Some people think they can receive salvation and go on living as they did before. But 2 Corinthians 5:17 is clear: “If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” It’s important to realize that this new creation is not an addition to the old you but, rather, a completely new self.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, May 4, 2023.
Remaining steadfast takes courage. That’s why Paul said, “Be strong in the Lord” (Eph. 6:10). All the pressure in the world can’t make you budge when you are trusting in the Rock upon which you stand.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, April 25, 2023.
Some Christians try to function independently because that’s easier than living in humility, gentleness, and patience with fellow believers. But we need each other. The fellowship of believers is an important part of God’s design for our spiritual growth.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, June 15, 2019.
We need to understand how God sees us. He says we are His workmanship – His masterpieces. Each person is thoughtfully designed by the Creator for His purpose. The differences that cause us to make comparisons and feel discouraged are the very qualities that the Lord created to bring Him glory. Feelings of inferiority are a hindrance to becoming the people that the heavenly Father designed us to be and a deterrent to fulfilling His purpose for our lives. When it comes to our value, we either accept the truth of His appraisal or decide not to believe Him and instead rely on our own feelings.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, June 10, 2019.
Salvation is for God’s glory by putting on display His boundless mercy and love for those who are spiritually dead because of their sinfulness. Far more than anything else, a spiritually dead person needs to be made alive by God. Salvation brings spiritual life to the dead. Not only is the believer dead to sin and alive to righteousness through Christ’s resurrection, but he also enjoys his Lord’s exaltation and shares in His preeminent glory.
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Ephesians 2:4-6.
The world bombards us with messages that can trigger feelings of inferiority. Happiness and satisfaction are promised if we will only drive the latest car, wear the newest styles, or build up those muscles while shedding pounds. If we do not guard ourselves from commercialism, it will drive the truth of God from our mind, and we’ll pursue a fruitless search for adequacy and value. So often we look at externals to prove to ourselves and others that we’re valuable. But the misery of inferiority is never what God intends for His children. Its seed usually takes root in the impressionable hearts of the young and thrives in an atmosphere of comparison.
Commentary from the In Touch devotional by Charles Stanley, June 10 and 11, 2019.
Also see Colossians 3:20. The child in the home is to be willingly under the authority of parents with obedient submission to them as the agents of the Lord placed over them, obeying parents as if obeying the Lord Himself. The reasoning here is simply that such is the way God has designed and required it (or, right).
Commentary from the MacArthur study Bible, notes for Ephesians 6:1.
When we fill our minds with Scripture and live according to its principles, Satan’s schemes lose their power over us. Charles Stanley
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