John 15:15
"I have called you friends."
"I have called you friends."
During our staff meeting yesterday our devotion was written by Oswald Chambers. We discussed around the table that we will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender in every detail of our lives. Yet self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying, "I'll surrender if...!" Or we approach it by saying, "I guess I have to serve God or go to hell, or at best obey the word of God." We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways.
We can’t love others well if we don’t love our Savior well first. Loving Christ, above all else, is a daily decision and it takes a commitment to Him, His Word and a desire to obey Him. I can’t help but go to 1st John to exhort myself in this. I studied 1 John years ago and it made profound impact on me. It is a great book to help you learn to love Jesus and understand His love for you!
Love Christ well by repenting of your sins to Him. This is something we neglect to do. Why? Because we are prideful and think we are “good”. No one is good BUT the Lord God. 1 John 9-10 ” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” Repentance is a beautiful gift the Father allows us to do before Him through Christ. Getting along well with others means you take care of your sins with God before you go after another Christian.
We can’t love others well if we don’t love our Savior well first. Loving Christ, above all else, is a daily decision and it takes a commitment to Him, His Word and a desire to obey Him. I can’t help but go to 1st John to exhort myself in this. I studied 1 John years ago and it made profound impact on me. It is a great book to help you learn to love Jesus and understand His love for you!
Love Christ well by repenting of your sins to Him. This is something we neglect to do. Why? Because we are prideful and think we are “good”. No one is good BUT the Lord God. 1 John 9-10 ” If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” Repentance is a beautiful gift the Father allows us to do before Him through Christ. Getting along well with others means you take care of your sins with God before you go after another Christian.
Psalm 40:8
"I delight to do Your will, O my God..."
"I delight to do Your will, O my God..."
ACTION STEP: God engineers circumstances to see what we will do. Will we be the children of our Father in Heaven, or will we go back again to the meaner, common sense attitude? Will you, will I stake all and stand true to God? Will we be faithful unto death, and receive a crown of life? The choice is ours.
The longer I live the more I desire to live a life of sacrifice, because I see the wages it pays, I see the glory of God in my ways, and in the days that I can do no more; He steps in with His grace and flows through me. I have the great privilege of living long enough to see that dying to self is the greatest joy of my life. I sacrificed my body to be fruitful and multiply, and I was rewarded with three beautiful daughters and three incredibly delightful grandchildren. If I had my life to live again, I would sacrifice more. I would encourage others to sacrifice more, try harder, work longer, stand stronger, be bolder until the death; doing all to serve my Lord. He deserves it all. Don't be a biting sheep but a lamb who lays down his life for others.
The longer I live the more I desire to live a life of sacrifice, because I see the wages it pays, I see the glory of God in my ways, and in the days that I can do no more; He steps in with His grace and flows through me. I have the great privilege of living long enough to see that dying to self is the greatest joy of my life. I sacrificed my body to be fruitful and multiply, and I was rewarded with three beautiful daughters and three incredibly delightful grandchildren. If I had my life to live again, I would sacrifice more. I would encourage others to sacrifice more, try harder, work longer, stand stronger, be bolder until the death; doing all to serve my Lord. He deserves it all. Don't be a biting sheep but a lamb who lays down his life for others.
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