HAPPY MONDAY!
Today’s scriptures are about prioritizing the laws and will of God. Jesus came to set us free from the penalty of sin, which is death and complete separation from God. However, we’re still obligated to make following God’s will for our life our number one priority. Just because we’ve been redeemed, doesn’t mean that we still don’t have to walk on the path of righteousness, and complete the will set forth for us. Remember our flesh wants what it wants, but our job is to please God first, and He’ll in turn reward us according to His riches and glory. Choosing the Spirit over the flesh, right over wrong, is commonly the hardest thing for us to do, because we were born with a sinful nature, however, through Christ we can accomplish all things. So we must commit to doing whatever it is that God’s has for us to do, because it’s not about us, it’s about the Kingdom as a whole. God said, love Me, and love each other, and that’s all that He requires of us. Granted, there are a lot of things that fall under those two very loaded commandments, but Love comes from the heart, and it’s the easiest thing that we can give.
What comes with our freedom? Do we have the ability to live life any way we see fit, and still inherit the Kingdom of God? That’s question has a few answers. First, once you believe Jesus as Lord, and sincerely repent for your sins, your name has been written in the Lambs Book of Life. You can sin until the cows come home, and still go to heaven, because you’re a believer. At the same time, we will ALL stand judgment one day, and our sins won’t go unpunished. Moreover, we won’t have any type of quality of life here on earth. Being covered in sin is just as bad as a terminal illness—it’ll keep eating away at you, until you have nothing left. You’ll feel hollow inside, and alone, trust me I’ve known the feeling very well. You see when Jesus comes into your life, He takes up residency in your heart, and God begins a good work in you. The Apostle Paul told the Philippians to be “confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ”. (1:6) No matter what happens in this life, Jesus won’t ever give up on us, and will never stop pushing us to be righteous. The Holy Spirit will convict us of our sins, as well as offer continued guidance along the way. However, in every situation you still make the final choice—do you choose righteousness or the flesh?
It’s written: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have 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) There you have it! It’s not okay to keep sinning against God and saying, “God knows my heart”, “He’ll forgive me whenever I ask”, or “I’ll repent later”. Being a Christian isn’t a joke, it’s a new life that we take on. We must make a conscious decision to live right, and do right by God. We must follow the laws of Moses, because they are guidelines to help us be good people. If we break them, it doesn’t mean condemnation, as it once meant, but it will grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We must decide to live right each and every day, and in every situation, because that’s who we are in Christ. As long as we’re trying our best to do right, He’ll carry us the rest of the way.
With Jesus in our life, all we have to do is put one foot in front of the other, and follow His lead. He laid a good foundation—He was in the flesh, tempted and tried just as we are, yet He overcame every trap set by the enemy, because His focus was on His Father and keeping His commandments. That’s something that we all have to learn, how to realize that we’re no longer under the laws of the flesh, or ruled by darkness, but we’re righteous through Christ. We’ve overcome the world, and live above it. We’re royalty and joint heirs to the Kingdom of God, and we’re free! When you’re armed with the wisdom and knowledge of God, it’s important to walk by it. It’s written: If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17)
To reiterate, Jesus offers salvation and freedom to all who believe in Him, but it’s a choice. In order to choose Jesus, just confess your sins with a sincere heart, and ask Him to be your Lord and Savior. Once we say that initial prayer, we must choose Jesus everyday and in everything that we do. We must choose to stay on the straight and narrow path Jesus warned us about. We must make an effort to Love God, and love each other. We must make good decisions, but most importantly pray without ceasing—keep that communication open with God. If you’re not sure what you believe right now, please take a moment and take the God Quiz right now. My favorite verses today are: What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4)
ENJOY! http://www.bible.com/scripture-detail.php?juli=2455607&dtype=Scripture
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I love you!
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