NIFES Anchor Daily Devotional - January 2, 2023

ANCHOR (⚓) – NIFES’ Daily Devotional January 2, 2023 TOPIC: SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST AND CALLED TO BE SAINTS (HOLY) BIBLE READING: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 WORD FOR TODAY: “To the Church God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.” 1 Corinthians 1:2 NKJV INSPIRING COMMENTARY The Epistles are formal letters and typical of the norm with such writings, it begins with the introduction of the writer and followed by the recipients. Paul was the writer, but he also mentioned Sosthenes who was his assistant. By doing this, he demonstrated an exemplary leadership quality by mentioning the name of the person who assisted him in ministry. But the focus of our devotion this morning is the recipients of this letter, the Corinthian Church. Paul addressed them as the Church of God, called to be his own holy people. The word Church means a community that belongs to God through faith in Christ Jesus. So, the Church is a group of people, not a building or a denomination. As Christians, we have three levels of calling from God. The first and primary calling is to have a personal relationship with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. When we answer this call, we become children of God (John 1:12). The second calling is to become God’s people, a holy nation, and a unique community distinct in character from the rest of the world (1 Peter 2:9). The third call is for service to do God’s work on earth through our varied careers or vocation (Colossians 3:20-24). Paul reminded the Corinthians of this second calling to be a holy people. Like the Corinthian Church, we need this reminder that we have been called by God to be His saints, a holy nation, distinct in character and value systems. Often, we do not live our daily lives with the consciousness that we are a holy nation. Jesus told his disciples that they are in the world but not of the world. Though we live in the same world with non-Christians, and share a lot in common with them, yet we are not of this world.Christians are a distinct specie of mankind, a holy specie because we belong to a holy God. What a privileged people we are to be called God’s holy nation, God’s own children, and God’s work force on earth. PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please help us all to regain the lost consciousness and the reality of our calling to be God’s saints and a holy nation on earth in Jesus name. Amen.