Becomming Devo #3

Read Galatians 5:16-18.

Can you relate to what Paul is saying here? Do you ever feel like there is a war going on in your heart and mind? If you’re like every other Christian in the world, you are constantly faced with a choice: Do you listen to the Holy Spirit—who lives in you—or that other voice that leads you to do things you know are wrong? Paul calls that voice your sin nature. Let’s face it . . . no matter how long you’ve been a follower of Christ, you still have a part of you that leans towards sin. Unfortunately, this is your spiritual inheritance from Adam and Eve. (Yeah, yeah, yeah. You’re thinking, “Thanks, a lot you two . . .”)

Read Galatians 5:19-21.

Just in case you were unsure, Paul outlines some of what the sinful nature looks like. This list isn’t very pretty, is it? Keep in mind that Paul was writing to the Galatians. Their culture was pretty raunchy. Among other things, there was no real push for people to be sexually moral. So Paul had to help these Galatians who had become Christians understand what a Christian did and didn’t do. Even though it was written 2,000 years ago, the list is still pretty relevant today, isn’t it?

So, Paul tells you what to avoid. But what does he say you should strive for? Read on . . .

Read Galatians 5:22-25.

This is good stuff. These attributes—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—are literally a sign of God in you. Paul calls these attributes the “fruit of the Spirit.” Just as an apple tree produces apples, you will produce these fruits if you have the Holy Spirit in you. Look at your life. Do you see these attributes in action? If not, maybe
you need to spend some time focusing on how you can put yourself in a position to let the Spirit lead you. Pray that the Holy Spirit will be so active in you that others can’t help but see fruit.

The way you live your life is incredibly important. You can show the world through your actions that God lives in you and that you serve Him.

Becoming Devo #2

Read Philippians 3:7-14

Take a minute to think about something: what things are important to you? What do you spend most of your time doing? Stop reading this, and think for a moment. Don’t start reading again until you have an answer . . .

Got your answer? Good. What was it? Sports or school? Music or family? Your job? A car? Maybe a girlfriend or boyfriend? Chances are, whatever you identified as important to you probably takes up a lot of your time and energy. We are devoted to those things that are important to us. Can you say the same for your spiritual life?

Ouch. Touched a sore subject, huh? Well, never fear. Help is on the way.

Take a moment to read Philippians 3:7–8. Pay attention to verse 8. Can you, like Paul, say that everything else pales in comparison to the greatness of getting to know Jesus? If not, well . . . why not? Do you think it is unreasonable to devote yourself that deeply to Christ? Paul didn’t think so. In fact, he said he had “lost all things” for Jesus’ sake. Paul literally let everything else fall by the wayside. His devotion to Jesus was the number one priority in his life.

Paul painted an incredible picture of his goals. Read verses 9–11. Verse 10 is flat-out amazing. Paul longed to intimately know every detail about Christ! He wanted to live in such a way that he knew firsthand the power of the resurrected Christ. He wanted to know what it meant to suffer for the name of Christ. He was not afraid to die because he knew he would live in heaven.

Here, we see something pretty cool about Paul. After all he had done and all he had been through, he still wasn’t as close to God as he wanted to be. Read verses 12–14. Do you understand what Paul was saying? Paul wanted to know everything about Christ and what
it meant to follow Him, but Paul admitted he wasn’t there yet. He hadn’t attained the level of devotion and familiarity he desired. But he pressed on. He committed to getting close to Christ no matter the cost.

What will it cost you to commit to this kind of devotion? God has given you so much! How can you give back to Him? If you are willing, talk to God today about helping you become the kind of committed follower Paul wrote about. Ask God for the strength to press on toward the goal He has set for you. Trust that God will be faithful to His Word.

Becoming Devo #1

Read Ephesians 2:1-10

Here’s something interesting to think about:
In God’s great plan for the world, He decided to create you. He didn’t have to, but He did. He created you because of His immeasurable love for you. Yet, even though God loved you, there was a great distance between you and Him.

You see, God is perfect. And you were a sinner in need of saving. Read Ephesians 2:1–5. What does it say you used to be? Dead to your sins. What does it say you used to do? Live among the disobedient and gratify your sinful cravings. This is who you used to be . . .

That’s the cool thing. Verses 4 and 5 say that because God loved you, He made you alive in Christ. Even though you were still a sinner, God provided a way to Him. Because of His grace,
God sent Jesus to conquer sin so you might have a relationship with God. Amazing!

Keep going. Read verses 6–7. You see, it wasn’t enough for God to simply improve your life here on earth. Verse 6 says God has a place for you in heaven with Him! God wants to lavish you with good things. He can do this because He gave you new life through Christ. You are no longer a slave to sin; you are a new creation through Jesus Christ!

What is behind this amazing plan, this incredible gift? Simple. God’s grace. Read verses 8–10. God saved you from the punishment of sin because of His grace. If you have faith that Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross and rose from the dead to save you from your sins, then you receive the salvation God made available to you. This salvation is only through grace. No one can earn God’s love.

Verse 10 makes a pretty strong statement: You see, God made you to be a special tool, an instrument of His will. God planned all along that you would be a messenger of the good news
of Christ and that you would bring life to a dying world. Ask yourself today if you are pleased with your spiritual life. Are you growing like you want to? Are you being used by God? Go to
God in prayer. Thank Him for creating you, for saving you, and for promising to use you. Devote some time to thinking about how you can be of better use to God.