Do you believe in Jesus, have you become mournful of your sins and asked Jesus to forgive your sins? Have you become hungry and thirst for real truth? Have you turned to Jesus to find the real truth?
Then Thank Jesus for selecting you, for convicting you through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have you accepted Christ as your Savior and given your life over to God through the Holy Spirit? Then all else will work out. Hang on.
Today's meditations, first from Bob Hoekstra:
October 13
The Source of Faith
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Heb_12:2
In order to grow in grace, we must live by faith.
"Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace" (Rom_4:16).
We cannot progress spiritually by the use of our natural, Adamic faculties. We must walk by faith in the Lord and His word. "We walk by faith, not by sight" (2Co_5:7). Yet, where do we get faith? What is the source of faith?
Jesus is the source of our faith: "Jesus, the author . . . of our faith." If we have saving faith in Christ, it was brought into being by Him. Our faith was authored by Jesus in a revelatory and relational manner. He revealed to us the truth we needed to know (through sermons, personal witnesses, tracts, audio tapes, books, Bible reading, or whatever). Then, He invited us into a relationship with Himself.
First, He told us the truth about our need. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . . . For the wages of sin is death" (Rom_3:23 and Rom_6:23).
Then, He told us the truth about His loving work on our behalf. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom_5:8).
All the while, His Spirit was convicting us of the reality of these matters. "And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (Joh_16:8).
Ultimately, Jesus invited us to trust in Him for the gift of salvation. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest . . . the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Mat_11:28 and Rom_6:23).
Basically, Jesus revealed Himself to us as one who could be trusted to save our souls, so we placed our hope in Him. Thereby, He authored faith in us.
Now, where are we to go for more faith (for the developing of our faith)? Jesus is the source for this need as well: "Jesus . . . the . . . finisher of our faith." The one who brought faith into being in us now wants to perfect our faith (to bring it on into mature development) in the same manner that He began it. Initially, we had to have Jesus revealed to us to have faith authored in us. Now, we must have a continuing revelation of Him through His word, if our faith is to be increasingly built up.
Lord Jesus, I praise You for authoring faith in me. Thank You for convincing me of my need of forgiveness of sins. Thank You for revealing to me Your great work on the cross. Thank You for inviting me to enter into a relationship with You. Please continue to reveal Yourself to me that my faith might grow and mature, Amen.
And when faith is tested, be happy:
October 13
Glory Just Around the Corner
"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner." (1 Peter 4:12-13. The Message).
Sometimes things can get so difficult that even the most ardent believers look heavenward with serious questions about whether or not God is involved in our affairs anymore. Even Jesus Himself cried out on the cross, "My God, why have you forsaken me?"
Sometimes God pulls just far enough away to awaken and alarm us by His absence. Perhaps we may have grown so accustomed to His blessings and benefits, that we inadvertently began taking them for granted; failing to humbly acknowledge His presence and His provisions in our daily lives. Living presumptuously, without showing our gratitude to God for who He is and what He does.
Nothing snaps us out of that indifferent daze more quickly that a good dose of real difficulty, with a side order of God's perceived absence. When all hell breaks loose, and heaven is no where to be found — that will get your attention!
But, God is not absent, nor is He distant. He's just silent; watching and waiting for how we handle the situation. Will be bellow in unbelief like those who know not God at all? Or will we, like Job of old, trust Him though He slay us.
The truth is that the difficulty you are facing is a spiritual refining process; God is separating the gold from the dross in your life. And if you will quietly trust Him through the ordeal you will soon discover it was worth it all — for glory is just around the corner.
So dear Brother and Sister, hang in there. Hope in God, have Faith in Jesus, and Love the Holy Spirit's work in your life.
Have a blessed day.
My Lord and My God, Bless me with Your Grace, Fill me with Faith, Hope, and Love. Give me Your Blessings because You have chosen me to be Your child. I confess that I do not deserve Your Grace. I want to be Loved and Cherished by You Almighty God. I want to live as Your Child.
Give my Your Blessings. Let me be filled with the Holy Spirit, let me be filled with Fear of You and Love of and for You. Let me be close to You my Father. Be with me today. Let me be a witness for Your love and goodness.
Today's meditation is from Bob Hoekstra:
October 12
Walking by Faith, Not by Sight
We walk by faith, not by sight . . . while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. (2Co_5:7 and 2Co_4:18)
The Christian life is a walk. It is comprised of day by day steps from where we are to where the Lord wants us to go (both spiritually and geographically). This walk is undertaken by faith, not by sight. "We walk by faith, not by sight."
Walking by sight is the natural manner by which human beings walk. This is true both for literal walking, as well as for taking the proverbial journey through life. When engaged in physical walking, people rely upon visual data (along with input from other human senses: like sound, smell, and touch). Likewise, as the unredeemed are engaged in their trek through life, they set their course and proceed by that which their natural abilities provide. We who know the Lord Jesus Christ cannot walk in this manner in His kingdom. We must walk by faith, by depending upon our Lord, His word, and the work of grace by His Holy Spirit. Spiritual progress is made "while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen."
So often, things are not as they appear to be in the natural. Consider Joseph being sold to slave traders by his jealous and deceitful brothers. It did not look like Joseph was being groomed to be Prime Minister in Egypt. Think of Pharoah and his army closing in on Israel, as they were trapped beside the Red Sea. It did not look like Israel would be delivered, while the Egyptian army would be destroyed. Remember young David standing before gigantic Goliath. It did not look like the giant would be defeated, while David would enjoy a thorough victory. Only eyes of faith could really appreciate what was actually happening.
The cross of our Lord Jesus is undoubtedly the greatest example of things not always being what they appear to be. As Jesus hung upon the cross, it appeared that godless men had defeated the most godly man that ever lived. "Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst . . . Him . . . you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death" (Act_2:22-23). Yet, in fact, God was at work, preparing a resurrection victory over sin and death for all who would believe. "Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it" (Act_2:24).
Heavenly Father, I want to walk with You by faith. I desire to respond to the circumstances of life by what You have said in Your word and by what You are able to do. Too many times, I have set my course by sight, relying upon the appearance of things. Teach me to trust in You more and more, in Jesus name, Amen.
And how do we know all this?
By the Hope we are given through the Holy Spirit.
Consider George Morrison's thoughts:
October 12
The Saving Power of Hope
We are saved by hope — Rom_8:24
It is not difficult as one looks out on life to recognize the saving power of hope. One thinks, for instance, to what a large extent it is hope which saves humanity from idleness. When a student faces an examination, it is his uncertainty that makes him toil. Were he perfectly sure that he would fail or pass, that would take all the zest out of his studies. Hope is the kindly instrument of God for rescuing mankind from inactivity, and inactivity is sister to stagnation. It is in hope that the writer wields his pen; it is in hope that the sower casts his seed. Search deep enough into the springs of action — you always catch the whispering of hope. In a large sense, we are saved by hope from the tragedy of doing nothing in a world where there is everything to do.
Hope Rescues Us from Giving In
Akin to that is the great fact of life that we are saved by hope from giving in. For the great multitude of men hope lies at the back of perseverance. That may not be true of elect natures. It was not true of Marcus Aurelius, for instance. Never was there a more hopeless man than he, yet how magnificently he persevered. But for the rank and file of ordinary mortals on whom the Gospel always keeps its eye, hope is essential to holding on. One thinks of the story of the little lame boy who was "hoping to have wings some day." He could not race nor leap like other boys, but he was hoping to have wings some day. It was that hope which helped him to endure and taught him to bear the burden of his lameness, and so it is largely in this life of ours. From giving in when things are very difficult, from breaking down just at breaking point, from losing heart when all the lights are dim and the clouds return after the rain, in deep senses we are saved by hope.
Hope Saves Us from Losing Faith
Equally true is it of life, that we are often saved by hope from losing faith. Think, for instance, how often that is true of our Christian hope of personal survival. When his friend Arthur Hallam died, Tennyson was plunged into the depths. It seemed as if the foundations were destroyed and the moral universe had fallen in ruins. And then, as one may read In Memoriam, morning broke with the singing of the birds through the shining Christian hope of immortality. Nothing could be more dreary than the inscriptions on old pagan tombs, but pass to the catacombs and everything is different: they are radiant with trust in God. What millions have been saved from loss of faith in the hour when the heart was desolate and empty by the burning hope of a blessed immortality. "My soul, hope thou in God." His name is love, and love demands forever. "Forever" is engraven on the heart of love as Calais was engraven on the heart of Mary. When life is desolated by the hand of death so that faith in Fatherhood is very difficult, multitudes have been upheld and comforted by the saving power of hope.
Christ Inspired Hope
Now, it is very beautiful to notice how our Savior utilized that saving energy. Think how often He began His treatment by kindling the flame of hope within the breast. One might take the instance of Zacchaeus, that outcast from the commonwealth of Israel. He had been taught there was no hope for him, and he believed it till the Lord came by. And then, like the dawn, there came the quivering hope that his tomorrow might differ from his yesterday, and in that new hope the saving work began. Often hope is subsequent to faith. The Scripture order is "faith, hope, charity." But it is equally true, in the movements of the soul, that hope may be the forerunner of faith. And our Lord, bent on evoking faith, that personal trust in Him which alone saves, began by kindling hope within the breast. That is how He often begins still. He does not begin by saying, "Trust in Me." He begins by kindling these hopes of better things that are lying crushed in every human heart. Despair is deadly. It is blind. It cannot see the arm outstretched to help. Our Lord begins with the quickening of hope.
Christ Kept Hope Alive
One reads, too, in the Gospel story, of the pains He took just to keep hope alive. That, I think, is most exquisitely evident in His handling of Simon Peter. One would gather that Peter had a nature very prone to access of despair. He was the kind of man to climb the mountaintop and then swiftly to drop into the valley; and the pains, the endless pains that Jesus took to keep hope alive in Peter's breast, is one of the most beautiful things in history. One day he had to call him Satan. What darkness and anguish that must have brought to Peter! He would move through the crowding duties of the day saying despairingly, "The Master called me Satan." And then, within a week, when our Lord went up the Mount of Transfiguration, He said, "Peter, I want you to go with Me." It was not Peter's faith that needed strengthening. Peter trusted the Lord with all his heart. It was Peter's hope that needed to be strengthened, crushed by that terrific name of Satan. And then one remembers how on resurrection morning after the black hour of the denial, the angel (commissioned by the Lord) commanded, "Go, tell the disciples and Peter." The Lord had to wrestle with the despair of Peter. He had a mighty work to keep his hope alive. He had that same work with Luther and with Bunyan and perhaps with many a one who reads these lines. All of whom, rescued from despair by the divine hopefulness of Christ, understand what the apostle meant when he wrote that we are saved by hope.
Life is not about getting, but about giving as much as you can.
October 11
OUR POSSESSIONS
"Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he possesseth."-- Luk_12:15.
"'Little children, guard yourselves from idols."-- 1Jo_5:21 (R.V.).
THE PETITION addressed to Christ, in this paragraph from which our text is selected, has been constantly made to Him in subsequent ages. Men are always demanding that He should divide the inheritance more equally. But our Lord did not come to adjust human relationships by the exercise of His autocratic will. He deals rather with the overreaching and grasping avarice which leads the rich to withhold, and the discontent which compels the poor to murmur. He saw in the demand of the suppliant a tendency to the same covetousness which prompted the other brother to withhold the portion of the inheritance, which was not justly his.
Our Lord announced the far-reaching truth that life does not consist in what we possess, but in what we are.
We are rich, not in proportion to the amount standing to our credit in the bank, or to the acreage of our inheritance, but to the purity, strength, and generosity of our nature.
When we lay up treasure for ourselves, we become paupers in God's universe. The only way of dealing with covetousness, which makes an idol of money or possessions, is to regard our property only as gifts entrusted to us for the benefit of others. Let us mortify the spirit of greed, which is so strong within us all, by sowing the acreage of our life as indicated in 2Co_9:1-15.
Sensual appetite is an idol with many (Phi_3:19). Eating and drinking, feasting and pleasure-seeking are idols before which many prostrate themselves.
And there are other idols than these, for whenever any earthly object engrosses our soul, and intercepts the love and faith that should pass from us to God, it is an idol which must be overthrown.
Whenever we can look up from anything that we possess into the face of God, and thank Him as its Giver, we may use and enjoy it without fear. We are not likely to make an idol of that which we receive direct from the hand of our Heavenly Father, whose good pleasure it is to give good gifts to His children (1Ti_4:4-5).
PRAYER
O Lord, the Portion of our Inheritance, give us grace, we pray Thee, never to aim at or desire anything out of Thee. What we can enjoy in Thee, give us according to Thy Will; what we cannot, deny us. AMEN.
Off we go, another week, another day of doing what we have to do to get by in this world. Most of us go to "work", to do specific activities that we somehow get to know how to do... from brain surgery to collecting bottles for refunds, from running the country to running from everything... we go to "work" each day to get by, to live a life we hardly can define.
Then something happens, usually on the outside, but often also on the inside of us. Our life changes, our plans change, our hopes and dreams are altered or sometimes shattered. Then what?
Consider today's meditations by George Morrison:
October 10
The Broken Things of Life
Some on broken pieces of the ship…escaped…safely to land Act_27:44
Broken Time
Among the broken things of life one would think first of broken time. Time, says Benjamin Franklin, is the stuff of life: it is a stuff which is very easily tattered. When a man is eagerly plying his own work, interruptions are intensely irritating. Sometimes they are inevitable; at other times they spring from thoughtlessness. And one of the lessons everyone must learn who wants to achieve anything in life is how to hold to things through recurring interruption. That is how the worker comes ashore. That is how most of the world's work is done; not by men of an unbroken leisure— is very rarely fruitful. It is done by men who have to seize their hours, rescue and redeem their opportunities, gather up the fragments that remain. I think of Shakespeare with all a player's worries; of Milton burdened with the cares of State; of Spurgeon founding colleges and orphanages yet preaching those magnificent discourses. They seized their hours, rescued their opportunities, toiled on in the teeth of interruptions, and on broken pieces of the ship they came ashore.
Broken Health
Again, the words have comforting suggestion for those who are suffering from broken health. Doubtless there are some of my readers in that category. Once they were strong, vigorous, and tireless; now they are very easily tired. Once it was a great, glad thing to live; now it is rather a burden to be borne. There is so much that they would gladly do if only they had the strength to do it. It is so very bitter to feel useless. My dear friends, health is a priceless blessing. Rubies and diamonds are nothing to it. Without it, castles and carriages are vanity; with it, the tiniest cottage is a kingdom. But never forget that with a little courage and trust in God and patient, quiet endurance, you may get ashore on broken pieces of the ship. Think of Calvin with his sickly body; of Pascal, all his life an invalid; of Richard Baxter tortured by disease; of Mrs. Browning on her couch. Think of the great Apostle to the Gentiles with his ophthalmia and his malaria. They never knew what perfect health was; they did not sail in any golden galleon; they did not waken in the morning singing, feeling as if they were capable of anything. But they did their work, wrote immortal literature, altered Europe, changed the course of history, clinging to the broken pieces of the ship. I knew an invalid in quite a humble home who used to lament to me that she was useless. Her brothers and sisters were in splendid health; she was only a burden to them all. And yet no wages that the sisters earned brought such an enriching to that home as the presence of her who thought that she was useless. Her gentleness was like the rain from heaven—her patience a rebuke— her happy smile for everybody was gladdening as the sunshine in November. She earned no wages, wrote no poems, never made a dress nor cooked a dinner— and yet on broken pieces of the ship she came ashore.
Shattered Faith
Now I want to go a little deeper, from a shattered body to a shattered faith. There are many in the world today whose early faith is very sorely broken. Trained in Christian homes, there was a time when they accepted things. They prayed; they read their Bibles; they attended Sunday school; they went to church. And now the years have gone, and everything is different, and the old, sweet assurance has departed, and clouds and darkness are around the Throne. Once their faith was like a gallant vessel with the sails set and the flags flying. They thought, once, that they would reach the harbor so— and now that gallant vessel is a wreck. And I want to tell them, quietly and earnestly, for I fervently believe that it is true, that on broken pieces of the ship they can make shore. Much is lost; something yet remains, something they can cling to in the dark something they cannot doubt, divine and unalterably true. And I say that if they only cling to that, like the shipwrecked sailor to a spar, it will buoy them up and bring them to the shore. There are those who make the haven gloriously. They have a prosperous and sunny voyage. Their love is burning, and their faith is bright; they live and die in the fulness of assurance. But I thank God that men can reach the haven clinging to a spar, for the Lord God is merciful and gracious. Trembling on the borders of agnosticism, questioning the fatherhood of God, uncertain of the authority of Scripture, critical of the Church and of its ministry, let them grip Christ, the little bit they know of Him; let them tell Him that they will not let Him go, and He will pluck them out of the deep waters.
Broken Character
Lastly, and in a word or two, I apply the words to broken character, to those whose character is sorely broken and who today are on the margins of despair. I think of the prodigal son in the far country; his conduct had disgraced the name of son. I think of Peter when he denied his Lord, and his whole life seemed toppling to ruin. I think of Rahab in her life of sin that must have crushed all that was fairest in her. I think of the woman who was called the Magdalene. Not perfect characters, very far from that; rent and torn by the fury of their passions; characters that sin had battered as the storm had battered the vessel of St. Paul. And then, thanks to the grace of God that is able to save unto the uttermost, on broken pieces of the ship they came ashore. The prodigal came home again, and there was music and dancing in the house. The Magdalene was drawn out of the mire into the garden of a saintly womanhood Some who read this have been living carelessly, and their character has gone to pieces in the dark.
Thank God that there is still a shining hope for them as for the shipwrecked comrades of St. Paul.
So, if you want to be saved from the miseries of this world and the damnation of the next, then you Must Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, Redeemer, Lord.
May God bless you with the Holy Spirit and may God love you enough to open your eyes and heart to His Love so that you can come to Him for your salvation.
Heavenly Father, My God, My Creator, My All,
I come to you in humble Fear, Adoration, Worship, Penitence, and Supplication.
Above All, I thank You for Your Grace that opened my eyes to Your Truths and for the Grace that convicted me of my many sins. I praise You for Your Love that sent Your own Son to live the perfect life as an example for all of us, then to Die on the Cross as propitiation and redemption for all who Believe and Accept Jesus as their personal Savior.
I thank you My God for Your Infinite Love, for Your Grace, for all You have done in my short life. Thank you for choosing me, for allowing me to have Your Love and Grace and Your Forgiveness. Thank You for my Salvation through the Immaculate Sacrifice of Your Son.
Thank You for the Gift of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity is not complete without Your Gift of Inspiration by the Holy Spirit. Fill me up Oh my God, indwell in me. As Your servant David said, "Restore unto me the joy of Your Salvation and uphold me with a willing Spirit".
Fill me Lord with a vision of Your Will for my life. Give me Your Love and Grace that I may see and live Your Will each day of my Life for Your Glory and Your Will.
Bless my dear family. Be with each of them, grant them too Your Love and Grace, Your Blessings of Peace and Love and Joy and Hope and Faith ever growing.
Bless my dear friends who have helped and are my source of strength and love. Bless them with Your Infinite Love and Bounty.
Bless the poor and especially the orphans. Bless them and give them You Hope and Your Love.
And finally Lord God, bless even my enemies, those who have hurt me so. Give me your Grace to forgive and even to love them for they are nothing more than instruments of Your Will for my life. Thus they are part of Your plan for my life and cannot be otherwise. Bless them and give them Your Grace.
Oh my Lord, my Heavenly Father, fill me with Your Love. Strengthen me with Your Grace. Bless me oh my Lord with deep Fear of Your infinite powers. Give me more understanding of Your Will and Ways, open my eyes to see the path, to take the Leap of Faith in each thing, in each event, in each moment of loss and distress.
Lord, be with my three children. Bless them with Your Love, Grace, blessings, and open their eyes and their hearts to receive You and accept You. Almighty God, You can do all things. Thus I know and believe that Your love will "cure" my children.
All this I ask because You allow me to come before You through the blood of Your Son and the Love and Guidance of the Holy Spirit. Bless us Oh God with all the Love and Grace, Faith and Hope, Forgiveness and Blessings that we can hold to overflowing.
In Jesus's Holy, Immaculate Name, Amen.
And in the end, what do you live for, what keeps you going, what inspires you and moves you, what makes your life worth living, what is the source of your joy and happiness?
If you can answer that, then you have a higher, worthy life. Otherwise you are not much different than the lower animals, just surviving and doing the basic biological demands of living, reproducing, and dying.
For me to live is to follow and obey God's Will.
How about you?
Consider today's meditation by Charles Spurgeon:
October 7
Morning
“Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant?” Num_11:11
Our heavenly Father sends us frequent troubles to try our faith. If our faith be worth anything, it will stand the test. Gilt is afraid of fire, but gold is not: the paste gem dreads to be touched by the diamond, but the true jewel fears no test. It is a poor faith which can only trust God when friends are true, the body full of health, and the business profitable; but that is true faith which holds by the Lord’s faithfulness when friends are gone, when the body is sick, when spirits are depressed, and the light of our Father’s countenance is hidden. A faith which can say, in the direst trouble, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him,” is heaven-born faith. The Lord afflicts his servants to glorify himself, for he is greatly glorified in the graces of his people, which are his own handiwork. When “tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,” the Lord is honoured by these growing virtues. We should never know the music of the harp if the strings were left untouched; nor enjoy the juice of the grape if it were not trodden in the winepress; nor discover the sweet perfume of cinnamon if it were not pressed and beaten; nor feel the warmth of fire if the coals were not utterly consumed. The wisdom and power of the great Workman are discovered by the trials through which his vessels of mercy are permitted to pass. Present afflictions tend also to heighten future joy. There must be shades in the picture to bring out the beauty of the lights. Could we be so supremely blessed in heaven, if we had not known the curse of sin and the sorrow of earth? Will not peace be sweeter after conflict, and rest more welcome after toil? Will not the recollection of past sufferings enhance the bliss of the glorified? There are many other comfortable answers to the question with which we opened our brief meditation, let us muse upon it all day long.
Evening
“Now on whom dost thou trust?” Isa_36:5
Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian’s answer, and see if it is yours. “On whom dost thou trust?”
“I trust,” says the Christian, “in a triune God.
I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are.
I trust the Son. Very God of very God is he-the man Christ Jesus. I trust in him to take away all my sins by his own sacrifice, and to adorn me with his perfect righteousness. I trust him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before his Father’s throne, and I trust him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust him for what he is, for what he has done, and for what he has promised yet to do.
And I trust the Holy Spirit-he has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust him to drive them all out; I trust him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness; I trust him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light for ever.”
Oh, blessed trust! To trust him whose power will never be exhausted, whose love will never wane, whose kindness will never change, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect goodness can never know a diminution!
Happy art thou, reader, if this trust is thine! So trusting, thou shalt enjoy sweet peace now, and glory hereafter, and the foundation of thy trust shall never be removed.
The Christian Life is a life of incredibly difficult, seemingly unnatural acts. We are to love, forgive, help, share, care, endure, sacrifice, be humble, contrite, pure, and other humanly impossible tasks. No natural human being can do all this. On top of all that we are to believe on a figure of history from thousands of years ago, accept Him as the Son of God, come to Him in humble, contrite state of mind, accept His absolution and redemption, and call upon this Jesus as the Savior, the great Redeemer of our lives and our souls. We are then to go forth and live a Godly, blessed lives as a blessing to others.
OK, not too bad a deal! Do able. Acceptable. Good news indeed!
Consider today's thoughts from James Ryle:
October 6
The Exemplary Life
"Live an exemplary life." (1 Peter 2:12, The Message).
Exemplary means "serving as a commendable pattern to be imitated." No pressure here, but may I ask what about your life as a follower of Jesus would others say is exemplary?
If the question leaves you a bit unsettled that's a good thing. Because it shows that you at least care.
Some of us squirm out of false humility. "Aw shucks," we reply, "why, golly, there's nothing in me that even comes close to being like Jesus." Oh, grow up!
Others of us squirm for more substantial reasons. We know two things. One, we are called to something better. And two, we are settling for less.
Peter said, "Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul." (1 Peter 2:11).
Jesus wants to fill us each with His spirit, thereby making our lives exemplary. He wants us to be good friends, good parents, good neighbors, good employees, good employers, good people. So good, in fact, that even those who otherwise oppose us cannot help but commend our lives.
This is do-able. So. let's do it!
The key is being filled with His Spirit.
May God fill you with His Holy Spirit today and always.
