Thursday, August 3, 2023

Thursday, August 3, 2023
James 2:26
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Good works are the evidence that Christ lives inside you, not the payment for His grace. You can never do enough to outweigh your sins and earn a seat in Heaven, but because the Lord of Heaven came down to earth and died on a tree, the debt has been paid. To accept it, all you need to do is believe that Jesus was indeed the Son of God, and that God raised Him from the dead. If you truly do understand that Christ and God are one, and if you truly comprehend the weight of your sins and the agonizing price that was paid to rid you of them, that should change you. He will change you, from the inside out, so that your good works and obedience come naturally, not out of obligation, but out of sincerity, gratitude, and love.

Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Romans 6:16
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

In this life, you can only serve one master: either yourself, or God. You can give into temptations and live for yourself, putting the Lord in second place and ignoring what’s right and wrong, or you can devote your life to your Creator and Savior, living how Christ would live. You’re still going to mess up from time to time, because you’re human, and as human’s we’re inherently sinful and flawed. But at the end of the day, what matters is who you give your allegiance to. Will you run into the arms of temporary, worldly pleasure, ignoring the Holy Spirit that God has put in you, or will you run into His arms, determined to become more like Christ every day?

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

Tuesday, August 1, 2023
James 1:22-24
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

Are you a doer or a hearer? You can know your way around the scriptures, retelling the stories and parroting things that Jesus said… but knowing is only half of it. To make it anything more than knowledge, put God’s Word into practice. Love your enemies, treat others as you want to be treated, love the Lord your God with all your heart. Loving the unlovable and honoring a God we can’t always see isn’t easy. It goes against your nature as a human being. But thankfully, you don’t have to rely on your humanness to make you more like Christ; that’s something He does from the inside out, when you allow Him to come into your heart and start making real changes.

Monday, July 31, 2023

Monday, July 31, 2023
John 14:23
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

The Bible makes it very clear that obedience doesn’t earn you a place in Heaven. It isn’t as if you can make up for your wrongs with rights; perfection is God’s standard, and you’ll never be perfect. The only perfect person ever to exist was nailed to a cross two thousand years ago, and it’s because of His sacrifice that salvation is yours. If you do truly love Jesus and believe that He was the Son of God, listen to what He said. Read His words and think about them. Follow His commandments, and draw close to Him, and He will make His home with you.

Friday, July 28, 2023

Friday, July 28, 2023
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

God is so much bigger than you can possibly picture, and He loves you more than you could ever give Him credit for. He left His own kingdom and came down to the muddy, broken world to live and die as a man, all for you, and everyone who puts their faith in Him. There’s no length He won’t go, and hasn’t gone, for the sake of those He loves, and who love Him. He is all-wise, all-powerful, all-generous and all-caring, and His word tells us that we have not because we ask not. When you pray, pray like you believe He will answer, because He can and He will, all in His perfect timing.

Thursday, July 27, 2023

Thursday, July 27, 2023
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Jesus spent a large part of His ministry preaching peace to the anxious. His words in scripture remind us that life is about more than food, money, or clothing, and that the Lord will care for His kids. You’ll be on this planet, in this country, and in this phase of life for as long as He wants you to be there. Be responsible with the jobs, relationships, and possessions that He has already given you, but remember that at the end of the day, your life isn’t your own. Don’t be anxious about your circumstances; instead, give thanks for what you already have, and let your requests be known to God. Not a single sparrow falls from the tree without the Lord’s notice, and you are worth much, much more than a sparrow.