July 8, 2013 … The Living Dead

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2013 - Day 189

Passage of the Day #1: Romans 6: 11 [Dead to sin; … alive in Christ! ] [NLT] …  
11 So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus.
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Contextual Study involving today’s passage found in Romans, Chapter 6 … Go to this link … 
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Reference Passage of the Day #1: Romans 7: 4-7 [Being dead to self is being alive in Christ!] …
 4 So this is the point: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit. 

Reference Passage of the Day #2: Colossians 3: 3-5 [Real life comes alive in the death of self.] …  
3 For you died when Christ died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your real life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry.

Devotional Song: Go to this link  … Today, please use this link to hear 4Him singing, “The Basics of Life” which challenges all who claim to be in Christ to surrender in repentance and live under and with God’s grace, not under the condemnation of the law.

My Journal for Today: Paul preached it over and over and over again … the basics of the faith, … repenting of our sinfulness, counting ourselves dead to sin, and receiving the grace that allows us to live in and for Christ. And there was a time in our history, … even in this country, … when we were headed down the right and righteous path, ... dying to self and following the Savior.

However, can I get an “AMEN!” that we, especially here in America, have begun to ignore – even snub – God? And the results are evident; … abortion on demand, spreading euthanasia, rampant p0rnography, a plague of obesity, the normalization of homosexuality – even unto gay marriage, and much, much more. As the group, 4Him sings, in the devotional song to which I’ve linked any readers here, “… we need to get back to The Basics of Life.”

And the basics of living in Christ is dying to self; and as I said above, Paul taught and preached that message to the early believers repetitively. His words today in Romans 6 and Colossians 3 are crystal clear. And the Apostle’s exhortation was for believers in Christ to CHOOSE to die to self, having God’s Spirit dwelling in Christians gave them (us) the power – i.e., Christ’s resurrection power – to choose to LIVE in/for Him and to die to our sin nature.

However, in today’s world we see the power of the CHURCH, which is the collective light of Christ, dampening in its power and witness because it moves away from the basics of the faith. Please take in the devotional song I’ve linked you to today; and see if it doesn’t ring your bell to return to the basics of our faith, living from, with, and for Christ and doing all we can to avoid the ways of the world.

My Prayer for Today … Lord, help us to return to Your basics … to YOU!! … Amen