CAC Living Water Daily Devotional | Wednesday, November 3, 2021 | You Don’t Belong Here
Topic: You Don’t Belong Here
Date: Wednesday, November 3, 2021
Read: 1 John 2:15-17
1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
MEMORISE:
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2)
EXPOSITION
God made man a tripartite being that comprises spirit, soul and body. Man worships with his spirit. This spirit is the only part of man that connects to God who Himself is Spirit, and those who would worship Him must do so in the spirit. The soul (mind) is the part that triggers our emotions, both conscious and subconscious. It defines man’s personality, self-awareness, rationality, and natural feeling. The body is the physical part of man, and the carrier of the former two.
The gracious God furnishes man with these parts for our meaningful living. The body envelopes the mind and spirit, while the mind has the tendency to control the body and spirit. This is because man’s mind-set determines his life setting. What controls your mind controls your life. For this reason, every believer is charged to set their mind on things above, not on earthly ones. Setting your mind on the earthly things makes you lose focus on your glorious upward calling. Everything that is of the world (money, position, power, certificates, titles) is here on earth, is temporal and fades away with time. You will lose your focus as a believer when you are mindful of the world more than of heavenliness. Christ Jesus succeeded in His earthly ministry because He only focused on the heavenly things, and never confused Himself with materialism and carnality.
You are not of the world (cf. Phil. 3:20). You are just given the grace to pass through this world in preparation for eternity. Don’t lose your focus on Christ. You are created by God to serve His purposes here before returning to Him (Eph. 2:10). The Lord is calling you today: ‘Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth’ (Col. 3:2). Only then are you sure of living with Christ, eternally.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Father, help me to be fully mindful of heavenly things.
2. Lord Jesus, purge me of every manifestation of worldliness, and help my love for You to wax stronger by the day.
3. Pray against every form of worldliness subtly creeping into churches in terms of worship, service and members’ quality of lives.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Jeremiah 20:6 – 23:6; 2 Timothy 3:9 – 4:12
Author: Christ Apostolic Church [Worldwide]