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If Jesus died for our sins, then why is it
important to live a holy life?
Read: Romans 6
Meditation: Sin spreads. If we choose to continue to sin with the
thought of asking for forgiveness later, chances are, we will never get
to the repentance. "When [we] offer ourselves to [sin or
righteousness] we become slaves to the one whom [we] choose" (vs.
16). It is true. Jesus died for our sins, which brings eternal life
for everyone who comes to Him in repentance; however, if we choose to
ignore God’s command to live a holy life, we become slaves to sin,
which could result in a life that never turns to repentance. Paul tells
us that Jesus’ death on the cross does not give us free reign to sin,
rather, this grace should lead us to repentance, and inspire us to
pursue living a holy life.
Prayer Starter: Lord, keep me away from the urge to sin for the
sake of sinning. Help me to focus on a life that reflects Your holiness.
To live a Holy life, we need to "get back to the
basics of life."
Read: James 4:7
Meditation: The pursuit of a holy life begins with separating
yourself from... yourself. As we submit to God, we strip away all the
earthly pleasures that we have set in front of us and begin looking to God
to supply our needs. The basics of life are very simple, and it all begins
with submitting ourselves to God.
Prayer Starter: Father, I submit to Your will today. Take my life and
use it for Your purpose.
Basics of Life: A heart that is pure
Read: James 4:8
Meditation: Before we can truly begin living a holy life, we have to
present ourselves before God with "clean hands" and pure hearts. A
pure heart doesn’t mean that we are not challenged with evil and impure
thoughts. A pure heart means we are attempting to flee from the devil’s
grips as this passage instructs us to do. Satan will always try to fill our
minds with thoughts that are in conflict with the purity of living a holy
life; but, resisting these thoughts, turning them over to God and washing
our hands of them, will lead us to a holy life.
Prayer Starter: Father in heaven, free my mind from the devil’s
thoughts. Help me to come to You with clean hands and a pure heart.
Basics of Life: A love that is blind
Read: Luke 6:27-36
Meditation: It is easy to love those who treat us well and are
closest to us, but Jesus tells us that true love is a blind love that loves
both those who love us and those who are our enemies. It is one thing to
love our family and friends, but it is another to love those who persecute
us. Jesus’ command to us is to love everyone just as He did. Yes, a love
that is blind to the outer appearance and actions of people, is certainly
getting back to the basics of life.
Prayer Starter: Thank You, Jesus, for Your model of love. Help me to
love everyone, even my enemies, the way You did.
Basics of Life: A faith that is grounded in Christ.
Read: John 3:16
Meditation: A familiar verse but a verse that we need to familiarize
ourselves with often. God loved everyone, therefore He sent His Son, that
whoever believes in Him will be saved. This is a basic verse that everyone
knows, which fits perfectly in with our theme for this week. Basic are
something we always turn back to when things are going wrong, and it should
be no different in our spiritual life This verse forms a basic foundation
for our faith in Christ, therefore, we should read it and repeat it often.
Prayer Starter: "For God so loved the world that he gave His
only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal
life." I confess Lord, this is most certainly true.
Basics of Life: A hope that endures for all time.
Read: Romans 5
Meditation: Another basic verse that fits this week's theme. Of
course, we all recognize this verse as the "perseverance"
verse; but, the part that should drive us to live a holy life is the one
that gives us hope. Paul tells us that through all of the struggles we
will face in this world, through perseverance, we will have hope; and
this hope will never fail us. Our hope in Christ should endure through
anything and everything this world throws at us. When we are able to
come to grips with this passage, we will be fervently grounded in living
a holy life.
Prayer Starter: Father, help me to endure with the promise of
Your hope. I know Your hope and love never fails. Help me to endure with
this promise in mind.
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