It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 5 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day twenty-eight with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, can have have a Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-Discipline.

I Have a Spirit of Power, Love, and Self-Discipline

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.“
2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

Have you ever done something that required more strength than you thought you had?  Why do you think God would contrast timidity with the combination of power, love, and self-discipline?  Would you consider your natural personality to be more timid or more bold?  What would the people closest to you say?

I have lived much of my life afraid of people.  I dropped out of college many years ago because I could no longer avoid a mandatory speech class and there was no way I could stand in front of the class and talk.  Yet in Christ I have been given a spirit that overcomes the fear and allows me to preach and teach on His behalf!  As you pray, ask God to help you to use the spirit He has put within you.  Pray that the power He gives you would always be used in combination with love and self-discipline.  Pray that you would have the boldness needed to always share Jesus with others.  Pray that the people around you would see Jesus and not you.

In prayer,

Tom