Living For God
OPENING PRAYER:
Dear Lord, all we have comes from you. Please help us to maintain our awareness of that truth and never take it for granted. Help us thank you and honor you by living and engaging in this world in a way that is pleasing to you.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
REFLECT:
Transformed living. What does a transformed life look like? If you believe that Jesus died for your sins and was resurrected three days later, and you freely accept His sacrifice, which serves as your ticket to be with God forever and ever, will your life look different than it did before? Should it? Must it?
These are questions I have pondered since accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior about seven years ago. There are times when it is clear to me I’m living a different life than before, yet at other times I’m not so sure. I tend to be a little “all or nothing” with things, so it’s at best uncomfortable at times for me to not see a crystal clear distinction between how I lived before compared to how I live today.
Though I may desire to have a clean, new way of living I find comfort knowing that two things are very true and are supported by scripture throughout the Bible: Perfection for me here on Earth is unattainable, and by accepting Jesus’ sacrifice I get to be with God for all eternity after I die. Sin exists in this world, there is no getting around it. A transformed life will be a life that seeks to move away from sin rather than towards it, and when sin occurs confession follows. God doesn’t need us to be perfect. He loves us and accepts us no matter what. But just as a parent is pleased by their child who honors them, God is pleased with us when he sees our hearts turned towards him, even if we stumble here and there along the way.
APPLY:
As our society has become more secular it has become more difficult to fully live our daily lives in a way that shows we are fully committed to following Jesus. It can feel risky. My suggestion to you is that if you have the Spirit of Jesus in you to just show it! Be bold. Be fearless. If you love others as Jesus loves us, you can’t go wrong.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Thank you Jesus for sacrificing your life to enable each of us to have a way to be with God forever and ever. You are a life-saver. With you we have access to everything good there is. You are amazing!