EPHESIANS 1:7.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

TO PONDER

"In Him" is one of Paul's favourite things to say in his letters to the various communities of faith in the early church. And it's no wonder, we see time and time again, individuals and communities looking for, or adding something to, faith in Christ as he only requirement for salvation and belonging to the body.

It's an echo of the word of Jesus throughout the gospels. In John 15, Jesus says "I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing." In Mathew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18 Jesus says, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

We can just as easily lose sight of the 'in Christ' message today as the people in the early church did. We can find it hard to imagine that there is anything we can't achieve through human ingenuity, scientific and technological advancement, and good old fashioned hard work. And let's be honest, over the years humanity has made huge leaps in its understanding of God's creation and how it works and functions. Yet despite all that, there is perhaps greater levels of poverty throughout the world than there has ever been, there is more global conflict that at any other point in my lifetime even though after WWII the whole world agreed 'never again'. Cases of loneliness, anxiety, depression and various other forms of mental health problems are continually on the rise, social cohesion is breaking down and we want to say "look at what we have achieved!"

However, human endeavour is not the problem. God gave us intellect and curiosity to engage with his creation and understand it. The problem is that we want to use those gifts apart from him. It is only 'In Christ' that we find real and ultimate truth, real and lasting solutions to things like sin and brokenness.

So, before you go off to enjoy your Saturday and whatever weekend plans you might have, ask yourself this question, 'How do I go about my plans for the day "in Christ"?' It's probably not your plans that are the problem, it's whether you planned to achieve them 'in Christ' or in your own strength and will.

PRAYER:Lord Jesus, thank you for reminding me that 'in you' I have life and can bear fruit that will last. I ask that you forgive me for the times when I have tried to do things apart from you and pray that you would help me, by the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life 'in you' each day and that through me others would see that with God, all things are possible. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle.