Ephesians 2:8-10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it

is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we

should walk in them.

Grace: God working in our hearts detached completely from anything we do. (Rom.11:6)

Faith: Transferring our trust to the blood of Christ for payment for our sins (Eph. 1:7)

Saved: Brought into an eternal relationship with God as His child the moment we trust

Christ as our Savior (John 3, Romans 3:23-25; 6:23; 10:13)

Workmanship: God is working in the lives of each of His children to produce Christ –like

righteousness in their daily lives (Romans 8:28-29)

Today, let us rejoice in knowing Christ as our Savior. Spending time thanking God for

all He has done and is doing in our lives through His great salvation.

At the same time let us ask the Lord to open doors of opportunity for us to share the

gospel with others. 

II Thessalonians 1:11 Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power:

Paul was praying for the Christians at Thessalonica.

He prayed that they would be up to the task of fulfilling God’s will. 

God has designed His will to work out in people’s lives in response to prayer.  

 

Today, let us spend time praying for the will of God to be worked out in our own lives and in the lives of those we care about.  

Prayer changes things.

If we want others or ourselves to stay on the right path – let’s make it a matter of perpetual prayer.

Romans 14:7-8 “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.  For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.”

For a Christian the question as to something being right or wrong is just the starting point.

 

The overall reality that should govern our lives is that “We are the Lord’s”.

This means the motivation behind all we are or do should be that we belong to Him.

 

This means His will and purposes must govern ours.  

As we move through today let us cultivate the habit of asking ourselves the question, “What would Jesus be pleased with?” 

Let us allow this thought to mold our thinking, direct our choices and dictate our responses to every event of every day!

Romans 8:31-32“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

Are you feeling lonely, isolated or as if no one really cares?

Do you feel that you will never get a handle on life or the everyday problems that accompany it?

You’re wrong.

God is here and He cares.

He has promised both His presence and power to supply all your needs.

Today, throw your aching heart into the arms of the God that loves you and will sustain you.

Let us rejoice and rest in the promises of God’s love.

II Corinthians 4:7-8 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;”

Have you ever struggled with a problem? Have you ever found it difficult to handle the pressures of life that sometimes come at you like an unceasing tidal wave? Good news! You’re not alone.

We learn in verse 7 that God has designed for His power to work within the human limitations we all must confront. Then we are given two examples of how this power works in “real life”.

First, when we experience a difficulty that will not go away (troubled) we are always given the option to do what is right (yet not distressed)

Second, when we come face to face with our limited resources (perplexed) we know that we always have all we need in Christ. For wherever God guides He always provides. (yet not distressed)

We all must live within the proprieties concerning how, when and to whom we share our problems. Let’s not fool ourselves. Don’t try live life like everything is always o.k. or that you never struggle.

Today let each of us live in the “real world” of our individual difficulties and problems with a complete dependence upon the sufficiency of God’s power to provide.

I Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order”

We live in a world of constant motion and continual confusion.

Life often resembles the old Abet and Costello routine “Who’s on First”.

Yet in the midst of the world we live in, the church and Christians should be different.

We should “live on purpose”; doing everything we do in an appropriate manner (decently). 

Each action we take and choice we make must be done in light of what is needed at that moment.

Then we are exhorted to “live with order”.  Our lives should be arranged with a plan to fulfill the revealed will of God. 

Living on “auto pilot” is not God’s will.

Today let us take charge of our life by making the choices which will keep us within boundaries and purpose of God’s will.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

The one question that is at the center of every question is, “Who do I belong to?”

You see the question of ownership ultimately determines purpose and direction. 

Every believer belongs to God completely; both in body and in spirit.

There is no telling what God can do in and through each of us as we live lives of sweet surrender.

Today let us surrender ourselves from the inside out to His purpose and His glory.