2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

For years we have concluded every Sunday morning service at our church with this benediction that the apostle Paul used to close his letter to the church at Corinth. The verse is both beautiful and powerful in that it alludes to the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and to a focus of each of them in our lives.

The Grace of the Lord Jesus. “By grace” is the opposite of “by self.”  Grace happens any time we depend not on our self but on God. We couldn’t save ourselves, only Jesus could. And we can’t live the life he has for us in our own strength and ability—only by his grace. Grace is Jesus instead of me. Jesus for me, Jesus in me, and Jesus with me—all by his Spirit living in me. That’s why the Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Grace, and he’s with you today to help you do everything you need to do.

The Love of God (the Father). You can rest assured that you will be cared for, provided for, and protected today, because your heavenly Father loves you with a love that is as high as the heavens are above the earth (Psalm 103:11). If you can think of how much the most perfect and loving earthly father loves his children, how much more than that does your heavenly father love you (Matthew 7:11).

The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word translated fellowship here, koinonia, means partnership, participation with, and companionship. The Holy Spirit has come to do life together with you, to be your life partner. He’s here to help you in so many ways. He will lead and guide you, assist you, and enable you. He will strengthen you. The original word for Spirit means breath or wind. He will be the wind in your sails when you feel stuck. He will be breath in your lungs when you are weary and exhausted. 

Today’s focus: Even though it’s not easy to understand fully that God is a triune God, a Trinity, embrace today that God is three persons, that each person is God, and that there is one God. And think often today that all three are focused on you in their own way.

Prayer: Lord, may the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with me and around me and upon me today as I go out into the mission that is my life, making a difference in the world around me, and living the fullest life that you have for me, for your glory, in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen!

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Through You, Not To You—There’s nothing wrong with a desire to go higher and excel in every aspect of life. You were born with a desire to climb, to be promoted, to reach the next level. In fact, one of the promises of God is that if you carefully obey his commands you “will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” (Deuteronomy 28:13) The Apostle Paul, who wrote today’s focus scripture, writes that he pressed on toward the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

Just remember that God’s plan is not just to get promotion and blessing to you, but that he can bless the world around you through you.

So if you haven’t already, adjust your faith and prayers from what you are believing will come to you from God, and begin believing for what God can do through you. We have seen evidence time and time again that if God sees that he can get blessing through a person, he will get it to that person.

The Way Up Is Down—In God’s economy, the way to receive is to give, the way to lead is to serve, the way up is down, and the way to truly live is to die to self. So you can see why that “without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6) It takes faith to give when you need, and to go down when your desire is to go up. Jesus is the ultimate example of this kingdom principle:

Philippians 2:6–9 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names…

No one has been exalted higher than Jesus, because no one ever brought themselves lower for the benefit of others.

Today’s focus: Practice today maintaining a mindset that focuses on others, and their stories, and their needs, instead of your own.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, instead of making sure you had everything that was coming to you, you gave your life to see that others would be blessed through you. Show me how I can live like this. Help me to believe for what you can do through me, not just what you can get to me. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen.

Ephesians 2:8–10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The word workmanship in this passage is translated from the Greek poiema, and refers to someone’s work, not in terms of their labor or physical effort, but in terms of their creative product, as in the works of Mozart and the works of Michelangelo.

You are God’s creative masterpiece! You are the impressive result of God’s own plan, design, and handiwork. The Psalmist said it like this, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)

So the next time your self-talk begins to slide down into areas of worthlessness or shame or any form of self loathing, arrest those thoughts immediately! (See yesterday’s devotion.) Declare what is true—“I am God’s workmanship. I am a masterpiece from the mind and hands of the Master of all masters! I am priceless in value.”

You have a purpose! The passage goes on to say that the masterpiece which is you was created for a purpose that God had prepared before he crafted you into existence. So arrest any thoughts of “Why am I even here? I don’t have a purpose.”  You would not be here if God did not have a purpose for you to fulfill. The truth is that your life is filled with purpose!

It is by grace…through faith. Although God’s purpose for you was determined before you left your mothers womb, the masterpiece spoken of here is actually referring to the new you—the born again you, created in Christ Jesus! This is another reason to thank God that he drew you to salvation! Had you never surrendered to Christ you would have never come close to discovering and fulfilling your purpose, and becoming his masterpiece. 

Grace refers to the part Jesus did. Faith refers to the part you must do. Keep trusting him. Keep moving forward in faith. Keep taking the next step God has for you. Stay in close fellowship and service in your local church. Stay in the Word every day. Pray about everything. God will finish what he started in you!

Today’s focus: Pay attention to your self talk today. Make sure your thoughts about yourself don’t go south, but that they agree with what God’s Word says about you.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you and praise you because I now know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

John 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

In the moment you were born again you received forgiveness of your sins, you became a child of God , and heaven became your future home. What you didn’t receive in that moment is all the fullness of life and freedom that Jesus has for you. Your pursuit of freedom and fullness of life began the moment you were saved. And to borrow an old cliché—there is joy in the journey!

The starting point of your journey to freedom is very close by—it’s behind your eyes and between your ears. The primary battle for your freedom will be fought and won in your mind. It will be won by changing the way you think. It will be won as you replace what is not true—about you, about God, about life—with what IS true, according to God’s Word.

Proverbs 23:7  For as (a man) thinks in his heart, so is he.

Romans 12:2  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Corinthians 10:3–5 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Most people allow their thoughts to run on auto-pilot, and most of those thoughts are negative and contrary to the truth that is in God’s Word. Realize today that you have more control over your thoughts than you probably thought you did, and begin to purposely change what you are thinking!

This is an area where science agrees with faith. The more you think a thought the harder it is to think the opposite. But neuroscience supports a biblical truth, that it’s possible to create new neural pathways, and have different life outcomes, by changing what you think!

Today’s focus: In what area of life are you in most need of freedom? What lies might you be believing about it? Remember Jesus called satan the father of lies. Start arresting thoughts contrary to God’s truth, and replace them with God’s Word!

Prayer: Lord, you promised that your Spirit, my Helper, would guide me into all truth. Help me to realize the lies I have been believing about myself, you, others, and every area of my life. Help me arrest every thought that contradicts what your Word says about me and my situation, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!

John 14:16 -17a—I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth.

As the day grew near for Jesus to die on the cross he told his disciples something that was hard for them to believe—that it would be better for them after he was gone. How could this be possible? It’s possible, Jesus explained, because after he left he would send the Holy Spirit to be their Helper. Jesus went on to say that he himself had been with them, but that the Holy Spirit would be IN them! 

And it happened exactly as he said it would! When the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples the difference it made was amazing! Where they had been hiding in fear of being discovered as Christ’s followers, suddenly their fear gave way to boldness to proclaim Jesus in the streets to the very people who had crucified the Lord. Where they had not known what to say before, the Holy Spirit was now putting powerful words into their mouths, causing thousands to repent and place their faith in Jesus. And miracles began to flow through them. People were healed, delivered from demonic oppression, and freed from strongholds. The believers’ lives began to flourish because they were not living by their own natural abilities, but were being helped by the Spirit of God who was in them. And the good news is that this same help is available for you today!

Acts 2:38–39 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

The Holy Spirit will  help you have the character of Jesus in your life (the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; Galatians 5:22-23). And he will help you experience the power and abilities of Jesus through spiritual gifts he has for you (see 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4). With his help you will be a very effective witness to people in your life, drawing them to believe in Christ even as the early disciples did when they received the Holy Spirit!

Today’s focus: Ask the Lord to fill you today and every day with his Holy Spirit, and then live every day knowing that he will help you live beyond your natural strength and ability. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you and help you in every aspect of your life.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit into my life. Fill me today with your Spirit. Holy Spirit, lead me and empower me today. Give me the wisdom I need, the words I should say, and the ability and strength to live the life Christ has for me. Help me to be an effective witness for you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

1 John 1:9 — If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you are a new believer this verse has recently become a reality in your life! God has forgiven you, and he has cleansed you of all unrighteousness, meaning he brought you into right standing with him.

But keep this verse close to you, because you will need it! As heartfelt as your intentions are to follow Christ and obey him, there will be times when you blow it.

So what happens when a Christian sins? And what should you do when it happens?

First of all, don’t allow your stumble to make you doubt that you are a Christian. Nothing can undo the fact that you have been adopted by God into his family.

Still, it’s important not to ignore sin and forget about it, because sin that is not dealt will cause serious problems. The quality of your relationship with God will be affected by the guilt and heaviness you feel. People with unresolved sin tend to drift away from reading the Bible, from fellowship with God, and from fellowship with other believers. Sin left undealt with can grow into a stronghold that dominates your life.

So the moment you feel the Holy Spirit nudge your conscience that something you did was wrong, turn to the verse above, 1 John 1:9. Take full responsibility for what you’ve done, confess it in prayer to God, express you sorrow for what you’ve done, and declare your heartfelt intention to do better in the future.

Then accept his forgiveness by faith! The verse says “he is faithful”—which means he’ll forgive you every time; and “he is just”—which means he has the right to forgive you because of the price Jesus paid. Then begin again, thanking God for a brand new start every time you falter!

Today’s focus—If I stumble today I will get up immediately. And I won’t run from God, I’ll run to him, because he is my Father, and he will forgive me and give me a new start.

Prayer—Lord, thank you for your mercy that your Word says reaches from everlasting to everlasting, and that is renewed every morning for me. Today I will walk in purity of heart and life, obeying you as best I can. But thank you for the assurance that when I fail you are there to forgive me and give me a fresh start. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:17 — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

You’ve just made the best, and most important, decision of your life—to trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and to follow him for the rest of your life. Your life is now going to be so new and different that Jesus described it as being “born again.”  The bible says that God has more in store for you than you’re able to even imagine! (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Some of the changes in your life happened immediately the moment you repented and turned to Jesus. Other changes will take some time and come as a result of growth and maturity. So be patient with yourself and know for sure that “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” (Philippians 1:6)

Here’s what happened immediately when you were born again.

1. You received forgiveness for every single sin and failure in your life.

2. You were declared to be righteous in God’s eyes, which means you are now in “right standing” with God.

3. You were adopted by God into his family. You are now a child of God!

4. Heaven became your future!

But you also began a journey—a journey that will take you to the life Christ has planned for you. As you truly surrender to Christ and follow him with your whole heart, this journey will lead you to (1) find freedom and victory in areas of your life where you’ve been defeated before, (2) discover the true purpose of your life and the unique gifts God has given you, and (3) learn how you can make more of a difference in the world around you than you ever dreamed possible!

Today’s focus: Spend a few moments thinking about each of the four things that happened immediately, and the three that are in you future, listed above.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for my new life, my new beginning, my fresh start. Thank you that I’m forgiven and in right standing with you, and that I am your child. I will never turn back! Lord, I’m ready to find freedom, to discover my purpose, and to live the life that’s not only amazing for me, but blesses the world around me. I’m all in, Jesus! In your name I pray, Amen!!