Devotion Corner
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.
As the old hymn sings, ‘Prone to wander Lord…’, is the reality of the journey for many a faithful pilgrim. It is a lingering trait of the ‘old man of sin’ that we each carry, that we often find ourselves drifting away from the simplicity and power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When we first experience the utter joy of salvation, the sweetness of the Gospel is clear and focused in our hearts and minds. Yet, just like sheep, we can be brought lovingly into a safe field by the Good Shepherd that is Jesus Christ, only to quickly find ourselves drifting away again as we wander into foreign fields once more.
Such a wandering can happen remarkably quickly in a journey of faith. The Apostle Paul had to warn believers of those who were looking to bring them back under the heavy weight of the Law. Those who looked to diminish the grace of Christ and elevate the efforts of man in securing salvation. Such a corrupt gospel is still preached today by those who teach a works-based faith, downplaying the glorious grace of Christ Jesus.
We must remember that we are called into the grace of Christ, it is all by Him and through Him that we have our salvation! Christ does the calling; Christ does the drawing of us to Him; Christ has provided the atonement for our sins, no one else, not even ourselves! It is all so magnificently simple and yet so majestically powerful a truth, that the frail human mind dares believe it can be so. In our pride, we can look to add our two pence worth to our salvation, believing maybe that our works play some part in our salvation. This is another gospel that we can find ourselves wandering into, like bumbling spiritual sheep that have drifted away from the known and proven safety of the Good Shepherd.
We are to be humble and knowing of our frail yet proud hearts. Unless we abide in Christ by studying and living His Word daily, we can easily be led away from the pure waters of the Gospel. Yet when we remain in Christ, the Holy Spirit witnesses to our hearts daily of the freeing manner of the Gospel. In this heavenly truth, we will refuse to allow anything to be added to our salvation, other than the exalting of the name we adore above all others, the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
