God loved
us while we were still sinner;
but if we do not walk away from our sinful lifestyle, then we do
not belong to Him (1 John
1:9, 3:9).
God demands whole-hearted commitment from His Saints (Philippians 3:8-9).
We prove our love to God by our obedience to Him and His
Word (John 14:15). Once we come to Christ for salvation, His Spirit fills our
spirit and soul, and we learn to walk in step with Him (Galatians 5:25).
We discard
our old nature, the personality we are born with, and we put on our new nature,
which God creates in us through His Spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians
3:9-10).
God's
Spirit changes us from the inside out. His divine nature and the fruit of His
Spirit replace our weak human character (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 5:15-25). We
ask God to try us and test us and examine our heart and mind (Psalm 26:2).
We learn to walk in His truth and enjoy His love, which is
always surrounding us (Psalm 26:3). We look forward to spending eternity with
Him and enjoy His eternal life even now on this earth (John 17:3).
Nothing will ever separate us from God's love; not even
adversity, demonic activity, earthly circumstances, personal relationships or
evil people devising our demise (Romans 8:35-39).
We live,
move and have our entire being in Christ (Acts 17:28). We consult God for His
plans for every moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). We walk in joy and peace in
the center of God's will.
Prayer:
Father
God, the fact that You love us while we are still sinners helps us to realize
that You desire that no one will eternally perish in the lake of fire (John
3:16-17). However, we often condemn our self by insisting that we live life our
own way, instead of in Your will for us (John 3:18).
We attempt
to fit You into the mold of our image for You, rather than to allow You to
conform us to the image of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Remind us to humble our self
under Your mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6; James 4:10), and to serve You until our
dying breath (Psalm 146:2).
Thought for the Day:
When we
come together as Believers, let us share what God is doing in our life, how we
recently sensed His presence in our life, how His grace saw us through a
particularly trying experience, what He is teaching us from His Word and what
He is perfecting in our life.
Many thanks to Matt Milligan for the use of his photo.
