Post by Cindy on Feb 21, 2021 9:08:41 GMT -5
SCRIPTURE READING: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” (Romans 7:15–25)
KEY VERSE: “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.” (Philippians 1:6)
“If at first you don’t succeed, try again.” That Puritan work ethic is solidly ingrained in the minds of many. When you become a Christian, you naturally tend to integrate this attitude into your walk with Christ. If you fail to conquer certain habits, you keep trying. Although perseverance is necessary, mere grit & determination alone will not cure your problems. Without a proper understanding of spiritual growth, pursuit of this work ethic can lead you into the proverbial brick wall. Admission of failure in the spiritual realm is a step toward a truly abundant life. Repeated failure from your efforts is often the prerequisite for coming to the end of yourself, acknowledging that you can do nothing apart from Christ. Failure can be the catalyst that leads you from mere trying to trusting. The difference is startling, and understanding the spiritual dynamic can be the key to a consistently satisfying Christian walk. Dear Lord, I want to make the transition from trying to trusting. Apart from You, I can do nothing. Enter His gates
This devotion reminds me of the way the Lord stopped me from smoking. I had literally tried very hard to quit any number of times without success. My oldest son reminded me of one of the things I tried to help me stop smoking. I saved up all the cigarette butts and ashes for a month and put them all in a gallon jar a neighbor gave me. Then I filled the rest of the jar up with water. It looked really nasty! I put it in the living room where I could see it all the time. I had a very small second bathroom. It was only large enough to hold a sink and toilet. So the day I planned to quit, I took my pack of cigarettes into that bathroom, and chain smoked as quickly as I could until I literally threw up. After that, I didn't want anymore, at least for a few hours anyway! It didn't last long though. In less then 2 weeks I was smoking again. And that was the longest I was ever able to go without smoking, no matter how hard I tried! Yet when God took over, I quit without even trying! I mean literally without trying! I literally never even had the thought that I should quit, or was quitting, or that I wouldn't smoke any more. God showed me that He meant it quite literally when He said that He would do it. “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:16) Rather then tell the whole tale again here, let me just give you a link to that miracle in case you want to read more about it:
Nothing is Impossible for God!
KEY VERSE: “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.” (Philippians 1:6)
“If at first you don’t succeed, try again.” That Puritan work ethic is solidly ingrained in the minds of many. When you become a Christian, you naturally tend to integrate this attitude into your walk with Christ. If you fail to conquer certain habits, you keep trying. Although perseverance is necessary, mere grit & determination alone will not cure your problems. Without a proper understanding of spiritual growth, pursuit of this work ethic can lead you into the proverbial brick wall. Admission of failure in the spiritual realm is a step toward a truly abundant life. Repeated failure from your efforts is often the prerequisite for coming to the end of yourself, acknowledging that you can do nothing apart from Christ. Failure can be the catalyst that leads you from mere trying to trusting. The difference is startling, and understanding the spiritual dynamic can be the key to a consistently satisfying Christian walk. Dear Lord, I want to make the transition from trying to trusting. Apart from You, I can do nothing. Enter His gates
This devotion reminds me of the way the Lord stopped me from smoking. I had literally tried very hard to quit any number of times without success. My oldest son reminded me of one of the things I tried to help me stop smoking. I saved up all the cigarette butts and ashes for a month and put them all in a gallon jar a neighbor gave me. Then I filled the rest of the jar up with water. It looked really nasty! I put it in the living room where I could see it all the time. I had a very small second bathroom. It was only large enough to hold a sink and toilet. So the day I planned to quit, I took my pack of cigarettes into that bathroom, and chain smoked as quickly as I could until I literally threw up. After that, I didn't want anymore, at least for a few hours anyway! It didn't last long though. In less then 2 weeks I was smoking again. And that was the longest I was ever able to go without smoking, no matter how hard I tried! Yet when God took over, I quit without even trying! I mean literally without trying! I literally never even had the thought that I should quit, or was quitting, or that I wouldn't smoke any more. God showed me that He meant it quite literally when He said that He would do it. “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) “It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.” (Romans 9:16) Rather then tell the whole tale again here, let me just give you a link to that miracle in case you want to read more about it:
Nothing is Impossible for God!
!!
