Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY THURSDAY!

I pray all is well with everyone, and you're enjoying another beautiful Friday eve. I'm doing well, just a little tired, following my first night back in the gym. It was a disaster, I felt like I had smoked an entire pack of cigarettes when I was on the treadmill. I know not to have a weekend like that again; it was like I pushed myself back to the beginning. I have to go through the first week all over again, I even gained 4 pounds. Now I can't eat anything but salad and fruit for the next week or so. I have a refrigerator full of leftovers that I can't eat. I hate wasting money like that. You are welcome to it, come raid my fridge this weekend, because I'm on strike! Have a wonderful day!

Today's scriptures are about finding Salvation. We all know the story of Jesus Christ, and how God gave Him as a living sacrifice. He came to save us from the penalties of sin, which includes the ultimate consequence, an eternity in hell. Through God's grace, salvation is free to all who asks, and receives it through Christ. The keywords here are “ask” and “receive”, which are action verbs. God has known our every move before we were even born, so there's no need for us to go to Him as if He's just any human being. We can't hide anything from Him, because He knows our thoughts before we think them. Jesus helps those of us who genuinely wants to be righteous. Jesus said: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). When I ask people if they're saved, they often reply, "saved from what?” Most of us view salvation as a free pass to Heaven, but it's much more than that. Jesus came to give us life, not only eternal life, but life here on earth as well. Romans 6:22-23 says: But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. I don't know about you, but if I have to be a slave, I'd rather it be a slave to God. I know how much He loves me, and to prove His love, He gave His son to die for my sins. Sin causes nothing but strife, heartache and pain. Just take a moment to think about it. Some times it'll give us enjoyment at that instant, but there's always dangerous repercussions. When Jesus enters our heart we began the transformation from sin to righteousness. We are required to follow the guidance of our Holy Spirit. Subtly, He'll start to make us aware of sin through conviction, and when we're convicted, we should be quick to repent, and try our best to refrain. Eventually, when we take heed of our Spirit's guidance, we'll start to sin less and grow more. On the other hand, we could ignore the Spirit’s warnings to repent, until that voice becomes null, and we become slaves to the flesh. If we don't confess our sins, then God's hands are tied, and we're open to the penalties. The moment was ask, "forgive me of my trespasses", and go forth to with the intention to sin no more, we're free, thanks to Jesus. This is not an open invitation to recklessly sin, as so many of us think; this is a privilege that shouldn't be taken for granted. This gift allows us to live a life full of peace and happiness. God has a perfect plan for our lives, and He's ready and willing to guide us every step of the way. It's up to us to fall in line. However, bringing our flesh into submission isn't easy, but it is possible with Jesus' help. He has already done the hard part, and all we have to do is seek His wisdom. Wisdom is more priceless than anything else we could ever acquire on earth. Righteousness should be our main goal, and we need to put forth every effort to get as close to it as possible. Perfection is something we'll never achieve, as long as we're in the flesh, but righteousness is something we need to work on everyday. You know what I learned just this morning? I’ve learned that our relationship with God needs to be nurtured every single day. Yesterday, I battled to stay on course, and as I casted my cares upon the Lord, my day got better, and I ended it with a smile on my face. Of course, when I woke up this morning, the battle started all over again. I'm thinking, "come on now, I just got over this yesterday...", and my Spirit said to me, "yesterday is gone, tomorrow has problems of it's own, you could only focus on today". That's when the light bulb went off! I was drawn to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6), when I first reentered my walk with God, and verses 25-34 got me through some tough times, but I'll leave you with verses 33-34: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Don't allow the enemy to cheat you out of your inheritance, through Jesus Christ. You can be righteous, but you have to seek Him to find out how. It's up to us to change; He will not do it for us, but help is readily available. My favorite verses today are: We, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. (2 Peter 3:13-14)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2454980&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=5131179&ct=6959741

I love you!