Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Today's scriptures are about consciously living in righteousness. We learned yesterday about the prevalence of evil in the world, and the works of the enemy, which is why we must consciously live in Christ. Death and Jesus’ return are both certain, but we can't be sure which will come first, so we much be aware of our righteousness, at all times. Righteousness is a free gift, offered by God, through Jesus Christ. It's written: [Christ]...who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-25) When you think of being righteous, what comes to mind? One of the things we learn from the Word is that Jesus was, and will forever be the only "perfect" man. He did everything according to the Word of God, because He was God in the flesh. We're not expected to be Jesus, but we are expected to try our best to imitate Him. Most importantly, we're not expected to take on this tough job alone. Quite frankly, it's much easier to sin, then it is to do right, and Jesus admits to that Himself. He said: “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) Jesus was tempted by the devil, just as we are on a daily basis, so He knows how hard it is to enter into the “narrow gate”, yet God still expects us to be righteous, because Jesus didn't leaves us alone. Not only is He our intercessor, but we also have the His Holy Spirit to help us through everyday life. I don't think we use our Holy Spirit as much as we should. He's a very important a part of the Trinity of God, and gives us the power to overcome temptation, avoid evil or harmful situations, heal ourselves and others through Christ, as well as effectively communicate with God. He's the Advocate of righteousness, and will make sure that we're achieving it, when we consult Him in everything we do. In watching Reality TV, I’ve noticed that the new trend for the celebrities is hiring a "Life Coach". This is a person who helps you live your life to your fullest potential. They come to your home and help you change your bad eating, sleeping, and overall living habits. They also come to your job and/or business and help you work efficiently. They're basically hired by people, who may be struggling to move forward in their life, to help give them a push. I think that's a wonderful concept, to those who could afford to do something like that, but that's nothing new. We've had a Spiritual life coach inside of us all along. That's all the Holy Spirit is, and when we ask Him for help, He's right there to give us the answers. All we have to do is consult Him, and He'll show us the way. The only way to live righteously is to live on purpose. Live like a child of God, because if you've accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, that's who you are. You are the son or daughter of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, so you must live like royalty, because you’ve received you inheritance through Christ. He's blessed you with the gifts to be able to be righteous, and that's what He expects from you. We don't expect to see the daughter of the King of England, homeless on the streets, because she is royalty, and her parents have afforded her the assets to live like royalty, all the days of her life. Well our Father, the King of Kings, has done the same thing for us. We never have to want for anything, as long as we're following His will. He's laid out certain rules that we must follow, and they aren't as hard as we once thought, because we can always ask Him for help. We must put on the Fruits of the Spirit each day, starting as soon as we get out of bed. We must make a conscious effort to avoid sin, so if you know your weakness is alcohol, stay out of the bar. If you know you gossip too much, surround yourself with people who don't. It's all about making conscious life choices, and sticking to them, in hopes of making your Heavenly Father proud. That's all righteousness is. Do it for Him, because He's already done so much for you. If you live a life with thanksgiving and meekness in your heart, righteousness is sure to follow. The Key to starting on this journey is to hire the one true "Life Coach", who is Jesus Christ. It won't cost you one dime, all you need is Faith, and He'll do the rest. If you aren't sure of your Salvation, try taking Dr. Stanley's God Quiz today. My favorite verses today are: Little children, abide in him that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. (1John 2:28-29)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455328&dtype=Scripture
http://www.intouch.org/site/pp.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943197
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nl/newsletter.asp?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943547

I love you!