Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video with lyrics of a group of children singing … I’m Trying To Be Like Jesus … preciously singing of the of the desire of what should be in the hearts and pursuits of all who know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Ephesians 4:2 [NLT] … 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.
… Paul’s exhortation for his fellow Christians to become more like Christ … humble and gentle.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ephesians 4:1-6 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Becoming more like Christ is becoming more humble and gentle.
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Reference Passage : … Jeremiah 18:5-6 [NLT] … 5 Then the Lord gave me this message: 6 “O Israel, can I not do to you as this potter has done to his clay? As the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand.
…As Jeremiah prophesied to God’s people, … our Lord wants His children to be like the clay in the hands of a Master Potter, … totally surrendered to Him as He makes us into His image.
Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:29 [NLT] … 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
…Jesus declaration of what He was like - “HUMBLE and GENTLE”
Reference Passage : … Philippians 1:6 [NLT] … 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
…God, thru Paul, promises that, if we surrender to His sanctifying work, He will remake us into the image of our Lord/Savior.
Reference Passage : … Philippians 2:3-5 [NLT] … 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. … 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
… Paul trying to exhort Christians to become more like Jesus.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, David H Roper, taught on how Christians need to submit as clay in the hands of The Master Potter and let Him mold us into the image of Christ. The ODB author wrote: The troubles of life can make us cranky and out of sorts, but we should never excuse these bouts of bad behavior, for they can wither the hearts of those we love and spread misery all around us. We have not fulfilled our duty to others until we have learned to be pleasant.
The New Testament has a word for the virtue that corrects our unpleasantness—gentleness, a term that suggests a kind and gracious soul. Ephesians 4:2 reminds us, “Be completely humble and gentle.”
“Gentleness” [also translated “meekness”) is a character trait which most in our western culture reject, thinking that it’s anti-strength or too submissive. But the Greek root for the term, which Jesus used to describe Himself (see Matt. 11:29) really means “strength under control.” And that was Jesus’ character. As He walked this earth, even all the way to the cross, He was totally submissive to the will of His Father; and that’s why the Apostle Paul was so insistent on teaching his fellow Christians that we must do all we can to let God’s Spirit mold us, as a Master Potter molds His clay, into the character traits of our Savior; … and that most certainly includes being humble and gentle [or “meek”].
The questions we need to ask ourselves today are: … 1. Are we being the Potter’s clay (see the photo and Jer. 18:5-6). 2. Are we surrendering to have our Lord’s Spirit to do a complete make-over of our Spirit into that of His likeness; and i.e., Christlikeness (see the reference Scriptures above).
Personally, I’m here to put myself on the Potter’s wheel today and let Him do His reshaping work in me. How about you?
My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … O Lord, You are the Potter; and I am Your clay … 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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