Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY MONDAY!

Today's scriptures are about the human sin. What is sin, and why is it such a big deal? The word Sin is simply defined: transgression of divine law. This definition is simple and plain, but tells the entire story, because Sin is the violation of God’s law. The first man created, Adam, committed the first “sin” or violation, which caused him and his wife Eve to be separated from God. As time went on, and mankind multiplied in numbers, their ways became more evil and wicked. God used Moses to write out the “divine law”, which is otherwise known as the Ten Commandments, found in the book of Exodus chapter 20. We have lots of "shalt nots" in the bible, and we’ll violate several of them throughout our lifetime. The major blessing for you and me is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Once we accept Him as Lord and Savior, His blood covers our sins, and we receive His Holy Spirit, which lives in our heart. With that being said, avoiding sin still is quite necessary, but is by far the hardest thing we’re faced with. Paul explained about the weakness of the flesh, and the constant battle between it and the Spirit, in Galatians chapter 5, where he urges us to walk in the Spirit at all times. Being aware of the Holy Spirit, and consulting Him with every step we take, is the only way to stay righteous, and even then we fall short. It's written: Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal. 5:19-21) Some of these things that Paul mentions seem to be really hard to avoid, like hatred or selfish ambitions. I know I struggle with a number of them daily, and I don't know many people who don’t. The one thing that gives me comfort when reading these, and verses alike, is the fact that I'm not alone. The devil will make us feel like we're the lowest of the low, or scum of the earth when we sin, but in all actuality everyone has and will do it; the only person who every walked the earth sin free is Jesus. I'm not saying this to excuse anything that we do, but the reason most people avoid Jesus, or "Religion" as a whole, is because they think that they must be perfect to serve God. Yes, we must be righteous to serve a righteous God, thus He makes righteousness obtainable through Jesus. It’s because of His perfection that we too could be perfect in God's eyes. That's a reason to rejoice, and sing Hallelujah! Know that if you are a child of God, you were created in His image, and He loves you. No longer allow the devil to tell you that you’re weird, bad, unlovable, hell bound, despicable, or wicked people, who will never change, because you’re no longer any of that in Christ. We still live in the flesh, and it's a battle everyday to avoid sin, but the more we change our focus, the easier it'll get. The more time we give to learning the ways of Jesus, and working for the Kingdom of God, the less our urge to sin becomes. Have confidence in knowing that God who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6). We're all works in progress, but are still expected to grow in our walk with God. The only reason you may not be growing is because you haven't changed anything. Sin is a choice that we don't have to make, but when we do, it will make our life a living hell. If you're tired of living a life full of strife, then you need to make better choices. The right choice is Jesus, because He is the only way to the Father. If you don't know Him as Lord and Savior, then you need to say a prayer asking Him to forgive you of your sins, and to come into your life. When you make, or have made, that decision you still need to choose Him everyday. I'll leave you with the words of Jesus: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matt 7:13-14) My favorite verses today are: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455243&dtype=Scripture
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I love you!