Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Danny Gokey singing … Tell Your Heart To Beat Again … a song reflecting the life we experience when we turn from sin and death to walk toward the call of the Savior.
Highlight Verse[s]: Ezekiel 18:30 [NKJV] …
30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways,” says the Lord God. “Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. … "
… God is faithful to help us through even the most challenging patches of life.
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Highlight Context: Ezekiel 18:25-32 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Ezekiel, commands His people to repent of their sinful ways.
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Reference Passage #1 … Proverbs 3:5-6 [NKJV] …USE THIS LINK …
… Our Lord wants us to live to follow Him, trusting His call to repentance.
Reference Passage #2 … Luke 9:23 [NKJV] …
23 Then He said to them all, … “If anyone would follow Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. … “
… Jesus’ call to repentance and to follow Him is simple … but oh so hard!
Reference Passage #3 … Romans 8:13 [NKJV] …
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. … The choice is ours!!
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Jennifer Benson Schuldt, tells a story about her sons hobby of building robot, which were programmed to do exactly what he wanted them to do. But then Schuldt wrote: When God created humans, He didn’t make robots. God made us in His image, and this means we can think, reason, and make decisions. We’re able to choose between right and wrong. Even if we have made a habit of disobeying God, we can decide to redirect our lives.
And that’s why, as God did thru Ezekiel in today’s highlight passages above, our Lord calls us to repent of our natural self and the death which results … and to turn, in repentance, to His free gift of eternal life. And that’s the good news of the Gospel, … that we can make that choice! He provided a way - HIS WAY - through His Son to CHOOSE life over death … righteousness over sin.
But we must choose! We must repent; and then once that done deal is completed; and we’ve repented to receive His saving grace, God’s offer is a life free from from our selves until we’re with Him in glory. But once again, it takes REPENTANCE, (see attached photo), which means choosing to walk the walk of repentance, turning each day, even moment-by-moment, to walk away from selfishness and toward the call of the Savior [see the reference passages above].
It’s a simple choice (I didn’t say EASY!!); and and we have the power to make that choice in Christ. And I pray we’re all walking that walk of repentance today.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Almost every day, I pray, as I do today, that You shine Your light so brightly on my path that I can’t help but follow You. 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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