Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a video of the Bill Gaither Band singing Saved By Grace, proclaiming the wondrous reality of the trek we take in this life, toward the next, once we become sinners saved by God’s grace
Highlight Passage Romans 10: 11 [ESV] …
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.
… Yes, each day … each step with our Lord - is one step closer to our eternity with Him.
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Highlight Context - Romans 13: 10-14[ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul reminds us that each day of our walk with the Lord is one step closer to Him
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Reference Passage #1 - Ephesians 2: 1-10 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul shows the truth of walking by faith in God’s grace and moving us ever nearer - step-by-step - to the reality of our being with Him in glory.
Reference Passage #2 - Philippians 3: 13-14 [ESV] …
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
… Paul teaches Christians to just keep on keeping on with our walk, following Christ in this life [see Luke 9: 23], because each step forward - with/for Christ - is one step closer to the goal of being with Christ and serving Him in glory.
My Journal for Today: Today’s Our Daily Bread author, David H Roper, opened his ODB blog for today with a good word picture of our walk in Christ as saved sinners. He wrote of scaling Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in North America; writing … The climb, though hard-going, was exhilarating, with stunning vistas, beautiful blue lakes, and lush meadows along the way. But the trail grew long and exhausting, a test for legs and lungs. I thought of turning back as the day wore on and the trail seemed to stretch endlessly before us. … Occasionally, however, I caught a glimpse of the summit and realized that each step was bringing me one step closer. If I just kept walking, I would get there. That was the thought that kept me going.
And that word picture is much like our trek to to the summit of being with and serving our Lord in glory, isn’t it? Some days in following Christ (know the truth of Luke 9: 23) we’ll see glimpses of glory which help propel us forward. However, some days it’s difficult to take even one more step forward; because, like scaling Mt. McKinley, the trek can be exhausting; and even breathing can be difficult. But as Paul also wrote in Philippians 3: 13-14, we must keep looking up, toward the summit, i.e., the goal, of being with and serving our Lord for eternity.
So, today I look up and move forward … step-by-step … following my Lord to glory.
My Prayer Today: Oh Lord, … I’m following You today, … another step closer to being with You in glory. Shine Your light brightly on my path. Help me to see the way to the summit. 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, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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