I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and to the foolish.-Romans 1:14 |
I recall a woman I knew was short about $8 when she was paying for her groceries. A man she never met before motioned to the cashier to put the difference on his bill. I remember her telling me that she felt obliged to pass the $8 to a charity. This incident is an illustration of how we are to live our spiritual lives. We should feel an obligation to pass on to others the kindness shown to us. That, is exactly, how Paul responded to God’s mercy. We can never really pay back what the Lord has done for our salvation, but it should not stop us from openly showing our gratitude. Because of what we have received through His Word, we can show the greatest kind of charity by sharing the Gospel with others. We are indebted to God for everything, and we can show our appreciation by telling others about Him.
“Lord, Your Word commands me to ‘go and preach the good news to all creation’. Instil in my heart the desire to share Your tender love and blessed providence that all might come to share in the promise of Your salvation.”
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But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. --Matthew 12:36 |
If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that some of our conversation is nothing more than careless talk. In Matthew 12:36 Jesus warned that for every careless word we speak we have to give account for it. Pause for a moment and think about what your usual conversation is like. What is the subject of most of your discussions? Do you talk too much and not give opportunity for others to speak? Is your speech profitable to others? Above all do your words glorify the Lord?
“Lord, make me look up to You before I commit my tongue so I may be able to speak words that build up others and not words that just fill the air. Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips, so I may bless hearts every day.”
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To obey is better than sacrifice. --1 Samuel 15:22 |
In my daily walk with God, I am becoming painfully aware of how often I use my own definitions instead of His. Is my perception of obedience the same as His? Do I observe God’s commands as passed to me from generation to generation, or do I modify His Word to suit my preferences? Samuel asked Saul, “why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you …. do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” (1 Sam. 15:19). But the Lord, “does not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (ver, 22). If I want ti identify myself as a citizen of God’s kingdom, I must follow His every word without modifying them to suit my own ideas. That’s obedience.
“Lord, give me the strength to fight any temptation that distances me from Your loving peace. Make me see daily the need to follow You in everything that I do because in You alone can I find the true meaning of life, because without You I am nothing. Make me search the bottom of my heart for any misconceptions I , myself, have brought into my heart so that I might know the true meaning of obedience.”
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