Devotion for 3/17/21 6 Minutes

Wednesday Devotion

Good evening everyone watching by video this evening,,, it's time for our weekly devotion.

I'm praying that all of you are having a wonderful week so far.

As I've said the last several weeks,,, we need to continue to remember those that are dealing with this virus.

Those that are sick,,, since there are many others dealing with this sickness as it continues to grow and,,, those that have lost loved ones,,, we need to continue to remember them as well.

Remember the medical teams that are dealing with this and any others that must work and take a chance of contacting this virus.

Also,,, continue to remember those on our prayer list,,, and our country and it’s leaders.

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Our devotion this evening comes from "David Jeremiah Morning and Evening Devotions".

Our scripture will be Colossians 1:27 and I'll be reading from the King James Version Bible.

Colossians 1:27 (KJV 1900) —

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this evening.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord,,, as we begin this evening,,, with all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen.

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This mystery that Paul talks about in this verse,,, is something that would have been hard for all of the Jews to really see.

Paul often refers to this as a mystery that had not been generally known,,, although it was there in the Old Testament all the time,,, they just didn't see it.

It represented a revolution in Paul’s own thinking and also in that of every Jew.

Because the Jews for generations had come to think of themselves as having the monopoly on the things of God.

It was their belief that anyone who wished to enjoy the privileges of the covenant must become converted to the Jewish religion.

The open secret that Paul preaches is that Gentiles and Jews are on the same basis,,, which is the basis of faith alone.

It's this faith,,, that allows us today,,, to have that personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

David Jeremiah titled this devotion,,, GOD WITH US . . .

And he talks about the man that St. Patricks Day is named after.

He says that Patrick was born in what is now called Scotland.

He was kidnapped by pirates as a young boy and enslaved in Ireland,,, and was put to work tending to sheep.

He was there about 6 years before he escaped.

Then he spent several years in religious study,,, that allowed him to become a priest.

Then he returned home to Ireland as an evangelist.

During his ministry,,, he planted about two hundred churches and baptized one hundred thousand converts.

Patrick once said this about the Lord Jesus: “Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.”

All the promises of our almighty Father can be found in the name given for the Lord Jesus at His birth—Emmanuel, God with us.

Jesus Christ is the embodiment of all His grace, the fulfillment of all His promises, the satisfaction of all our needs.

The reliability of God’s promises to us is found in the presence of Christ among us.

When He is near,,, we have all we need.

And Jesus said,,, in Matthew 28:20: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Jeremiah, David . David Jeremiah Morning and Evening Devotions (p. 157). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.