“But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Romans 6:17,18 (NKJV)
In Christ, we are accepted as slaves or servants to righteousness. Sadly enough some people see being “righteous” as a type of slavery they don’t want, something that impedes upon their right to do as they please whenever they please. They treat sin as if it is their freedom to do the “whatever.” Which in today’s society is how people view it as we look pass the consequences of the one and fail to weigh the benefit of the other, of being servants of righteousness. The part we play is being obedient with all our heart to the standard of teaching set by God through Christ as we conform to God’s divine will in thought, purpose, and action. Once we take the blinders off that Satan tries to put on us it becomes obvious that there is no better Master than the Lord himself.
Closing thought: We may not see the immediate benefit or joy of being on the working side of righteousness but they are there. Eternal blessings that outweigh the instant joy we may get from being slaves to sin on earth that has no pardon unless we seek it here on earth. We are given the choice to choose who we want as our master, God or Satan. Slipping ourselves into the equation, as the one we feel should be the master is only a temporary solution with eternal consequences. Bottomline, we can’t serve both God and man, give the throne of your heart to God, you won’t regret it.
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Showing posts with label In Christ I AM Devotional Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In Christ I AM Devotional Series. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Justified by Faith
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God..” Romans 5:1,2 (NKJV)
In Christ, we are accepted as justified. Many times in our lives we try to justify our own actions mostly as an excuse for our behavior. In Romans, Paul tells us that in Christ we are justified which means acquitted, declared righteous and given the right standing with God through faith. Not through being a “good” person, through actions or anything else but faith alone so no one can boast. Indeed faith in Christ and faith in our Heavenly Father. In Rom 3:23,24 Paul puts it this way, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (NKJV).
There we have it, our road to salvation is found in Christ alone. It’s not just handed to us to use and abuse as excuse to sin but to do our part admitting that we are sinners. Receiving His grace and justification as a corridor to improvement and true redemption through faith in our Lord and Savior.
Closing thought: The choice becomes ours, are we looking for an excuse, a way out or seeking true justification not for our actions but for ourselves and our souls. All it takes is having faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We may not understand all that He does but we need to have faith that He knows what He’s doing. That He certainly is who He says He is, the Son of the living God, our heavenly Father. We may not understand the beginning of it all but we need to have the faith to know where He’s going and where we want to go as well.
When we become justified through Christ then our actions should reflect that as ones given the right standing with God through the faith and the redemption found in Christ. The slate of our heart is clean and it’s up to us to keep it that way with the help of the Holy Spirit as our walk reflects our new established standing with God. A standing available to all, a standing made possible for those in Christ.
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
In Christ, we are accepted as justified. Many times in our lives we try to justify our own actions mostly as an excuse for our behavior. In Romans, Paul tells us that in Christ we are justified which means acquitted, declared righteous and given the right standing with God through faith. Not through being a “good” person, through actions or anything else but faith alone so no one can boast. Indeed faith in Christ and faith in our Heavenly Father. In Rom 3:23,24 Paul puts it this way, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (NKJV).
There we have it, our road to salvation is found in Christ alone. It’s not just handed to us to use and abuse as excuse to sin but to do our part admitting that we are sinners. Receiving His grace and justification as a corridor to improvement and true redemption through faith in our Lord and Savior.
Closing thought: The choice becomes ours, are we looking for an excuse, a way out or seeking true justification not for our actions but for ourselves and our souls. All it takes is having faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We may not understand all that He does but we need to have faith that He knows what He’s doing. That He certainly is who He says He is, the Son of the living God, our heavenly Father. We may not understand the beginning of it all but we need to have the faith to know where He’s going and where we want to go as well.
When we become justified through Christ then our actions should reflect that as ones given the right standing with God through the faith and the redemption found in Christ. The slate of our heart is clean and it’s up to us to keep it that way with the help of the Holy Spirit as our walk reflects our new established standing with God. A standing available to all, a standing made possible for those in Christ.
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Christ's Friend
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15 (NKJV)
In Christ, we can be accepted as His friend. It’s no secret that a good friend is hard to come by. Not to many people would turn away the chance to have a dear friend. However, to often instead of associating ourselves with good “friends” we get acquainted with people who tell us what our itching ears want to hear. Christ in the verse prior to this one said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” A statement of truth meant for the betterment of us not for His selfish gain and definitely not what our itching ears want to hear. Our part or responsibility in this was clearly stated, we are to be obedient to His commands opening the door for us to go from mere servants to friends as He closes the gap between the Heavenly Father and us.
Closing Thought: We must never doubt that we do have a friend in Jesus, someone who cares. A full time companion on-call 24 hours a day seven days a week. There to see us through whatever comes along in life. He’s not going to beg us to be His friend, we don’t have to beg Him to be our friend, the terms are laid out, and the choice is ours. Which is it going to be, friend or foe?
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing Company
In Christ, we can be accepted as His friend. It’s no secret that a good friend is hard to come by. Not to many people would turn away the chance to have a dear friend. However, to often instead of associating ourselves with good “friends” we get acquainted with people who tell us what our itching ears want to hear. Christ in the verse prior to this one said, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” A statement of truth meant for the betterment of us not for His selfish gain and definitely not what our itching ears want to hear. Our part or responsibility in this was clearly stated, we are to be obedient to His commands opening the door for us to go from mere servants to friends as He closes the gap between the Heavenly Father and us.
Closing Thought: We must never doubt that we do have a friend in Jesus, someone who cares. A full time companion on-call 24 hours a day seven days a week. There to see us through whatever comes along in life. He’s not going to beg us to be His friend, we don’t have to beg Him to be our friend, the terms are laid out, and the choice is ours. Which is it going to be, friend or foe?
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing Company
A Child of God
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14 (NKJV)
In Christ, we can be accepted as children of God. What an honor to know that we are given the privilege and respect of being able to be a child of God, a product of the Lord, the creator of our universe. Our part or responsibility is allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God. We can’t be directed by ourselves and considered sons of God; we can’t be led by the world and claim the title. We can’t do it by being piloted by Satan and his path of disobedience to the scriptures. We can’t do it by trying to be in the front position expecting God to follow us instead of the other way around. We become sons of God by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the obedience that comes with following His Word in an uncompromising manner.
Closing Thought: The admiration of being called a child of God should make us feel proud to be in a family with a Father who is so totally awesome. The behavior of some of our siblings shouldn’t stop us from wanting to be one of His children. What’s important is that we do our part and allow our Heavenly Father to be the one who cares for the actions of His children. The benefits that come from being the child we should be can’t be beat such as a final home specially designed for us with a Father who cares. No more joint custody battles between Satan and God, good and evil, right or wrong. Little prodigals home to stay.
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
In Christ, we can be accepted as children of God. What an honor to know that we are given the privilege and respect of being able to be a child of God, a product of the Lord, the creator of our universe. Our part or responsibility is allowing ourselves to be led by the Spirit of God. We can’t be directed by ourselves and considered sons of God; we can’t be led by the world and claim the title. We can’t do it by being piloted by Satan and his path of disobedience to the scriptures. We can’t do it by trying to be in the front position expecting God to follow us instead of the other way around. We become sons of God by following the guidance of the Holy Spirit through the obedience that comes with following His Word in an uncompromising manner.
Closing Thought: The admiration of being called a child of God should make us feel proud to be in a family with a Father who is so totally awesome. The behavior of some of our siblings shouldn’t stop us from wanting to be one of His children. What’s important is that we do our part and allow our Heavenly Father to be the one who cares for the actions of His children. The benefits that come from being the child we should be can’t be beat such as a final home specially designed for us with a Father who cares. No more joint custody battles between Satan and God, good and evil, right or wrong. Little prodigals home to stay.
Copyright 2007 by Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)