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Monthly Archives: May 2013

Are you second?

20 May

Are you second?

Luke 14:26-27    “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

I have begun reading The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer again, and his opening chapter is very gripping on the subject of cheap vs costly grace. The idea of how the church has failed in it’s presentation of God’s grace. God’s grace is free, and through no work can ever be earned, but it does come with a cost. The idea that we may claim, then rest in, that cheap grace is a idea that we may continue to live for the pleasures of sin entangled in this world. That we may rest on the idea we have a free eternal pass from a gracious God. That cheapens the sacrifice He made for you through his Son, Jesus Christ. Can you claim it, then return to your old ways, only to rest on that assurance? Are you sure you obtained a free gift; was your response to it, worthy of it?

This past week I was shown, and failed in, my old sinful ways. Worldly stresses and strains pulled from me to worldly responses. It brought about deep convictions, and the understanding of undeserved Grace. Christ was turning to the large crowd that had began to follow him, they were captured by what they had seen and heard. But yet He turned and asked them if they truly loved him enough to follow Him; he asked them if they would pay the cost of being his disciple. Will you put Him before everyone, and every thing else in your life? It is not a call to hate, but a call of priority. Even to the point your own needs are second. 26 “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. (NLT) The heart of a disciple is a heart focused on being in the center of God’s Will for their lives; not a heart that desires to bring God to where they want to be. We are not to pray for God to join us in our plans, but to plan to join him where he has laid our foundation for us to build.

I want so bad to move back out into the country to raise my family. God laid it on my heart to sell our home, and I finally was obedient in that calling. In that act of obedience I asked God to join me in the plans I had; I see the err in my ways. I must put my life in His hands; I must join him where he has laid the foundation to build. I must put my family in the center of His Will, wherever that may be. It may be right here; it may be anywhere, but I want it to be in the center of His Will for us. Will you forsake all? Will you place your cross at the feet of Jesus to let him bear the load, or will you try to do it alone? Our ultimate goal in living our lives as a disciple, should be that understanding of Costly Grace, that understanding that all in our lives should be forsaken to follow Him. In a life for Him, we can rest on hearing those words we all hope to hear that Christ spoke of in the parable of the talents; Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

 
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Posted by on May 20, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Rough week

19 May

Rough week

Ephesians 4:22-24    that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

It has been an incredibly long, stressful week. The demands at work have simply been more than I could keep up with alone; I could have tripled my work force with the demand. It has been one of those Murphy’s Law weeks; every thing that could go wrong did, and three times on a large scale. Anger, anxiety, depression, and temptation seemed to have been at every turn. I seemed to have been tempted to return to my old self, over and over again in so many ways. Satan has been after me this week with a gun blazn’ assault. I failed myself and my Lord in the heat of battle a few times. Conviction set in, and I am thankful for it. That steep conviction of sin in my gut is an assurance of Salvation to me; I know that I have grieved the Holy Spirit living inside me, for I know that Christ lives there. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Ephesians tells us of these struggles that we will face for our time here. Paul wrote to those in Ephesus to encourage them of how to live in their faith as believers in Christ; of how to face all the troubles before them with the hope that lived in them. My study Bible titles Ephesians 4:17-24 “The New Man.” I and you are a new person in Christ. We will still face the troubles and temptations of this world, many times direct attacks from our enemy to take our eyes off Christ. Throughout Ephesians Paul points us to how to face them; not alone but in the likeness of Christ. Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. The ultimate goal of God for you is to make you more like His Son.

Ephesians 5:8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (ESV). This week has been a week to remind me of how far I was from God for so much of my life. This week has been a week to make me realize God’s grace given to me, an undeserving soul. This week has been a week to make me realize I am a work in progress; I will fail and I will seek forgiveness for all my life. Ephesians is a great place to go spend time when you need a reminder of who you are, and how you are to live your life as a Christian. Even when you have a week like mine, you are still a child of His.

 
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Posted by on May 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Access Denied

17 May

Access Denied

Galatians 4:8-9    Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?

Paul had written this letter to encourage those in Galatia to remain in their faith alone in Christ Jesus; to not return to the ways of the Law. The Jewish legalists were demanding circumcision as a means to obtain righteousness, and all the demands of the Law. The Judaizers had demanded that Salvation was obtained in the Law, and Paul had refuted that claim; that Christ had come to compete the Law that no man could ever obtain righteousness in. The Law points us to our need for Christ, but we do not gain access to Christ through it. That is a works based faith system, and puts the power of access to God in your ability, and not in the grace of God through Christ’s sacrifice. The understanding of justification through that grace is the only means of salvation and access to God. Justification by faith alone. Galatians 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

It is sad to see so many religions today that still preach justification by works; to gain access to God by ritualistic methodology that places the faith in ones own works, or the completion of the tasks required to gain access alone. The only task that is truly required by God is repentance, and on that repentance comes the understanding of His grace found in His Son. That humble, repentant heart is a heart that has found faith and Salvation in Jesus Christ alone. That humble, repentant heart now seeks to live a better life; to seek to fulfill the requirements of the Law as a disciple of His; not to gain the access already given, but to live their life as an example of one saved by grace and not of works. The transformed heart seeks to model a life consecrated to the One who gave them life, not stand in the pride of ones own accomplishments. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

Reflect on your own “religious system”. What do you truly believe? You are defined at the core by what you believe. It affects your decisions, your actions, your daily life. Do you go through the repetitions of ritualistic worship; monotony exemplified in your faith? Do you feel those rituals, and or requirements gain you access to God? More directly, do you feel in them you gain Salvation? That is a works based faith; it does not save, it condemns. You will pay eternally for your mistake. Galatians 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Access to God is only gained by the humble heart that sees its need for Christ. Access to God is found in the faith of the grace of God. Access to God is never found in self; it is found in only in Christ.

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Get on the plane(of discipleship)

16 May

Get on the plane(of discipleship)

Matthew 28:18-20    And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

My wife leaves this morning on her first mission trip to Romania for almost two weeks. She knew very early she was called to go on this trip; she felt that call on her heart and responded to that tug in obedience. She heard and felt that tug because she had been seeking God with all her heart after the life changing experience of loosing her job. She felt as though she had hit bottom, but God had ordained it to pick her up. Her life has incredibly changed, and I have seen incredible spiritual growth since her world was rocked. She is now about to experience God as never before, way out of her comfort zone, where He lives. A mission trip is a life changing experience, for you see God do what you cannot; you see God orchestrate situations that only He can; your eyes are opened through your heart with the removal of the distractions of this world, and a life dedicated to God during that trip. Many times it breeds a life changed to that focus for much more than just the trip.

There are those going on this flight halfway around the world that are terrified of flying! Do you love your God enough to face your fears? Do you trust your God enough to place your life in His hands; to do what you are terrified of doing? That is where He lives, in accomplishing what you cannot. Look at the promise found in verse 18, that proceeds the Great Commission to go and become disciples in verses 19 & 20. 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. The power and the promise that God is in control of all circumstances should bring peace. The enemy is the author of fear and doubt. The enemy does not want you to rest on the promise of verse 18. When God tells you to GO, he is with you for the journey. He may allow tribulation before and during that journey, but it is all under his control, and it is all designed to draw you near, and to draw glory to Him.

How do you exemplify a disciple, one who follows the Great Commission? One who spreads the Good News that Jesus Christ has come to save a dying world. That there is an eternal hope for a heart placed in Him that the world cannot steal away. That all the troubles that you face in this life are but temporary, and paradise promised with Him is eternal. You cannot become a disciple until you truly possess that hope; you must have such a heart for Christ that you seek him every day. Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. The heart of a disciple is an image created by God. The heart of disciple is one that seeks, finds, and simply cannot contain their joy of finding Him. Once you begin to experience God in prayer, his Word, and your life daily, keeping him to yourself is simply not a possibility any longer. You will talk to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, strangers, or maybe, just maybe, face your fears and get on a plane to go halfway around the world.

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Concept of Grace

15 May

Concept of Grace

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Satan really wants you to realize you are a bad person; he wants you to think you cannot obey the rules God set before you. He wants you to think that knowing you will fail in The Law, leaves little options on how to get to God. He wants you to seek the pleasures of this world instead of the demands of it. He may even take the route of letting you feel comfortable in the religiosity of your church participation, the rituals that you go through to fell good about yourself for the week. Satan has many tactics to keep your eyes and heart from the promises found in God’s grace. Grace is an undeserved gift, freely giving you what you do not deserve. God’s grace is found in the sacrifice of his Son, to justify the necessary sin debt due; to open the door to eternal paradise with Him. Satan never wants you to grasp the concept of Grace.

Galatians 2:17-21 is a confrontation between the apostles Peter and Paul. Peter had exemplified hypocrisy, and to the point that many followed his lead. He dwelled with the sinners (Gentiles), until the religious Jews arrived. He then removed himself and ate what only the Jews ate, to appear holy and righteous. Paul called him out on it, and presented the Gospel of God’s grace to all that would hear. 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (ESV) The purpose of the Law is to point us to our need of Christ. It is to reveal our sin to us, and to help us understand that we cannot abide by the Law to become righteous before God. Any works based faith goes against all of God’s grace found in Christ.

I grew up thinking you went to heaven because you went to church. It was not until much later in life that I came to grasp the concept of Grace. In that realization of a life of rebellion against God, it humbled me. How could God not strike me down and condemn me for the sinful lifestyle I had lead? How could God offer me anything, let alone everything, without paying a price? A humble heart that repents and pleas for the forgiveness found through Christ will be transformed. Grasping that Grace produces a life as a disciple; produces the good works after Salvation, not as a means to earn it. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. (ESV) I now seek to live my life for God; to make my life about the eternal, and not the temporary work or pleasures found here. If you truly grasp the concept of Grace, you will rest in the hope and promises of it, and dedicate your life to it.

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Lord I need you

14 May

Lord I need you

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

It has been a rough couple of days. As many of you know, I openly struggle with anxiety and depression. I borrowed the label from the apostle Paul, and call these struggles my “thorn in the flesh”. It seems as though it is a messenger of Satan that torments me also. He loves to attack when I have my defenses down, when my eyes are on the world and not on God. When I spend little time in the Word, and when I am not prepared for battle. I am not a worthy opponent for my enemy, but I find strength only in Christ to fight this war that is on a plain I cannot comprehend. Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. There is no strength found in medication, there is only strength found in Christ for the spiritual war. It is found in the secret places with only you and God; the time spent alone in His Word and prayer; his strength that is planted in your soul for these battles. You are victorious when you rest in Him; you are fighting a war you alone cannot win, but is only won in the understanding you are fighting a defeated enemy in Christ.

It gave me peace to sit in my secret, quiet, place this morning with God. It gave me peace to know that He allows all the trials of my life to draw me closer to Him. In this I come to deepen my understanding of my daily need for Him. I come to comprehend the depth of my lostness without my strength found in Him. I am nothing without Him. 2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. In this quiet place I find peace; I find the ability to talk to God, to share my struggles and my need for Him; to share my hope that is found only in Him; to praise him for all that He has given me through Christ’s sacrifice for me. All that I have is found in, and through Christ. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

My heartfelt plea in this small ministry that God gave me, is for you to come to seek to be a disciple of the One whom died to give you eternal life. To live a life of sacrificial love for the One whom sacrificed His life for you. To seek the life after, with a heart so focused, that this world holds nothing for you. To have a heart for God and the things of God, to the point you realize you cannot live without God. Your life may get harder, for your enemies desire is to take your eyes and heart off God. He knows the power that rests in the heart of a disciple. God uses all these trials that He allows in your life against Satan. He strengthens you when Satan seeks to defeat you. You are nothing without Christ, but you are everything through Him.

Praise Him in this Chris Tomlin video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rR_Rdb1CTE

 

 
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Posted by on May 14, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Heart Measurement

11 May

Heart Measurement

1 John 3:7-9    Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

Sometimes I wish I could really open up about my struggles, but then it would become personal and all about me, and not about encouraging you in what you battle also. We all have them; we live in the snare of sin, trapped there for this time, but we have the ability in Christ to be rescued eternally. God in his grace, sent his Son to rescue us eternally from Satan. 8b For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. Satan wanted to be God to the point of being cast out of heaven, and God foreknew he would cause trouble for the paradise God had created for us on earth. God knew that He must provide us a way out of the snare of the devil, a way to become right with God for eternity. It was accomplished by the sacrifice in Christ at Calvary.

When I am struggling, or when I fail, I feel terrible for the sins I have committed. A friend of mine had a great quote recently of how Satan plants that feeling that we are alone in our sin. He even goes as far as to plant doubt in our Salvation. He is the author of lies and his greatest tool can be doubt. You are gonna fail, but how hard are you trying not to? Your heart is measured by the pursuit of righteousness found in it. It is that heart for God, that only God sees and knows the truths found in our heart. Psalm 44:21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. In my times of struggles and failures I look back on King David. Of how God blessed him, and how miserably he failed God. Of how there were consequences for his actions, but in all of it he had a heart for God. He pled for forgiveness, and God gave; God knew that David truly loved him, and regretted all his failures.

In my study Bible there is a reference to James 3:6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. I believe this is the evidence of our lives in sin, we cannot control that unruly beast of our speech. We have the ability to tear down what we try to build up in one comment. We with the same mouth curse and bless. It is the habitual sins that are those which are not evident of a righteous life. You can’t claim the promise of Christ, and continue to live for the world and its temporal pleasures of sin. Where is your heart? That question and answer lie before the only One who hears your response.

 
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Posted by on May 11, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Abiding brings discernment

10 May

Abiding brings discernment

1 John 2:24-25   Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to us–eternal life.

John has just written in the prior scriptures addressing the false prophets of the day; they are called the antichrist who deny the deity of Jesus as the Son of God. There were many false prophets of that day, and there are still many in our midst these days. They twist the scriptures to fit their agendas, or they present Christ in many other forms, some even denying that He was/is the Son of God completely. There is no middle ground here; they are antichrists, Satan’s messengers sent to lead people astray. They come as wolves in sheep’s clothing; sensual messages that tickle the ears and make us feel good. Yet under their cloak they are twisting the word of God, deny the Son of God, and leading many astray. The antichrist have been in our midst for over two thousand years; they are a predecessor to the beast in the book of Revelation who will elevate himself above God.

John has pointed us to keeping our eyes and hearts on Christ; to not love the things of this world and to seek to abide in Christ daily. If we truly have our hearts set on God, and the things of God, we will spend daily time with Him. This time leads us to that state of being known as abiding. That abiding heart has the knowledge and discernment found in God’s Word and prayer. That knowledge gives you the ability through Him to recognize the antichrists in your midst. Something will not feel right about the false gospels they are preaching. That “feeling”, is the Holy Spirit that God has given you to teach you all things. 27 But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie–just as it has taught you, abide in him.(ESV) The more time you spend with God, the more the Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to you.

When you have that abiding spirit about you, you will live a changed life that seems different to others. That difference is how God uses you to draw others to himself. That hope that is placed in you for eternal life is something that the world cannot steal away, and the world does not understand. The hope that the world and the antichrist preach is a false hope, and the darkness in it is revealed by the light inside of you. The closer you draw in, the deeper you abide in Him, the more evident the hope in you becomes. You will begin to live your life differently, not ashamed of the promises you now claim. 28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.(ESV) All of this comes with a heart that seeks God, and the things of God daily. A heart that truly desires Him, will find him, and the knowledge and discernment that comes with the anointing as a child of his for eternity.

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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All I need

09 May

All I need

1 John 2:15-17     Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

I wish I could insert the entire commentary from Matthew Henry here of 1 John 2:12-17. He so elegantly explains of how at all levels of our Christian lives we are to focus on God alone. Of how we are to abide in God’s Word, so deeply planted in our hearts, that we move to a life focused only on God and the things of God. Of how we as Christians should be so bent in that pursuit, of Him that to the sinful desires and pursuits of this world, that we are “crucified to the world, (to) be mortified to the things, to the affairs, and enticements of it.” Philippians 3:8a Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Satan and his enticements of the worldly pleasures of sin are a battle that is fought all our lives, and only won through the strength found in abiding in God’s Word.

I fell, no I jumped, into the pursuits of these sins of this world for much of my life. Those pursuits and confessions of those sins could fill a book. I lived for the moment, and the moment was about me and what I could obtain. Pride is at the root of my testimony, and God has been hammering away at that foundation of sin upon which my life sat. He has revealed it, and continues to do so almost daily. There is a part of me in this Sanctification process that has become “mortified” to the extent of materialism that surrounds me daily. The evidences of it, and the pursuit of it,  are everywhere I find myself daily. All these point to how far the world is from God now. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world.

You must ask yourself the question of verse 15; do you love the stuff in this world more than the Creator of this world? Do you spend your life in the pursuits of all that you can obtain in any and all areas? Are you so focused on your next conquest that you don’t have time for God? There is nothing you will ever obtain, never able to “name and claim”, that will make a cent of difference in eternity. That cent of difference can make the difference where you spend eternity. 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. The scriptures of verse 16 outline the three topical sinful pleasures that can take our eyes and hearts off God: Sinful sexual desires, covetousness or materialism, and pride. 16 For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world . Where is your struggle? I have all three……..

 
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Posted by on May 9, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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What did you do yesterday?

08 May

What did you do yesterday?

1 John 2:1-6    My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

One must truly read the preceding chapter of 1 John to better understand this scripture. John had been pointing to the evidences of our struggles with sin, the need for a savior from it, and the substitutionary work of Christ for it. He presents the gospel clearly in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Right there is the gospel, or good news of Jesus Christ summarized in one sentence by his beloved apostle John. John had pointed us to the need for a savior, and the evidences of him in our lives. He had shown us from personal experience the knowledge that had been given to him for the time he spent at Christ’s side. (1 John 1:1-4).

I have written over these scriptures (vs. 6) in my Bible, “what did you do yesterday”. What was the evidence in my life yesterday that I am an eternal child of God? What evidence was in my life that I am not of this world, but I am living my life in the pursuit of the next? Did I share my faith with anyone? Did I ruin my testimony by a sinful act? Did anyone in any way wonder what makes me different? 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. Did I do the best I could to live my life as Christ-like as I could? Oh, I failed miserably, but the question was did I truly center my pursuit around His example? Did I walk so intimately with Him that I knew the moments I failed, and repent and seek forgiveness immediately upon that conviction? That desire and conviction are evidences of a heart that is His. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We are going to fail every day. Satan is going to point us to those failures, and consistently remind us of all our failures in our lives. He will continually bring around the great sins, and he will continually prod us in disbelief that we have been forgiven. He is the master of lies and deception, and his greatest lie is doubt. When you sin today, and you will, seek forgiveness of that sin in a repentant heart. There is a weight lifted off your shoulders upon in that forgiveness, and it stops Satan before he gets a stronghold. Pray today before you start your day for Christ to reveal your sin to you. Use those revelations as an opportunity to draw closer to Him, and as a result you will become more of an example of Him to all those you encounter.

 
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Posted by on May 8, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 
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