Devotional Song: Go to this link … Please go to this You Tube video link to hear a group leading in worship and singing Fanny Crosby’s 19th Century hymn Blessed Assurance, where Christians are encouraged to share the story of their salvation and a changed life with others. … And then GO TO THIS LINK to hear the group, Avalon, singing Testify To Love, the rousing charge for all Christians to go out and testify of God’s love to others.
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Highlight Passage – NKJV: Colossians 4:5 [lKJV] …
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.
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Highlight Passage [Context] – NKJV: Colossians 4: 2-6[NKJV] … Go to this link …
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Reference Passages #1 Matthew 5: 16 [NKJV] …
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Reference Passages #2 Luke 9: 23 [NKJV] …
23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. …”
Reference Passages #3 John 3: 16 [NKJV] … You know it! So now go live it and share it with others telling them how God’s love changed you.
Reference Passages #4 Ephesians 5: 15-16 …
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread [ODB] devotional reminded me of the Apostle Paul’s timeless exhortation to Christians of our responsibility as transformed believers to share our story with others, making God’s redeeming love so appealing that they can’t help but desire to respond to God’s powerful and life-changing love in these testing times. [See also the link to the meditation songs above!]
And to share this truth, the ODB devotional used a telling story of how an apple salesman can only sell his apples if those who are potential customers recognize their need to consume an apple. That’s why the advertising industry uses alluring images to make the target product so appealing that the public will FEEL that they desperately have NEED of that product or service for their own consumption.
And when it comes to sharing the love of God [i.e., the Gospel] with others in these times, when others need to see God’s light shining in the darkness of the world, there’s nothing more powerful to make Jesus’ love more appealing for others then for them to hear how God’s love changed you (or me). That’s why Jesus admonished His disciples to go out and shine His light in the world (see Matt. 5: 16) by His commission when He was taken back into Heaven after His resurrection (see Acts 1: 8 and Matt. 28: 19-20).
So, the question and challenge from today’s devotional is … Are we redeeming our time well by sharing our story of transformation with others, making God’s love so appealing that the lost, who live in darkness, will be drawn to the light of the Gospel as moths are drawn to a light in the night?
My Prayer for Today … Lord, I pray for opportunities to share my story with others who need Your love. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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