God's Word is like a
fire, searing the flesh in its path. It is like a hammer, breaking rock into
stones and removing mountains in the way of our spiritual maturity (Jeremiah
23:29). Meditating on scripture makes our
soul happy, our spirit holy and our body healthy.
In His faithfulness, God
calls us and then commences, directs and finishes our walk of faith as His Word
strengthens us with His joy (Nehemiah 8:10). We walk in His complete peace,
regardless of our circumstances.
We meet calamity with
calm dignity when our soul - mind, emotions and choices - is filled with God's
Spirit. With a joy-filled focus, we perform God's will throughout our life and
trust in Him until the moment of our death.
At Salvation, we receive
the mind of Christ which slowly replaces our carnal thoughts and behavior. We
live with a free conscience, a holy walk and the assurance of His hope and
promises.
The holiness, mercy,
grace and fruit of God's Spirit are ours as we covenant in a relationship with
Jesus. He keeps our body, soul and spirit blameless until the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
As we focus on our spiritual walk, listening to the Spirit and following
His lead on a minute-by-minute basis, we find success, fulfillment and people
who admire our walk and want to follow us as we follow Christ (1 Corinthians
11:1).
Prayer:
Father God, Your joy
sees us through the devastating events in our lives, which force us to our
knees. Your joy is greater than human happiness and transcends the negative human
emotions created by our circumstances. This joy gives us Your strength. Help us
to walk in Your ways and to delight in Your will for our life.
Remind us that as we cling to Your Word it divides between our carnal flesh and our growing spirituality, even to the
depths of our joints and marrow. Thank You that the Bible exposes our innermost
thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12) and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1
John 1: 9).
Thought for the Day:
Our joy is not in worldly
goods or pursuits, but in our relationship with Christ alone; therefore, we
weather the storms of adversity, disappointment, frustration, loss and defeat;
knowing that the trying of our faith builds our patience. - James 1:3-4
