September 13 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

In September we read Paul's letter to Titus and his very last letter, called 2 Timothy. Paul's concern is that the true gospel be preserved and proclaimed by a faithful church.

Bible Reading:

2 Timothy 1:8–10

Bible Text:

[God} has saved us and called us to a holy life .... [Christ Jesus] has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light (2 TIm. 1:9–10).

Devotional:

What is salvation?

Our first thought is probably about the forgiveness of sins. Rightly so. Sin broke our communion with God. And separation from our heavenly Father results in death. But God's forgiveness removes the cause of death. We are no longer headed for eternal separation; we are saved!

However, salvation is more than the forgiveness of sins. The God "who has saved us" has also "called us to a holy life." or "with a holy calling" (NRSV). God's act of forgiveness is at the same time a call to stand at his side as a distinct people. Salvation sets us apart for God's service.

And there's more. Salvation is forgiveness of sin and holiness in communion with God, but it is also participation in Christ's victory. He "has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." In order to see the whole scope of salvation, we must bring together these three ideas: "saved." "holy calling." and "life and immortality."

This one tremendous word, salvation, involves forgiveness, holiness, and immortality. We are not only saved from sin, we become holy. We are not only saved from eternal death, we share in the immortality of Christ.

All this richness comes to us in the gospel preached by the apostle and taught in the Bible. Are you saved?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.