Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube of images and lyrics from the group 4Him singing … The Basics of Life … poignantly singing of how we, as Christians, need to return to living out the basics of Christ’s character in what we think, say, and do.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Colossians 3:12-13 [NKJV] … 12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
… The new (born-again) man (or woman) is characterized by Christlikeness.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Colossians 3:12-17 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, defines the essence of character in the born-again Christian, which is defined by humility and forgiveness, which is a true reflection of Christlikeness.
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Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:1-3 [NKJV] … 1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
… Paul begs fellow Christians to live humble, forgiving lives defined by Christlikeness.
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 5:15-20 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… According to Paul’s charge, we, as disciples of Christ, should live lives characterized by Christlike wisdom.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, uses a personal story of dealing with his young son’s pain to illustrate how our Heavenly Father must’ve grieved over the pain of His Son. The ODB author writes … In 2005, Collins falsified a report that resulted in McGee being thrown in prison for four years, and McGee vowed to find Collins when he got out and “hurt him.” McGee was eventually exonerated, but not before he lost everything. Meanwhile, Collins’s many falsified reports were uncovered, he lost his job, and he too spent time behind bars. But both men came to faith in Christ while in prison.
In 2015, the two discovered they were working together in the same faith-based company. … Now the two are great friends. “We have this joint mission . . . of letting the world know that if you owe an apology to somebody, put your pride down and go apologize,” said Collins. “And if you’re holding something against somebody, let go of the bitterness because it’s like drinking poison and hoping it’s hurting them.”
As anyone reads this little story, as I did this morning, meditating on the exhortations from Paul in the New Testament [see Scriptures above], I hope we’re all predisposed to do a life inventory and see if there’s anyone whom we need to forgive so that we can live out Paul’s strong instructions to live and love more like Christ lived (lives) and loved (loves).
And in doing so, we can cast aside any past strife, anger, and (especially) any bitterness to live lives characterized by humble Christlikeness rather than that of selfish fools … the way we (well, at least “I”) lived before we (i) came to know Christ as Lord and Savior.
And I also pray that we’re doing what is sung about in the linked song and “get back to the basics” of Christlikeness, forgiving others and living in the peace and unity Christ modeled (models) for us.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for giving us the opportunity to live lives which reflect You in this world.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that we will all take these truths to heart and live more like You today. … 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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