Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

Today's scriptures are about punishments and rewards from God. Perfection is something that is virtually impossible to achieve for mankind, so you may ask yourself, "why even try?” The answer to that question lies in one word, Obedience. Do you think that commandments, rules, and regulations were put in place to torture us, or set us up for failure? These things meant for structure, and teach us how to live life with purpose, happiness, peace, and contentment. Remember, we are not in this world alone, and the enemy will stop at nothing to make our life miserable. In the cycle of life, no matter what you believe, you reap what you sow. No good deed goes unnoticed, and I know some of you may not agree with that, but just know that God is always taking notes and keeping count.
God is with us, in our heart at all times, and sees [and even foresees] everything we do. I'm almost at a maturity level, in my Faith walk, to understand that everything I do has a consequence, so whenever I experience hardship, heartache and pain, I immediately look for my part in what happens too me. I ask the Holy Spirit to help me examine myself, and He searches my heart, and reveals sin that I’ve yet dealt with, so that I can confess them, ask for forgiveness and repent. More importantly, I try to look for the lesson in it, and thank God for the opportunity to grow from those experiences. Now I know this sounds like a "text book" answer, and I must admit, I don't always think like this. There are times, just as we learned from the story of Job, that things don't always seems fair. I have moments where I question God, and that’s okay. Sometimes He allows us to sin, to chastise us, to give us wisdom. It's almost like a baby learning to walk, if they never fall down, then they won't appreciate the victory of getting back up and trying again. Sometimes we can't appreciate conquer without a defeat.
Today's subject reminds me of a famous quote, by Alexander Pope, "To err is human, to forgive divine". That is such a powerful statement! We were created from mere dust, and are simply human beings from the time we’re born, because God made us that way. Mistakes are expected, and even helpful to our growth, but blatant disrespect and sinning against God is something that isn't taken lightly. Nonetheless forgiveness is a divine gift from God, through Christ. When we accept Christ as Lord and Savior, we're no longer merely "dust", but become children of God, and heirs to His throne. It's written: For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26) With that in mind, God understands, and forgives us of our sins. Because of Jesus, we'll never be condemned or utterly cast down due to sin, but we will be chastised, and there's a big difference. Our sin will never hold us back from being all that God created us to be, because of His divine grace.
Sin is a big deal in Christianity because it can cause death in so many areas of life, but rewards are just as prevalent, but not as often spoke about. God always rewards good deeds. I'm known as a very "optimistic" person, because I choose the see the good in everything, and I love being that way. In my opinion, we spend so much time comparing ourselves with the world that we fail to notice when we're being rewarded. We must choose to see God in everything! There are so many blessings that we miss we because we’re expecting something different. Remember life is all about checks and balances, and everything will equal out, especially when you delight yourself in the Lord. Take some time to count your blessings, and you'll see that you've been rewarded way more than you thought. God is such a good God, but always keep in mind that His ways are far above the ways of the world. Obedience affords you the ability to asks, seek, and knock, and He will always open doors for you.
If you don't know Jesus as Lord and Savior, please take a moment to talk to God, and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Ask for forgiveness of your sins, and by the blood of Jesus, you'll be given the greatest reward you could ever receive, which is eternal life in Heaven, and a lifetime of forgiveness of your sins big and small. These things are free to ALL who come, humbled and ready to surrender your heart to Him. My favorite verse today is: Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. (1 Peter 5:6)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455378&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!