Throughout our lifetime, God shows us who we really are (Galatians
6:3). We no longer excuse our failings and justify our motives. We
recognize that even all of our accomplishments are filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah
64:6). We realize that we run a very real chance of standing before Him on
the judgment day in shame and loss (1 John 2:28).
Therefore, we confess that we are sinners and call out to Him for salvation. In
exchange, He gives us all of His righteousness along with His Spirit, who takes
up residence in our newly Born Again spirit (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 3:7).
We never find true peace in life until we stop living for
our self and live for God instead. We see His little love letters to us all
throughout our day. We abide in His presence and rejoice in His provision and
love for us. He strengthens us (2 Chronicles 16:9). His mercy and goodness
keep us all the days of our life, and then we dwell in the house of the Lord
forever (Psalm 23:6). He deserves more from us than
half-hearted devotion and praise (Romans 6:17). He wants
us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). When we do, His praise is
on our lips every moment of the day.
Paul teaches us not to center our contentment on the
circumstances of our life, but on the peace that God’s Spirit provides from
within us. Jesus experienced heart-rending loss and adverse trials; yet, He
taught us to count our suffering as a gift of joy (James
1:2-8). The purpose of our life is not to amass worldly goods, but to honor
our Father in Heaven, just like Jesus did. Though we make a living in the
world, our vocation is actually our ministry to use for the glory of God.
Paul likens our life with the Lord to a race. Christianity
calls for the same characteristics of training and commitment (Hebrews
12:1-3). Running a race takes devotion and dedication. Some people stand on the sidelines in church
and even in life. However, running the race is so much more exciting, and even
has the possibility of receiving awards at the end. God never leaves us, but
gives us the courage and strength to finish the race (Hebrews
13:5; 2 Timothy 4:7).
God’s love is described in dimensions. It has height and
length, depth and width (Ephesians 3:18-20). God’s love is
proportionate and all encompassing. It completely surrounds us, encasing us in
His love. Nothing can ever separate us from His great love (Romans
8:31-39). What can we do for Him in return for His grace, mercy,
joy, peace and love? Even if we are just eating and drinking, we do everything
for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). We can purpose in our
heart to develop the deeper commitment of a life hidden with Christ in God (Colossians
3:3).
Prayer:
Father God, intimate fellowship with You is available to
every Believer. It requires time and energy from us, quietness and confidence,
and commitment and adoration. If we spend all of our time in the world, and
give You only our spare change and hurried moments as we fall asleep at night,
we not only insult You, but we short-change our self as well. We may have to
hit the bottom of the barrel, before we ever take the time to look up into Your
glorious face and live our life in worship to You.
Thought for the Day:
The Battle is the Lord’s and our best chance of
success is to follow His strategy and obey His direction. - Joshua 6:1-18
