Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today's scriptures are about walking in ways pleasing to God. Dr. Stanley quotes this awesome phrase, "Obey God, and leave the consequences to Him". The first time I heard him say that, I missed the point, then one day I heard it and it hit me. That's a wonderful outlook have on life. God gives us free will, yet requires us to be obedient to Him. Nonetheless, some of the things He puts before us, doesn't quite seem right at that moment and time, but His will is His will. Our love is what pleases Him the most, and obedience is a huge way to show that love. Christ has paid our sin debt in full, now we belong to Him (John 10:29). He has called us to salivation, and once we answer, we've taken on the great responsibility to walk in righteousness. We represent God, through Christ, and when on this earth, we're to conduct ourselves as Holy. Holiness shines from the inside out, so it requires us to work on our hearts first. Jesus is the only way to instill that light in our hearts, and then He starts to permeate through us. We have the great, yet awesome responsibility to conduct ourselves as if we're in the presence of God at all times, because we are. When it comes to the Omnipresent God that we serve, there isn't any "behind closed doors. The only way we'll be able to be conformed into the Holy persons we're meant to be, is by keeping that communication with Him. We're all imperfect human beings, so our righteousness comes solely from the Holy Spirit within us. God never chose us because of how good we are, but because He knew where we would be. Walking in Holiness requires us to share our Joys and concerns, as well as sharing the victories as they come along. It also requires a never ending fellowship with God, and never being ashamed of His presence in our life. Paul wrote, in his second letter to Timothy, how important it is not to be ashamed to God, shortly before his death. It's written in the Woman's Devotional Bible (NIV), " This letter represents the advice of someone who knows he is at the end of his life. Paul knows that His work is done, so he goes on to challenge Timothy to have a more effective ministry and encourages him to persevere in his walk with God". Paul writes in 2 Timothy 1:8-12: Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day. Paul was an awesome asset to the Church of Christ, because he was able to move on, and keep his faith, no matter what his circumstances; he was another great example of how to walk in Holiness. He was never said to be perfect, nor was he without sin. It's well known what and who Paul was, before He found Jesus, but at the end of His life, those things aren't prevalent in His impact on strengthening the Kingdom of God. Once God called him, he did his best to walk in righteousness. He made sure to use his past and present experiences, which gave him great wisdom, to warn and teach his fellow brothers and sisters. Paul still continues to teach all of us, thousands of years after his death, as did so many other biblical figures. If you examined your life right now, do you think you're making a difference in anyone's life? It doesn't have to be on the scale of Paul, but walking in Holiness means you're a great example of the Love of God in some shape, form, or fashion. Paul made his mark, and it's time for us to make ours. We're each given a gift, and again being righteous means walking in the will of God, and using those gifts to the best of our ability. Not all of us can be a Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, or Barack Obama, but we are extraordinary in our own special way, so continue to make your mark on the world, by allowing Jesus to shine through you. All of these aforementioned people have made their share of mistakes just like us, but they went on to continue to follow God's will for them, and walked in righteousness. God expects the same of us, because we are capable of doing great things, by just be being who we've been called to be. If you don't know Jesus as your Savior, then you aren't walking in righteousness, because you're still in darkness. The only way to receive the light is by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it's your first and most important calling. Prayer will always connect, and keep you connected to God, through Jesus, which makes you Holy. My favorite verses today are: Ye were sometime darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (Ephesians 5:8-11).

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455063&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=5336537&ct=7301687

I love you!