ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 Thursday February 2, 2017

“Secured in what God has done”

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. – Psalm 18:2

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. - 1 John 5:13

The Plan of Grace

Practical repercussions – (cont.)

a.  Deeper Humility

b.  Steadier Assurance

Teenagers are challenged with finding and reaffirming their identities. And with social media, that identity is often skewed and blurred by the myriads of offerings and voices they encounter on a daily, and even hourly basis. This constant bombardment from so many sources lead to young people obsessed with “self.” Unfortunately, many find themselves “lacking” in what may be “in.”

In today’s devotional, we come to ASSURANCE. This is a key component of our relationship with Christ. Just like that teenager that constantly checks himself against the trends, the Christian who lacks assurance spends too much time looking at himself rather than looking to Christ.

Lack of assurance is often caused, like the sense of inferiority, by being too taken up with ourselves. But our assurance does not lie in what we are, be we great or small. It lies in what God has done in his plan of salvation to secure us to himself. ‘Believe God’s Word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences’, wrote Samuel Rutherford to a correspondent. ‘Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea.’ The more we know of the strength of our Rock, and we understand that we have all the blessings of the Christian life secure in him, the more steadily assured we will be and the greater will be our joy.

Challenge: Anchor your hope in Christ today and every day. Assurance is a gift of God to us! It is not about “you” (or me). It is about God! Cling to God in Christ. And when you “feel” like your grip may be slipping, “know” HE IS HOLDING you in His grasp. He won’t let you go because you’re His! 

This Day in Christian History:

February 2, 767 – English scholar, Alcuin was made deacon and school headmaster of Cathedral School in York, England. He was influential in educating the court of King Charlemagne of the Franks, his clergy and established parish schools.

Memory Verse:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will

- Ephesians 1:11

‘io, ‘i He‘ene ‘Afio ‘a ia ne fai ‘iate ia foki homau fili mōno tofi‘a, ‘o toka tu‘utu‘uni kimautolu ki ai, ‘o fakatatau ki he finangalo ‘o ‘Ene ‘Afio, ‘a ia ‘oku ne ngāue‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a kotoa pē ‘i he ‘alunga ‘o e fakakaukau ‘o hono finangalo – ‘Efeso 1:11

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 5 – Exodus 13-15; Psalm 114; Eph 3