How do we reconcile our physical and spiritual selves so that they both mirror Jesus? Sometimes we are so wrapped up in conforming our physical selves that we forget the spiritual side of who we are... or vice versa.
How do we reconcile our physical and spiritual selves so that they both mirror Jesus? Sometimes we are so wrapped up in conforming our physical selves that we forget the spiritual side of who we are... or vice versa.
When we perform our works of faith or even kneel to pray, who are we attempting to please? Are our eyes on Jesus and our hearts longing for God, or is there something or someone else who has captured the glory of our efforts? I am exploring the motivation behind our acts of faith this morning, and how we can keep them directed towards the glory of God.
Do we know the sins we commit? Are there things we do, or thoughts we have, that are sinful without our acknowledging the fact, or even being present in what we have done? This morning I am considering my life and the very real possibility that there are indeed sins I am guilty of that I haven’t realized, or that I committed in absentia. To remove sin requires that we face it, ask forgiveness, and then, as Jesus said, "go, and sin no more." Are we harboring sins that we are unaware of in our lives today? Are we courageous enough to ask that they be shown to us?
Although we know Jesus for His love and mercy, and are overcome by the thought of His suffering and death for us, there was a time in which He was preparing to do battle with the sins of the world, and at that time even His disciples were amazed and afraid. At that moment Jesus was like us... struggling with a determination to defeat sin.
In the time of Jesus, not all slaves were taken in war, or against their will; some sold themselves into slavery for one reason or another. I am not talking about indentured servitude here, but slaves for the rest of their lives. Have you sold yourself as a slave to something or somebody? Before you answer no, are you sure? Do you have an addiction or some sin you keep hidden?
Today let's think about how completely God gave of Himself that we should find forgiveness of our sins and an everlasting life with Him. Then, let's ask ourselves if we are willing to give ourselves to Him just as completely and with the same abandon.
This morning let's consider the abandonment of things and people for Jesus. Is it a requirement of salvation, and if not, why do we abandon at all? So let's look at the things we give up along the way of faith and why we do so.
How we do to begin our conversation with the Lord. If I were to ask you to answer that question right now how would you respond? Would you say that you begin by calling the name Father? Abba? God? Jesus? Emanuel? Or one of the many other names by which we refer to our Savior and Father? Or do you begin by thanking Him, asking for forgiveness, or to feel His touch?
Believing is not simply a passive understanding of the divine nature of God, faith isn’t a seed that grows in us without our thinking and moving towards Jesus who we can feel but is our unseen Savior, and prayer isn’t a mindless chant or babble that we do while sleepily lost in a trance. No. Believing is the active pursuit of seeing more clearly while truly understanding our God. Faith is purposefully living and walking towards an unseen spiritual destination and Jesus Christ. As for praying, it is a conversation with God; speaking, listening, and finally, trusting in a response from Him. All of these things require us to be active in our pursuit of the Lord, Jesus, and a righteous life. These activities are what we do as Christian’s while actively seeking God, and our Lord Jesus.
Are you suffering today? Is your life full of hardship that has brought you to your knees... not in the abandonment of life and faith, but in a desperate need to submit yourself to God? If so, then you have been brought to the right place and frame of mind. In this state your soul will call out to God and your humanity will not get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s work in you.
During my time of devotion today I read Oswald Chambers. He wrote of giving ourselves to Jesus Christ and what that means. It is a surrender of not just our bodies, but our sinful lives and all we are. As I contemplated the relief that comes from this conversion, I also thought of the pain that the process brings, because as the new person is born, the old must die. The apostle Paul understood what yielding ourselves truly meant. In his letter to the Galatians he spoke of being crucified, of Jesus living in him, and of who he became after his acceptance of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Today let’s contemplate how we can remain joyful in God while in the midst of our daily distresses. Let’s seek the source of our victory, certainty, and amazement during the trials and tribulations we face. Let’s try to understand how it is possible to feel comfort and joy in Jesus even when we are in the grips of staggering loss, or struggling through painful problems and dire crises.
Today let's contemplate one of the longer sentences in the Bible. It gives us instruction on how to conduct ourselves as Christians and ministers of the gospel, and if we ever have a question regarding good spiritual behavior then we can probably find it listed in this sentence. But, what would it take to live out these attributes to the pleasure of God, and Jesus Christ? How much guidance and understanding from every source available to us, and especially from the Holy Spirit, will be required before we can achieve this level of sanctity?
We don't choose our calling but we do choose to be obey it. This is my concentration today, and one of my greatest fears in failing Jesus. Will I find joy in serving Him, or experience drudgery in performing a service that was once my calling but has since been supplanted by a new one; one I haven't yet grasped, or made myself submissive to?
Are we being busy for Jesus, so busy we never stop to hear what He is really calling us to do? I worry about this often. I fill my life with the things that I know are those which Jesus did, or has told us in scripture to do, but are these things what He is asking of me right now? Today? Every day is new, and the Lord's mercies and compassions are new as well. So how is it that we feel inclined to latch onto a single thing that the Lord has told us to do and revisit it every day?