Berry Patch Devotions in 2020 - Day 53
Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Zach Williams singing … Less Like Me… Powerfully singing of how all born-again Christians should aspire to having our lives be more like Jesus and less like our - very human - selves.
==============
Highlight Passage: Romans 8:29 [ESV] ...
29 For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
… A born-again Christians we are predestined to become like Him.
=============
Highlight Passage [Context]: … Romans 8:22-30 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul shows fellow Christians that we become more like Christ as He predestined for all born-again Christians.
==============
Reference Passage: … Romans 12:1-2 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK …
… We are to avoid becoming like the world who would lead us to become like them. No, … we are to become living sacrifices to Christ.
Reference Passage: … Galatians 5:22-23 [ESV] …
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
… The life of a born-again believer will be made-over to express these qualities (i.e., fruit).
Reference Passage: … Ephesians 4:1 [ESV] …
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
… Paul so wanted fellow Christians to live lives worthy of their (our) calling as Christians.
Reference Passage: … Philippians 1:6 [ESV] …
6 being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
… Paul knew and taught that he - and all born-again Christians - would be made-over into the image of Christlikeness.
Reference Passage: … 1 Peter 2:21 [ESV] …
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.
… Peter on how we are called, as Christians, to imitate and become like Christ.
My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Bill Crowder, AT THIS LINK … … quotes theologian Bruce Ware in his book The Man Christ Jesus. who wrote, referring to our calling as Christians in 1Peter 2:21 [above]: “Not fair, I determined. … Especially when the passage says to follow in the steps of One ‘Who did no sin.’ This was totally outlandish . . . . I just couldn’t see how God could really mean for us to take it seriously.”
Ware, like many of us, … and most certainly yours truly, … simply was frustrated with the challenge of our calling as Christians to become holy and blameless like Christ. Aw common, … REALLY?! …
Yes, REALLY! … And as you take in the linked song and the scriptures above, we truly are called to become more fruitful like Christ (see especially Gal 5:22-23) day-by-day. So, I pray we get more serious about our calling in Christ, and be more in surrender mode than ever to God’s Spirit as to our calling to Christlikeness today … and, of course, tomorrow too.
My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for doing Your thing to make us over into Your images.
My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to be more in surrender than ever to Your calling, Lord, … to become more like 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment