But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. Eph 2:4-5
We were dead in our sins, BUT GOD … We were rebels against him, BUT GOD … We were enslaved by the devil and our sinful natures, BUT GOD … These may be the two most welcome words in all of Scripture: “BUT GOD.” God could have left us spiritually dead, in rebellion against him and in bondage to our sins. But He didn’t!!!!! He did not save us because of, but rather in spite of, what He saw in us. Therefor, we shouldn’t just thank him for what He has done for us, we should also show humble patience and tolerance for others who seem unworthy of undeserving of our love and compassion. They may be spiritually dull, and rebellious toward God. So were we; BUT GOD LOVED US ANYWAY!
Father, I am so thankful that you chose to step in on my behalf. Help me to be mindful of the depth of your love then and the depth of you love you have for me know! Sometimes I forget that you still love me in this way! Help me to reflect this love toward others so they to can see how much you love them! In Jesus Name I pray, Amen!
And this is the plan: At the right time he (God) will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth. Ephesians 1:10
God’s plan is that through Christ the world would be rescued from sin. Everyday God is giving us one more opportunity to surrender and trade our sin for a Savior. But the day will come when Christ comes back. On this day He will unite heaven and earth. On this day, every knee will bow to Jesus as Lord, either because they love Him or because they fear His Power. This will be the beginning of Eternity!
Let’s face it, life on this earth is fragile! At any moment our life could be taken from us or Jesus could return to usher in God’s Kingdom. The question shouldn’t be “When will this happen?” The question should be, “Will I be ready?” When Jesus returns, will I experience Him as Lord and Savior or will I experience Him as Judge and Jury. There has never been a time like ours before. I believe that Jesus could return at any moment! This should give us a sense of urgency. When we live with urgency we live each day as if it were our last. We capture each moment and make it obedient to Christ, we spend time with the people who are important to us, and we tell others about the Love God has for each of us. This is the way I want to live, how about you?
Father today, let me live with a sense of urgency! Let me make time for the important things and not get caught up in the things that keep me busy. Let me keep my eyes on you so I don’t get tempted by the things around me! Let me love others the way you have loved me, and let my life reflect Christ in away that others might experience you in a powerful way! In Christ’s Name I pray, Amen!
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humble help that person back onto the right path. Galatians 6:1
Sin is Sin, and at any moment anyone of us can give in to it’s appeal. The Devil’s always looking for ways to keep us trapped by sin and/or opportunities for us to give into temptation and sin. As a Christ Follower, there is a daily battle against sin and the desire to sin. However, because we are sinful people, sometimes the lure to sin is so appealing that we give in. We think to ourselves, “it will only happen once” or “no one will know.” And before long we have done it more than once, and what we thought would be secret has somehow become public. We are exposed in our sin and we are in crisis! The last thing we need is to be an outcast by those who are Christians.
As a Christ Follower, my role is to love, encourager, confront, serve/help, and hold others accountable so together we can stand against the temptations that come our way. I don’t do this with prideful arrogance, I do this with a humble spirit that see the person and not just the sin that has trapped them. I realize that at any moment this could be me. The reality is I am only one choice away from doing the same thing. I am one choice away from being caught in the same sin or a different sin. Therefor, it causes me to set up boundary’s that will safeguard me from having this situation happen to me. This is serious stuff, if it happened to them, it can happen to anyone and I would be foolish to say that it would never happen to me.
Here are some things that I am trying to do to win the battle of sin n my life and help others at the same time:
Prayer – pray that God Power would be Evident in my weakness. Pray that God would use my life to encourage others to strive to live for Christ in all areas of their life.
Time in the Word – Real Power comes from the Holy Spirit and knowing what God says. Many times I give into temptation because I don’t have His Word hidden in my heart. Someone once said that “Sin will keep you from the Bible, But the Bible will keep you from sin!”
Fellowship – I need others …. and truth be told, others need me. I need to have a place I connect with peers to learn, laugh, and develop stronger friendships.
Accountability – I need a place that I can expose the real me and be accepted despite my imperfections. I need others who will pray with me, encourage me, and yes, even correct me when I give in to sin. Sometimes this is easy, but sometimes this is a very difficult process. But regardless, it is necessary for me to see seriousness of sin and understand the Unconditional Love of God.
Father today, help me to live a life that pleases you and inspires others. If I know, see, or hear that someone has been trapped in sin or struggling with sin, help me not to focus on the sin, but to focus on the your truth and lovingly help that person see you. Give me wisdom and the ability to hold them accountable in a loving way, drawing them closer to you and not pushing them away from you. It’s in Jesus Name I pray these things, Amen!
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.” Galatians 5:16
Guilty! There is so much in this chapter it’s hard to find just one thing to talk about. However, all of them stem from one choice … who I chose to surrender to. Everyday, I can chose to live in my own power, or I can chose to live in the Holy Spirits power.
When I choose to live in my own power, I find myself more likely to give into the sinful desires that are mentioned in this long list of things. Things like, sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, fighting/arguing, jealousy, outburst of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, …. and the list goes on. Because I have chosen to live for myself, with a me first mindset, when this temptation comes, when this desire presents itself, I find myself more likely to give in. EVEN if I know I shouldn’t.
But when I chose to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, there are different attitudes and actions that begin to become a part of my life. Things like, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Now don’t get me wrong, I still experience some of the same temptations, and the desires still present themselves. But I am less likely to give into them because I have chosen to live in the Holy Spirits power, and I’m not striving to please myself, but to please God.
Now I wish I could say that when I look at these two list, that I find myself always surrendering to the Holy Spirits power. However, when I look at that list there are some elements of the Holy Spirits power in my life, but there are still some sinful desires that seem to get the best of me some day’s. Maybe you can relate!
Now here is where the rubber meets the road. If I am going to be free from the sinful desires I have to surrender everything to God. That means every day, every hour, every minute, every second, I chose to live for Him and not myself. I chose to fight against those desires and allow the Holy Spirits power to get me though that situation. As I begin to live for an audience of one and choose to live in the Holy Spirits power, the desire to give into the sinful nature will decrease, and the fruit of the Spirit will increase. So, “since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading IN EVERY PART of our lives.”
Father, today, let me live for an Audience of ONE, choosing to live with and in the Holy Spirits power and choosing not to live in my own power. I surrender! In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
“God sent him (Jesus) to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” Galatians 4:5
WOW! Jesus stepped out of Heaven to BUY me FREEDOM! Adoption is in interesting concept for a couple of reasons. 1.) Adoption is a choice. People have to choose to adopt someone as their son or daughter. God made a choice to adopt us His sons and daughters. 2.) Adoption is expensive. Adoption isn’t cheap and it wasn’t cheap for God either. He knew, the only way that you and I could be adopted was by sending His son to live, die, rise, taking on the sins of the world so we could be adopted as sons and daughters and restored to a right relationship with God the Father!
The fact that Jesus would give up everything for me so that I could be adopted by Gods own choosing blows me away. It really puts in perspective How much God loves me. Now the real question is … how much do I show God that I love Him?
Father today, let me rest in your unconditional love, but let me reveal with my thoughts, words, and actions how much your love means to me. Let me not just say it with words but prove it with actions. It’s in Jesus Name I pray, Amen!
“But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom by believing in Jesus Christ.” Galatians 3:22
This verse, in a few words, sums up the basis of the Gospel. That we are sinners, Jesus came to live, die, and rise again to take on the penalty of that sin so I could experience forgiveness and live in freedom. However, the more I walk with Christ, the more I realize how sinful I am. Sometimes to experience the freedom that is found in Christ I have to make some difficult decisions.
First, I have to identify the sin. It can be a thought, an attitude, my words, or something I do. To be honest, it may even be something I like, but when convicted of it, I realize its sin.
Second, I have to believe that Christ can forgive that sin, and I can be freed from it. Now I’m not talking about a general belief that Jesus can provide freedom for my sin (He has done that), this is the point where I am identifying specific things that are keeping me trapped in sin instead of living in complete freedom. These are the areas that I tend to hide from others or new areas that God is revealing to me as I walk closer with Him. I wish I could say this is easy, quick, and painless, but sometimes this is a process is difficult and filled with success and failures. This video captures what I am talking about in big way. I know I see myself in this video, maybe you will also.
Father, today, will you search the shallow parts of my heart as well as the deep parts, and convict me of the sin that is present and rampant in my life. Will you begin to chisel away the sinful attitudes, thoughts, actions, words, and habits that are keeping me from living in absolute freedom that is only found in Christ. It’s in Christ name I pray, Amen!
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Have you ever prayed a prayer something like this, “God if you …… I promise I will never do ….. again!” and then find yourself doing the very thing you prayed you wouldn’t do. Man am I guilty of this one!
As much as I want to live for Christ, I have to be honest … sometimes my old self shows up and I find myself saying things, or doing things that are not honoring to God. Being transformed from the inside out is freeing, but sometimes the process of being transformed is difficult. It requires us to take every thought captive and surrender it and make it obedient to Christ! Sometimes this is easier said than done, but it’s not impossible, it’s simply a matter of Trust!
Being transformed from the inside out is a matter of Trust! You will either trust in Christ and live in the new life He has given you, developing new habits, or you will trust in yourself and live in the old self that is trapped by old habits. Every Day, Every Minute, Every Second, we have a choice of where we will put our trust. Today, will you but your trust in Jesus, crucify the old self and live in the new life that He has given you?
Father, today, let me take every thought captive! Help me to trust you with everything. In those times I try to hide or justify, let me surrender every thought, idea, word, action, reaction, and make them obedient to Christ. I don’t want to just say these things, I want to be transformed by the power of your spirit living on the inside of me. Here is my stuff, I lay it down, trusting you with the details of my life. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen.
“Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.” Galatians 1:10
Hi, my name is Dan and I struggle with being a people pleaser. Let’s face it, we all want to be accepted, liked, and loved! If you don’t believe me look how long we spend standing in-front of a mirror getting ready in the morning. Sometimes we will even sacrifice our character, values/standards, and integrity to try to fit in with a group or groups of people.
It’s easy to live for the applause and approval of others, but it’s also dangerous. It can cause us to do things we never thought we would do, say things we never thought we would say, and go further than we ever intended on going. It can cause us to live life for what we think others want instead of what God wants. However, being a Christ Follower means that we live for an audience of One!
Living for an Audience of One, starts with a humble heart that seeks to please God in every area of our life. It’s found in the quiet moments where we seek Gods way over the worlds way. It’s found in the transformation of the person we used to be, and revealed in the Life of Christ and the person we are becoming. However, we will never be able to please a God we do not know personally. Living for an Audience of One is found in the total surrender of our life where we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
When we live for an Audience of One, it means that we talk different, we act different, we live different. It means that we live in a way that one day we will hear God say these words to us as we enter His Eternal Kingdom (Heaven) “Well done good and faithful servant.”
Today, which audience will you live for? As for me, I’m living for an Audience of One!
Father, today help me to hear your voice louder than all the other voices that I will hear today. Help me to stand for the things that have eternal value even if I stand alone. Let my words be words of life and my actions not contradict those words causing others to stumble or question my life and faith in you. Let me share Truth in love, even if it is difficult. Let my life be an example to others, encouraging those who know you, and intriguing those who don’t. In Christ Name I pray, Amen.
Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3
Love is a huge motivator. When we receive it, it compels us to return it! God showed us one of the greatest acts of love by sending His Son Jesus Christ, to live, die, and rise from the dead so we could be forgiven of our sin. This expression of love is sometimes to hard to comprehend completely. But when we put our faith in what Christ has done for us through the Cross, we open ourselves up to receive Gods love.
Each day we have a choice to walk with God and go His way, to stay where we are by becoming complacent, or to walk in the opposite direction of Gods Way. Typically the direction we go is motivated by what we love or what the moment brings. As a Christ follower, we show that we truly love God by being transformed from the inside out, and being obedient to the things of God. Jesus never said that it would obeying Him would be easy. But the hard work and self-discipline of serving Christ is no burden to those who love him.
Father, today help us to be motivated by your unfailing and unconditional love to chase after you with all of our hearts. Help us to return our love for you by following Christs’ example and living each moment in the way that pleases you and allows you to shine through us! In Jesus Name, Amen!
“This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” 1 John 4:10
The greatest expression of love was demonstrated through the life and death of Jesus Christ. I don’t have a lot of words this morning, but I do know this, when I think about the love God showed us and compare that with the love often times we show others, there is no comparison. Where we hold grudges, God offers forgiveness. Where we reject, God accepts! Where we try to control & manipulate, God sets free!
This love however wasn’t cheap! The greatest expression also came with the greatest sacrifice! Jesus chose to step out of Heaven, be born of a virgin, live a sinless life, and die a painful death in-which he offered his life as a sacrifice for my sin. This is real love – that Jesus Christ would lay down his life for so that we might live for Him.
Father help me understand the magnitude, the forgiveness, and the freedom that is provided through the cross. Let me not just love with words, let me love with actions also. Let others see you love for them in me. In Jesus Name, Amen
Dan Gould 