The trend in
today's society is to get away with as much sin as we can. We prefer not to
limit our expenditure of time, attention and resources to any one focus; so we
fill our life with useless activities instead.
We slide
toward the mediocre and have little devotion to God, family, country or healthy
living. We wear masks to fit each social occasion and even attempt to fool God
with our good works.
God offers
us His free gift of salvation, but we prefer the road to destruction over a
life of service, holiness and dedication to His Kingdom (Romans 3:23, 6:23;
Ephesians 2:8-9).
We have our
own plans and way of doing things and do not want to be told what to do, have
restrictions placed on us or to be dictated to by any one - not even God.
We fail to
realize that God created us for a purpose, and our happiest life is found only
by living in the center of His will (Ephesians 2:10, 4:1). His Spirit is ever
ready to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).
When we
entirely surrender to the love of God in our life, we draw near to Him and give
our life more fully to Him. We walk in His ways and consult Him during each
moment of our day (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 12:1).
There is no
place for compromised living in the Kingdom of God. He despises any lukewarm
efforts on our part and prefers for us to choose whether to be hot or cold instead
(Revelation 3:14-22).
Holiness is
not a burden, but a privilege that guarantees us a successful life both now and
throughout eternity (John 10:10). We live with a commitment to Christ and a
trust in God's faithfulness.
As we seek
God's face, sit at His feet and walk in His will, we feel His love pouring over
us like a waterfall, we experience His peace which is deeper than anything this
world has to offer and we walk in joy even through the most horrendous
circumstances (Romans 15:13).
Prayer:
Father God,
free us from Satan's lies, which hold us in bondage to his will for our life.
Teach us to love You with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark
12:30). Strengthen us from within to live a life worthy of Your calling and sanctify
us into a new creation (Ephesians 4:24).
Remind us
that we are dead to sin, because of our baptism into Christ's death. We contain
His resurrection power within us now to live a new life, united with You
(Romans 6:2-11). You give us a choice to live life on earth as slaves to our
flesh, the devil and the world or to You and Your righteousness (Romans 6:22).
Help us to choose You every time.
Thought for
the Day:
As a shining
light with Christ within, our life penetrates the darkness all around us; we
may not see the impact we have on others now, but eternity will reveal how God
used our helping hand, encouraging words, smile at random strangers, loving
gestures and prayers to work miracles in the lives of people in our sphere of
influence.
