Daily Devotional For Sunday, June 1, 2025

Good morning Southside! I hope you are going to make it to worship today. There is nothing more fulfilling and invigorating than praising our Lord together. One of the dangers the early church had to deal with was seeing the Christian faith through their culture. In every culture around the world, some of their culture leaks into their Christian faith. This is why worship varies from culture to culture and country to country. 

In every generation and every land, Christians have had to deal with this danger. In the early church, they had to deal with Christian Judaizers who wanted to require Gentiles to follow the Old Testament law when it came to circumcision and not eating certain foods. Both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul had to help the early church see that we are no longer under the law, but grace. 

I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but God is not an American. He aligns Himself with no nation specifically. Yes, He did call the Jews to be His chosen people, but only for the means to send the Law and the Lord. When they walked away, He punished them severely – even destroying them to where they were no longer a nation through the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks and then the Romans. It wasn’t until 1947 they became a nation again. Are they still His chosen people? Yes. But so are we who are Christians. Look at the following verses:

• 2 Corinthians 6:16b, 18, “For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people . . . (18) And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me, Says the Lord Almighty” (NASB).
• John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (NASB).
• Galatians 4:4-7, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, (5) so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (6) Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (7) Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God” (NASB).
• Ephesians 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling” (NASB).
• Romans 9:25, “He also says in Hosea will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved’” (NASB).

In 1 Timothy 6:17, the Apostle Paul writes this: “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy” (NASB). As Americans, it’s easy to let our lives of relative ease subvert our faith and cause us to imagine God’s purpose is to make us comfortable. The truth is we are uniquely blessed, and the overwhelming majority of our brothers and sisters in the faith around the earth have no clue about the comforts and conveniences that fill our lives. 

God’s objective — for all of us — is that we be holy, no matter our circumstances. While I’m grateful for the blessings I enjoy, I do not want my faith and my trust in God to be anchored to comfort and convenience. I want to fix my hope on God. God aligns Himself to the faithful, the obedient and the persistent who emulate Jesus Christ in their lives. God stands for no flag of any nation nor does He kneel to any flag of any nation. He is God. 

Set yourself apart, dedicated for service to God in a worship service. As we live a life of holiness according to His will, we glorify Him. When we start fixing our Christian faith with our American culture, we adulterate our Christian faith. We are called first to be Christlke, not American. We are called first to obey Christ over our country. There is a cost to being called by Christ and yet, many seem to be more called by their culture than Christ.

Assignment: Evaluate yourself on this. Are you currently committed to making disciples of the Lord or making money? Are you currently committed to having positions of authority and power or are you committed to bringing others under the authority of Christ? Are you more committed to acquiring material possession or are you storing your treasures up in heaven? When people see you, do they see you more as a church goer or as a Christ follower? (These are not the same things). Would the Lord say you emulate our corrupt culture more or the character of Christ more?

Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 8:29, “For God knew His people in advance, and He chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Heavenly Father, thank You for the many blessings that fill my life. Forgive me for any places where I’ve put my hope in things more than I have in You. I choose to serve You, whether I am comfortable or uncomfortable, whether my circumstances seem convenient or inconvenient, easy or difficult. I long to be holy, as You are holy, and to serve You all my days. I want people to see Christ in me, not my culture. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly