UPS AND DOWNS
Daphne Powell
Today's Scripture: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2, ESV
Theme: Discerning and obeying the will of God is one sacrifice we can make: a good, acceptable, and perfect sacrifice.
WE STUMBLE
Every day, we wake up in the world, and we are sinful and imperfect. Every day, we wake up and say, “Today Lord, I’m going to be perfect and without sin.” Yet, by the end of the day, we are asking for forgiveness. We all stumble. The Lord knows that we will. That’s why prayer is so important. We should be praying, not to be perfect today, but to do His will today. We focus so much on not sinning, not doing wrong, that we are not living for Him, not fulfilling His purpose for us.
WE FALL
As I sit here drinking my Starbuck’s Latte, watching "Survivor," while getting in a game of "Bubble Buster" on my phone, I think I am failing at not conforming to the world. To not be in this world, we must sacrifice. We all fall. We think that by giving up things, we are going to be missing something. Yes, we are missing the blessings that He wants to bestow on us. We must eliminate the worldly distractions so we can focus on God.
WE GET UP
The day we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we were given the gift of everlasting life. In the end, we will be with Him in Heaven. He knows we won’t be perfect. He gave His only Son, Jesus, to bear the sins for our imperfectness. All He wants from us is for us to get up! Every day, put on the armor; every day, start and end in prayer to Him; and every day, we should be striving to hear His voice and live in this world doing His will.
Make It Personal: Sometimes, I get so caught up in being perfect that I forget He knows I’m not. So, who am I trying to fool? What He wants from me is my eyes on Him and not the TV. What He wants is for me to be reading the Bible and not Instagram. What He wants is for me to love and show grace and mercy to others as He has done for me.
Pray: Lord, every day I pray I become closer to You, that I hear Your voice and rid myself of the worldly distractions. Help me get up and live for you. Amen.
Read: 1 John 4:4; Colossians 1:9-10; Hebrews 4:12; 1 John 1:5-10
Weekly Memory Verse: “...if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14, ESV