Daily Devotional Day & Night

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today's scriptures are about our transformation from sinner to saint. Sin may be one of the most talked about subjects in Christianity, because it's a huge issue with all mankind. It's been an issue since the beginning of creation, and continues to plague us today. Sin hinders our growth, and disrupts our peace, so it's like a virus that gets into our soul, and quickly infects all areas of our life. If not properly dealt with, sin could cause death, so we must always be aware of its hold on us, and do our best to avoid it. Nonetheless, when we do fall short, and we will, we must quickly confess and repent. We're born in sin, and are slaves to sin up to the day that we are cleansed by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
Paul talks all about it in Romans 6, and he starts the chapter: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (Rom 6:1-4 NIV) Jesus’ entire existence had to do with freeing us from the bondage of sin. As His followers, we too must die with Him, meaning our sinful and wicked nature. Once He enters our life, our Spirit is resurrected in Him. However, we are required to surrender to Him, just as He surrendered His life for us on the cross. That’s the only way to experience the best of this new life. Once we surrender, God begins to cleanse us, giving us a new walk and talk. He clothes us with righteousness, piece by piece.
We must be careful not to take God's grace for granted. This reminds me of the story of Jonah, and why he ran, when God told him to go warn the people of Nineveh to change their ways, before they allowed wickedness and sin to destroy them. Jonah knew the reputation of these wicked people, but knew God better. He would rather have died then to see these people, who totally disrespected and disregarded God, be forgiven. After God forgave and restored these people Jonah was angry at Him, and it's written: He prayed to the LORD, "O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. (Jonah 4:2) If it were up to Jonah these people would’ve been destroyed, however, God was able to save an entire nation of people, who ultimately ended up singing His praises. This story helps me better appreciate, and fear, God all at the same time, because I know all of the consequences of sin are real, but I also know that He will quickly forgive me when I ask. I know that no matter how many mistakes I make He's there. I know that before He just writes me off, He'll go to great lengths to win me back. He's constantly refining me, and everything that happens to me, is meant to make me a better person.
I'm grateful that God sees us as He does, because He's the only Judge that matters. A lot of our sin comes from trying to please other people. We sacrifice a great deal to have “the good life” that’s outlined by man. Wealth, prestige, success, careers, education, etc., all determines how valuable we are in the eyes of others. There are so many that sell their soul, or compromise their integrity to get these things on a grand scale, and that’s very sad. Don’t get me wrong, God wants us to have the “finer things in life”, but at what cost? I think we could accomplish so much more for the Kingdom of God, if we live like no one but God is watching.
Too much focus on sin, and trying to avoid it, will only lead us to sin more. More focus on God, and learning His ways and commandments, will naturally minimize our sin. For example, if you're fasting junk food, but constantly thinking “no cake, no cake, no cake…” the only thing on your mind is cake, which will cause you to fall short. Instead of thinking “no cake”, try thinking of what you could have instead. The good news is, we're incapable of never committing a sin, that's a known fact, so we don't have to focus on that. However, we need to focus on how we can better please God. He's responsible for making us righteous, because we're incapable to do that for ourselves.
Loving God with all your heart, and loving your neighbor as yourself is the only thing that we're required to do. Jesus never said, "don't sin, and you'll go to Heaven". He simply said love me, and I will give you the desires of your heart. The key to overcoming sin is to trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then getting to know Him. Once you learn who He is, you can't help but love Him! My favorite verses today are: Ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. (Colossians 3:9-10)

ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455387&dtype=Scripture
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