul worships. God is faithful then and is still faithful today. Our God cannot lie, and therefore we can place our full trust in Him.
How do we secure our identity and faith to have peace?
Securing our identity
1 Peter 2:9
English Standard Version (ESV)
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
From the verse above, we should focus on three things so that we don't lose sight of our identity.
1. We are children of God.
We are a chosen race which is called the children of God.
Our situation could make it seem that God is distant, but we must choose to believe the truth that we are God's children, regardless of our circumstances right now.
These events are temporary, but the word of God is eternal.
We may feel insignificant today, but we should choose to remember that Jesus gave his life for us. He loves us that much. Each one of us is worth the life of Jesus.
2. You are the ambassador of Christ.
We are a Royal priesthood because we represent Jesus to the nations. It is our responsibility to share God's goodness and love to all countries. It is our job to share the Gospel with people.
We may be in this quarantine where we feel helpless, but we can still share the goodness of God.
We can go to social media and share God's promises. We can reach out to people and pray for them. We can speak encouraging words to make this season of isolation easier to bear.
3. God will bring us from glory to glory.
If we think we are done, then we are wrong. God will bring us from darkness to His marvellous light. God is not done with us yet. This phase of fear and isolation is not how our story will end. This will just be a part of the twist and turns that will make the chronicles of our triumph more meaningful.
Secure our faith in God
I chose these four verses to remind us about the type of God we serve. Many verses in the Bible talk about God, so don't limit yourself to the verses I mentioned here.
1. John 3:16
English Standard Version (ESV)
16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
We have a God who loves us unconditionally. If we think our God focuses on our mistakes, then we are way off. Our God wants to save us. That's why instead of punishing us because we couldn't meet the Godly standards of holiness, He sent Jesus to die for us instead. God loves us so much.
2. John 4:24
English Standard Version (ESV)
24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."
We need faith to believe in God. Creation provides evidence of His existence, but we still need to choose to believe. We need to have confidence that we have a God who created us with a purpose and would help fulfil the plans that He has for us.
3. Romans 8:28
New International Version (NIV)
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Fear should not overcome us. God is in control. He knows what's best for us, and if we continue to seek Him, we will see that he can make any circumstance work for our benefit.
This pandemic may be scary, but God can make us prosper in this situation if we continue to seek Him.
4. John 10:10
King James Version (KJV)
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
God wants us to live fully. Believe this with all your heart. God doesn't want us to live in mediocrity. He wants us to have the best in life.
If we continue to seek His will, we will see how glorious His plans are.
Let's sum it up
Let's not forget who we are despite the issues that we are facing right now. We are meant for greatness, and we can be confident that the future holds great things for us. Again, God loves us, and He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest.
Thank you for reading this devotional story, and I pray that it encouraged and empowered you in your walk with Christ. Please read other devotional stories on the website.
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