“[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham.”
Romans 4:16 (NCV) God doesn’t play favorites—regardless of your background, status, or sin. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a religious person, a formerly religious person, or if you have any religious background at all. Romans 4:16 says, “[The promise] is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham” (NCV). Who are these people who live under the Law of Moses? The Jews. The Jewish people were given the ways of God before anyone else. Have you ever thought about why the Jews were called God’s chosen people? Does God love them more than he loves the rest of us? No. They were chosen for a purpose—to spread the message to everybody else that there is one true God. They were kind of like the missionaries to the rest of us. Now God has taken that task and given it to the church, which includes everybody who puts their faith in Christ, regardless of their background. God says his salvation is available to anybody who opens up his or her heart in faith: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13 NIV). There are no quotas in heaven. The Bible doesn’t say only really good people will be saved if they call on the name of the Lord. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. The sad thing is many people still try to work their way into heaven, even though they know God offers his gift of grace. They think they can make themselves good enough—that they don’t need God’s gift of salvation through Christ. You may have done some really nifty things in life. But if you think they’re going to get you into heaven, forget it. The only way any of us gets in is by receiving God’s gift of grace, which is available to every person.
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“What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.”
Psalm 32:1-2 (TLB) Feeling guilty or ashamed can cause us to lose our happiness. You’ve got to get rid of guilt and maintain a clear conscience if you want to be happy, because you cannot feel guilty and be happy at the same time. Philippians 2:15 says, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (NLT). You might say, “I’d like to be happy, but how do I keep my conscience clear when it’s not clear right now?” Do what Psalm 32:1-2 says: “What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record” (TLB). Happiness, joy, and relief are three things everybody’s looking for in life. We all want to be happy. We all want to enjoy life. We all want relief from our pain. The Bible says it all comes from purity, and purity comes from forgiveness through God’s grace. So how do you keep a clear conscience? At the beginning and at the end of every day, do a spiritual inventory. Talk to God about anything that is standing between you and him, and then deal with the junk from your day. When we confess our sins, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV). “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV) Paul didn’t just pray for people in his life; he prayed for them with joy! There are probably things in other people’s lives that you’d like to change. You don’t want to change yourself; you want them to change. We always want to change other people. But you can’t! You can, however, pray and let God do his work in other people. Positive praying is more effective than positive thinking. All the positive thinking in the world isn’t going to change your spouse, child, friend, or situation. Positive thinking can change you, but it won’t change somebody else. But positive prayer can make a difference in someone else. What’s the quickest way to change a bad relationship to a good one? Start praying for the other person! It will change you, and it can change the other person too. Paul even told us how to pray for others: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:9-11 NIV). From these verses, we can learn to pray for the people in our lives in four ways: Pray that they will grow in love: “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.” Pray that they will make wise choices: “So that you may be able to discern what is best.” Pray that they will live with integrity: “And may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” Pray that they will become like Jesus: “Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.” Pray this for yourself and anyone else in your life, and watch how God turns around the relationship that seemed hopeless or needed to be revived. “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God.”
Philippians 1:3 (NLT) If you want to have healthy relationships, start with an attitude of gratitude. You will be far happier and enjoy your relationships more if you develop the habit of being grateful for the people in your life. Philippians 1:3 says, “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (NLT). This simple truth is the foundation of good relationships. When you think of the people in your life, is your first feeling gratitude? Or are you more likely to ask, “What do they need to do for me? What are our problems? What do we have to get done?” Your first thought may not be gratitude. But Paul’s first thought for his friends was one of gratitude, and it is the model we should follow if we want our relationships to last. Here’s the problem: The longer you know someone, the more likely you take that person for granted. With the passage of time, it becomes easier to focus on that person’s faults and the bad times instead of the happy times. That’s why it takes effort on our part to choose to have an attitude of gratitude for the people in our lives. The longer our relationships last, the harder it may be to remember. But we experience an eternal impact on our relationships when we develop the habit of giving thanks to God when we think of our spouses, children, parents, siblings, neighbors, coworkers, and small group members. “A merciful person helps himself, but a cruel person hurts himself.”
Proverbs 11:17 (GW) God set up the world with universal principles. One of those principles is that the more you help other people, the more you will succeed and the happier you will be. Happiness doesn’t come from living for yourself. Happiness comes from giving your life away and being merciful. Proverbs 11:17 says, “A merciful person helps himself, but a cruel person hurts himself” (GW). That’s another one of those universal principles: You get what you sow in life. The greatest example of this in the Bible is the story of Job, who lost literally everything—his health, family, job, and wealth. His friends came to him in his greatest hour of need. But did they show him mercy? No! They judged, criticized, and second guessed him. They kept telling him what he’d done wrong. “It’s your own fault,” they said. The great turnaround in Job’s life occurred not when he thought about himself but when he mercifully prayed for the people who were criticizing him: “When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his wealth and happiness! In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!” (Job 42:10 TLB). Do you too show mercy to others—even the ones who criticize and judge you? You can go through life as a judgmental person, or you can go through life as a merciful person. If you choose to condemn and judge, then you’re going to make yourself and everyone around you miserable. It’s your choice. You can be an agent of judgment in the world, or you can be an agent of mercy. When you choose mercy, life will be a whole lot more enjoyable for you and for the people around you. Jesus says in the Beatitudes, “Happy are the kind and merciful” (Matthew 5:7 TLB). Do you want to be happy? Then be merciful. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 (NIV) Many people are feeling financial instability these days—no matter how much they have in the bank. Some are wondering, Am I going to have a job next week? What’s going to happen to the economy? Will I have enough to do the things I want to do with my life? If you’re asking those questions, then you need to remember God’s promise in Hebrews 13:5--“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (NIV). Did you see that? God’s promise to never leave you is connected to your financial future. He’s saying there’s no need for you to love money. You can be content with what you have. You don’t need to hoard your resources—because you have the assurance of God’s presence. God always sees you and always knows what you need. And because God is love, he will never forsake you, including when you are in need. What are you trusting for your future financial security? Are you trusting in your possessions or in God’s presence? If you have a hard time letting go of money, tithing, or being generous, then you are revealing a lack of faith. You don’t really believe God will keep his many promises to take care of you. You’re living with a scarcity mentality. Try instead to start living with God’s promises in mind. Once you do that, you will not have to hoard because you will trust God. You will hold your resources with an open hand. This is the only way to live a purposeful life! “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 (NLT) When God thought you up, he created you with a number of different gifts, talents, abilities, and skills. There are certain ways you think and things you do that you’re just naturally good at. Those gifts and abilities are how God shaped you. But God did not shape you uniquely for your benefit. Your gifts are not just for your own good. Your gifts are for the benefit of everybody else. And that means their gifts are for your benefit, too. You may already know what you’re really good at. Why do you think God made you good at those things? He wants you to use those gifts for others! How should you use those gifts or talents in the time left before Jesus comes back? Well, you should use them to reach others for Jesus. You should use them to be an ambassador of love in the world. In fact, if you’re not using those unique gifts the way God intended, then you’re really just wasting them. God didn’t give you gifts just to use them for yourself. James 4:17 says it like this: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it” (NLT). If you know what you’re good at and you know that many people in the world probably need your help, what are you going to do about it? Who are you serving? Who are you going to help between now and when the story ends and eternity begins? God has given you—like the church the apostle Paul wrote to in 1 Corinthians—everything you need to serve well. “I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:4, 7 NLT). Don’t waste your God-given abilities. Use your gifts to serve God by serving others. “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”
James 1:3-4 (NLT) We know the end of the story: Jesus is coming back! When he does, he will make all things right and just. And if you are his follower, you will spend eternity with him. Knowing how the story ends should change everything. One of the biggest ways it affects your life is that it should motivate you to use adversity to become stronger spiritually. That’s what James says you should do while you’re on earth waiting for Jesus’ second coming: “For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1:3-4 NLT). You will undoubtedly face stress, problems, difficulties, and trouble in this life. In the time between now and when you die or Christ comes back, you should use those trials to develop endurance and become more like Christ in character. Does becoming like Christ sound impossible? The Bible says God can do that work in us: “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 The Message). Are you whole—like these verses say you can be—or are you fragmented? Are you put together, or are you falling apart? These days, we all feel like we’re falling apart a little—and that’s okay. You’re not supposed to have it all together. You’re not perfect, and you won’t be while you’re here on earth. You can’t change that. What you can do is work on getting spiritually fit in preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. It’s important to stay physically fit and take care of your mental health. But you cannot neglect your spiritual fitness. You don’t have to be the strongest, fastest, or healthiest when it comes to being spiritually fit. You just need to keep working on it and recognize that the trouble you face is often an opportunity to grow in faith. If you’re out of work, if you’re sick, if you’re feeling the weight of prejudice, turn to God’s Word and his promises. When it feels like you’re falling apart, remember that God is still working to make you more like him, and he can use even the most difficult circumstances in your life to do it. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21 (NIV) There may not be anything more counter-cultural in the world today than responding to evil with good. And because it’s so counter-cultural, it can be one of the hardest things to do. When someone is trying to make trouble in your life, you need to respond positively. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21 NIV). That’s a step of faith, isn’t it? Because everything in you probably wants to overcome evil with evil and fight darkness with more darkness. That’s what the world tells you to do: Fight dirty. That’s why it takes faith to go against what your flesh and culture are telling you to do and instead trust in God and respond to darkness with his light. You fight darkness with light. You fight hatred with love. You fight unkindness with kindness. You don’t let evil overcome you. You overcome evil with good. That’s tough to do. But it gets even tougher: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44 NIV). Is that easy? No. Is it unusual? Yes. Is it a choice? Absolutely. It’s your choice to be better than the bully. Choosing light over darkness means walking the way of Jesus. And Jesus wouldn’t just walk away from a fight and forget. He would lay down his life if that’s what he needed to do to show how much he loves someone—and that’s exactly what he did. God doesn’t want you to retaliate. He also wants you to do good. He wants you to show love to even the hardest hearts by praying for them and asking God to give them hearts like his. Jesus gave us the greatest example of responding in love and praying for enemies. When you follow his example, you’re going to stand out in a world where everyone thinks of themselves first. Taking the step of faith to overcome evil with good will not always be easy, but it will make you a powerful witness for Jesus. “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.”
Ephesians 4:22 (NLT) Change requires making choices. It’s not enough to dream of changing. It’s not enough to desire change. In order for you to change, you will need to make a decision. You must choose to change. Change is intentional: Are you going to be any different in six months? Are you going to be better a year from now? Are you going to be healthier, stronger, and more mature? Are you going to be happier? Are you going to be in less debt? Are you going to be more like God wants you to be? It can be said right now: It will only happen if you choose to change, because it isn’t going to happen accidentally. You need to think ahead to where you need to be at the end of this year and where you need to be in three years, six years, and a decade from now. You can be better in 10 years than you are today, but you won’t be unless you choose to be. Change requires a choice. A lot of times we think we’re waiting on God to change us. No, you are not waiting on God. God is waiting on you! He’s waiting on you to say, “Yes, Lord, I’m willing to make these changes.” We have to make intentional choices in order to grow. There is no growth without change, there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If you are going to grow, you will have to change, and change means you let go of some old things and grab hold of some new things. It’s like swinging on a trapeze: The trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then she has to reach out and grab the other bar. At some point, she’s got to let go of one to grab the other, or she’s not going to make it to the other side. If she thinks she can hold on to both, what happens? She gets stuck in the middle, and she’s going down. Perhaps you’re stuck in the middle, and you’re going down because you haven’t let go of old patterns, old habits, and old ways of thinking. You have to let go of your old ways. The Bible says, “Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life” (Ephesians 4:22 NLT). In other words, let it go. Those old habits, those old hurts, those old patterns, those old sins in your life—let them go. The Bible says to throw them off and trust that God is working in you “to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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