Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of Clay Crosse, Bebe Wynans, and Bob Carpenter singing … I Will Follow Christ … powerfully singing of how all Christians must look to following Christ as our Lord Commanded of His disciples.
Rev Dr William Carey (1761-1834)
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Highlight Verse[s]: Hebrews 6:11 [NLT] … 11 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true.
… God’s desire is merely that we would live/love like Christ lived/loved for us.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Hebrews 6:9-12 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru the author of Hebrews, calls us to do our best to live lives which honor Christ.
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Reference Passage : … Luke 9:23 [NLT] … 23 Then He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. …”
… Jesus didn’t command us to compare our lives with anyone other than His.
Reference Passage : … Romans 3:23 [NLT] … 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
… All of us fall short of Christlikeness.
Reference Passage : … 1 Corinthians 15:58 [NLT] … 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.
… God, thru Paul, encourages and exhorts Christians to do all we can to honor our Lord with our lives.
Reference Passage : … Ephesians 4:1 [NLT] … 1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.
… Paul begs other Christians (like you and me) to live lives worthy of our Lord’s calling to follow Him (see Luke 9:23).
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Amy Boucher Pye, uses the life of William Carey, 19th Century missionary to Indian, to show that we must only keep-on-keeping on for Christ in our lives, trying to follow His call on our lives. … The ODB author wrote: Those raised in the English village with William Carey (1761–1834 - see photo) probably thought he wouldn’t accomplish much, but today he’s known as the father of modern missions. Born to parents who were weavers, he became a not-too-successful teacher and cobbler while teaching himself Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. After many years, he realized his dream of becoming a missionary to India. But he faced hardship, including his child’s death, his wife’s mental-health problems, and for many years the lack of response from those he served.
What kept him serving amid difficulties as he translated the entire Bible into six languages and parts of it into twenty-nine others? “I can plod,” he said. “I can persevere in any definite pursuit.” He committed to serving God no matter what trials he encountered.
As irony would have it, my name, “Rev Dr William Berry,” rhymes with that of the now famous “Rev Dr William Carey.” However, there the comparison ends; because of the incredible accomplishments Carey brought about for Christ in his life. My life for Christ pales by comparison.
BUT … I’m not called (by Christ) to compare my life with Wm Carey; because both of us fall short (see Rom. 3:23) … fall way short … of the only One with Whom we are called to compare ourselves; and that is Christ.
No, my fellow Christians, He (our Lord) only calls us to follow Him (see Luke 9:23); and the Apostle Paul called on fellow Christians to do all we can to compare our lives with Christ and do all we can to live lives worthy of His calling (see 1Cor. 15:58 and Eph. 4:1).
So, as the linked song charges us, I, for one, will not try to be a William Carey. No, I will do all I can to merely follow Christ. Yes, always falling short; but always doing all I can to be like Him.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for calling us to be like You.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me to avoid comparing ourselves with others and striving ALWAYS to be like Christ. … 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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