Ephesians 2: 3
We also were employed in those works from the first in the desires of our flesh, and we were doing the will of our flesh and of our minds, and we were entirely children of rage, as the rest. Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
Jesus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Without Jesus, it is not in our nature to be good. When the Lord opens our spiritual eyes, and we see our need for salvation and accept Jesus as our Savior, the battle for obedience to the will of God begins. At the beginning of each day, we must position ourselves to run the race and contend for our faith. We don’t become obedient children of light overnight. Like the muscles and bones of our physical body, the walk of faith has to be put in motion daily, or we become weak. Challenges cause our faith to grow, but because change is painful we often rebel against the discipline needed to live a righteous Christian life, such as studying the word of God daily, living in a state of prayer and being an active part of corporate worship.
How many times do we, at the start of the race, knowingly run in the wrong direction? How lightly do I, and how easily do we lightly esteem the example of our Savior Who endured all that we might have eternal life and be reconciled to GOD? How many times Lord, will we run away from Your grace and mercy? When we run away from God, we lose sight of the most important elements of our existence, and we fail to see the damaged state into which we were born. We forget who we are. We become blind to the the dangers of our old nature and character, which are depraved. James 1:23,24 tells us:
He is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass. The point of the comparison is this: Like a man who looks in the glass and soon forgets the impression, so the impression of the word on such a man is soon forgotten. The word must be impressed by the doing of it. – People’s Bible
When we forget who we are in Christ, be become like what we used to be: children of wrath. How many hours per day, how many days weeks months years have we forgotten and will forget that we are children of the Most High GOD? How often have we and will we ignore or run away from corrections required for our improvement? God corrects in love, but correct us He must, if we are to ever know holiness. To be like Christ is the highest state of being, yet it is attained only through suffering, correction, restraint, and complete submission to the will and correction of GOD.
Let us pray: Lord, help us to desire righteousness. Help us want to be like Jesus. Help us reject convenient sins. Help us to get rid of and willingly lay down the weights that would encumber us. Help us to stay firmly at Your throne of grace. Forgive our dense and intense clinging to iniquity, and help us to rise up in newness of life to be like Christ. In Jesus’ precious name we ask these things, O LORD!!!!
May these words educate and comfort you today. Until we meet again: “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)
– Verneda
© 2013 Verneda Lights. All Rights Reserved.
Related articles
