enchante 4,542 Posted February 6, 2019 Share Posted February 6, 2019 day three of our challenge! Devotional Useful in the New Season Do you believe in sharing your toothbrush? If you are like most people, the thought of sharing your toothbrush may disgust you! And certainly, most of us will never consider using our toothbrush to clean anything other than our own teeth! The toothbrush is something personal, not to be shared, and only for one purpose and one alone. The Bible has words for this – “set apart†or “holyâ€. The Word of God tells us that as followers of Christ, we are to be holy. This means He wants our lives to be set apart for His use only. In 2 Timothy 2, to do this, we must do two things – doing either one or the other is not enough. First, run away. Stay far away from things that can stimulate wrong desires; which are things contrary to what Jesus intends for us to think or do. Flee from youthful lusts and anything that can make us unclean. Second, pursue. Run after righteous living, faithfulness, love and peace. Galatians 5:19-23 tells us the same idea in different words: we are to put off the works of the flesh, and then follow after the Holy Spirit and allow Him to develop His fruit in our lives. Today let us ask God, as David did: “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.†(Psalm 51:10) Let us ask the Holy Spirit to search us and reveal anything in our lives that does not please Him. Then let us admit our wrongs to Him and turn away from them. This opens the way for God to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). As we do that, we can expect Him to give us breakthroughs for stubborn habits, addictions, etc. As we allow God to cleanse our hearts, we become honourable vessels fit for the Master’s use. Reflection What are things around you that stir up wrong desires? Determine to put these things away today. Ask God to search and show you areas for you to make right. Repent and ask for forgiveness and cleansing. Recommit your life to Him, to be a vessel fit for His use Prayer Lord, search my heart. Shine Your light into every corner of my heart, thoughts, desires, and even my possessions. Remove anything in my life that does not please You, so I can be useful for You, and give me a heart to obey You. Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Galatians 5:19-23 19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Psalm 51:10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Faith or Works of the Law 1You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 3:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit. 4Have you experienced 3:4 Or suffered so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.†3:6 Gen. 15:6 7Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.†3:8 Gen. 12:3; 18:18; 22:18 9So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. 10For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.†3:10 Deut. 27:26 11Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.†3:11 Hab. 2:4 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.†3:12 Lev. 18:5 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.†3:13 Deut. 21:23 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. The Law and the Promise - Galatians 3 15Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. 16The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,†meaning many people, but “and to your seed,†3:16 Gen. 12:7; 13:15; 24:7 meaning one person, who is Christ. 17What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. 18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise. 19Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. 20A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one. 21Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. 22But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Children of God 23Before the coming of this faith, 3:22,23 Or through the faithfulness of Jesus… 23 Before faith came we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. 26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Join us in the official thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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