We share in the death and resurrection of Jesus to obtain salvation, but we also share in the life of Christ, and that gives us great joy, peace, and holiness in our everyday lives. How can we be Christian and not manifest the essence of His living?
All in Daily Devotional
We share in the death and resurrection of Jesus to obtain salvation, but we also share in the life of Christ, and that gives us great joy, peace, and holiness in our everyday lives. How can we be Christian and not manifest the essence of His living?
We will all be resurrected into judgement, so, is our conscience clear as we live out our lives in faith? This morning I am concerned with allowing my own conscience to help guide me in following God's commandments, and preparing me for judgement. Is every believer equally concerned with his salvation? Paul spoke these words to Felix regarding the prophets, resurrection, and conscience...
Are there places that we don't feel at home in… even when we are with God? This is my morning thought. My goal in faith is to be comfortable with God wherever I am and in whatever circumstance I find myself... So how do I get there? God is at home everywhere, so no matter where we are, the discomfort we might feel is ours... not his. There is a wonderful passage of scripture in Psalms 139 that speaks to this subject, and we should keep it in the forefront of our minds…
Do we know what love is, and do we understand the depth to which it should be applied to those around us? This is my contemplation this morning, and that I truly show the love of Jesus Christ. Our ability to love is a gift to us, but it is one that we must work at perfecting. The basic attributes of love are felt the minute it erupts within us, but then comes the process of adding depth to it.
Do you practice your faith? Do you add to it each day and make what you had from the day before a reflex? Becoming ingrained in our faith and deepening it over time requires us to practice what we hear preached, and what we have learned.
Does God reveal Himself to you each day? If you are anticipating a revelation of God, you are more than likely going to receive it. Looking for Him implies that He is central to your life, and has replaced yourself as the driving force in your life.
Hold your spiritual ground. Do you have the patience to wait as God prepares you to be used by Him to complete His will? Do you exhibit the endurance of Sardis in keeping God's commandments and Word? Are you holding fast to your faith so that your crown remains secure against any who would seize it from you?
Placing our relationship with Jesus above all others in our life; is this something that we are willing, or able, to do? Could you walk away from home and family if Jesus asked you to follow Him, and said “I will make you fishers of men."? You might do so if you had nothing there to live for, but what if you had a wonderful family, a life filled with happiness and wealth? What if you were living in complete contentment… would you still leave it all behind and go?
When we follow God are we close enough to actually see Him? When we look ahead can we see Him walking with Jesus as He leads us on? Paul spoke of seeing "Him who is invisible"… do we?
This morning I am contemplating a rather convicting subject. I am asking myself a couple of questions regarding my ability to serve the Lord in obscurity. Can I do the work of my calling without a grand moment of inspiration from God? And, is my work dependent on His making a show of my service?
Love is many things, but more than just these things we feel and experience, it is spontaneous. We don't set out to love someone, it just happens, and if that spontaneity isn't present then it isn't love. How do we approach God? Is it in love, or out of need?
What will we become when Jesus returns? What awaits us in faith when we rise from slumber tomorrow, or for that matter, what does the next hour have in store for us? Our faith is not something that can be predicted or calculated, and God awaits around every bend with a new treasure.
As men and women we tend to look at our problems and seek to resolve them ourselves, but as Christians we are meant to look at our problems, especially those that we believe are insurmountable, and ask God to take them. The worldly see the problems we face, and they are quick to rob God of the glory when He works for us, and they can explain away our rescue, but when God does the impossible, He becomes undeniably real to those who were once doubters. So shouldn’t we praise Him in our darkest and most violent storms because it is here that the Lord can use our rescue as undeniable evidence to those who do not believe? It is here that our faith is strengthened, and our hope made real… even to us.
We sweat and toil in the light of day, and pray for the Lord’s hand to be upon us. We are heartbroken as we look down on the graves of our loved ones, and pray for God’s gentle embrace. We suffer the pain of wounds, or the discomfort of illness, and pray for our Father’s healing touch. Every day brings some concern, suffering, or trial, that leads us to pray, but for every hard day there comes a gentle night of rest… a time of peace, and the revelation of God’s wonder. We can’t see the stars and moon until the sun has set, and we can’t hear the song of night until the raucous uproar of day has subsided. Do we lift up our daily prayers and remain confident in them to bring us rest? God separates our days of tribulations with nights of stillness, and peace.
It is so easy to look at what we have received in our earthly life, and gauge God’s good provision for us on those things alone. We tend to look at the transient, and temporary, things we have here, and now, and say either that our God is great, or that He is lacking in the blessings He gives to us. This is what we are preparing to do when we compare our present station in life with that of another’s. By doing this we aren’t sizing up our accomplishments, but determining if our God is better to us, or to someone else. We are not trusting that even though He rewards us on earth, our most precious rewards are those He stores up for us in heaven.