Devo 1: It Comes with Benefits

(I have been asked to write a couple of devotionals for our church and thought I'd include them on this site. Enjoy!)

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” (Col. 2:6-7)

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, we receive a remarkable gift. Not only do we receive the salvation from our sins, but we are also immediately adopted into the Heavenly family of the King of Heaven, which comes with an abundant package of supreme benefits[1]. We are given authority in high places[2], an inheritance of supernatural blessings[3], and complete access to the Divine Counselor 24 hours of every day[4]! We receive all of this and more the moment we say, “Jesus, come into my heart.” But you might say, “Well, I’m a Christian, but I am not seeing all of these ‘benefits’ in my life.”

How do we access these promises of God? What does scripture say? “Just as you have received Christ, continue to live in Him…” Salvation occurs when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord, but it is only the beginning of our Christianity. After we accept His salvation, we must also accept His relationship as our Father, Brother, and Friend. “…rooted and built up in Him…” Relationships are formed through daily fellowship. We are rooted in Christ’s family, but we must build our relationship with Christ through our daily walk with Him in prayer, Bible study, and Christian fellowship. “…strengthened in the faith as you were taught…” As we develop our relationship with Christ, we grow stronger in our faith and maturity as believers. “…and overflowing with thankfulness…” While we “grow up” in the family of God, we will begin to see the amazing benefits of His presence and overflow with a thankful heart!

Say someone gives you a car. Not just any car, but the top-grade, Cadillac luxury Escalade, with Bose sound system, leather interior, premium horsepower CAR! What an incredible gift! You have the title deed and the keys are in your pocket…what do you do? You take that machine out for a spin! You get familiar with all of its features, turn up the volume on the stereo, maybe even speed a little to get a “feel” for the acceleration. It’s your car and you get to know your car! It’s the same way with Christ. He is the best gift we could ever receive. With Him, we have an abundance of blessings and promises beyond our wildest dreams[5]!

You’ve got the keys, the Holy Spirit. Go take Jesus out for a spin and get to know your Savior and King!

[1] Ps. 103:2-14
[2] Eph. 1:20-21; 2:6
[3] Col. 1:12
[4] Jn. 14:16, 26
[5] Eph. 3:20