Column by Sumter Pastor Joey Durham: We should be grateful for God's love
Today's devotion is centered on celebrating the blessing of Resurrection Sunday that is coming up this week. My thought is found in Romans 6:8-11, as we see the words contained therein, "But Alive unto God." This passage reads like this, "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (KJV)
Make no mistake about this, Jesus Christ physically died on Calvary's cross, but I'm so glad that Jesus Christ also arose bodily from the grave, never to die again. The hymn writer Alfred H. Ackley penned these words, "He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way! He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!"
Because our Savior is alive and well, we should live grateful every day for the love of God that has been shown to us. That amazing love gives every person who has trusted the finished and victorious work of Christ the power to be "alive unto God." In other words, we have the power to live our life to His honor and glory! In verse 4 of this same chapter, we have this challenge given to us, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (KJV) To "be alive unto God" and to "walk in newness of life" is dealing with the result of being made a new creature in Christ. We ought to yield our self to live unto our Savior and die unto sin in our day-by-day living. We are not to live "unto our self" but instead live our life manifesting our love and devotion and faithfulness unto the One who rescued our soul from Hell and our life here from destruction.
Joey Durham is pastor at Open Bible Baptist Church at 180 Old Manning Road in Sumter. You can contact Pastor Durham at durham.joey@yahoo.com or call the church office at (803) 481-9315.