In Touch Devotional 5th January 2025, By Charles Stanley, Sunday Message
TOPIC: A Living Hope
SCRIPTURE FOR TODAY: 1 Peter 1:3-5
The city of Corinth was characterized by many forms of ungodliness. Believers there had once been like their fellow citizens—filled with greed, envy, wickedness, deceit, and anger. But now they were new creations, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and adopted into the family of God. The “Corinthian lifestyle” no longer matched who they’d become in Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul was reminding the believers not to be influenced by their culture or old patterns of thinking. The apostle was not warning them that they might miss out on the kingdom. Rather, he was encouraging them to abandon their old ways and behave as who they really were—children of God.
We, too, can trust that salvation is permanent. We could never redeem and heal ourselves, so Jesus willingly did the work on our behalf (John 10:11-18). Then, God raised Jesus back to life and brought Him to heaven. Now our Savior reigns there at His Father’s right hand (Mark 16:19). It’s important to understand that the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross is the basis for our salvation. This awareness banishes fear and fills us with hope.
What God has accomplished—pardoning our sins, giving us a new nature, and adopting us into His family—no one can undo. That gives us a living hope to sustain us all our days.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 16-19
THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Jesus’ work on the cross banishes fear and guarantees our future.
Dr. Charles F. Stanley was the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. Throughout his ministry, he demonstrated a keen awareness of people’s needs and provided Christ-centered biblically based principles for everyday life.