Fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Lord, I present my body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to You, my God, which is my reasonable service. And I will not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind, that I may prove what is Your good and acceptable and perfect will. Just as I presented my members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now I present my members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon us. By this You, my Father God, are glorified, that I bear much fruit; so I will be Your disciple. Jesus chose me and appointed me that I should go and bear fruit, and that my fruit should remain, that whatever I ask You, Father, in Jesus’ name, You may give me.
As You transform my mind and I discern Your perfect will, Lord God, may I bear fruit that enriches Your kingdom and glorifies You.
COLOSSIANS 1:10; ROMANS 12:1–2; ROMANS 6:19; GALATIANS 6:15–16; JOHN 15:8; JOHN 15:16 Dr. David Jeremiah Life-Changing Moments with God
For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You. 1 CHRONICLES 29:14
James 1:17 tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father. It isn’t earned; it’s something He decides to give. That’s why Deuteronomy 8:18 warns us to remember the Lord, “for it is He who gives you power to get wealth.” A businessman may think he is a self-made man, but the very power to succeed came from God. As Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:7 and 17, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. . . . [It is] God who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” After one of the greatest offerings in history, King David had to actually tell the people to stop giving because they had given so much. After he had received the offering, David prayed these words, recorded in 1 Chronicles 29:14: “For all things come from You, and of Your own we have given You.” I love those words, for they remind me that anything I give to God is merely a giving back of His own abundant blessing. I’m simply giving back to God what He already owns. Dr. David Jeremiah Morning and Evening
When you look at your life and your heart, is there enough evidence to convict you of being sold out to your Savior in whom you claim as yours?
Like the Church in Chapter 2 of Revelation, have you, like Ephesus, forgotten your first love?
What we own, what levels of life we live at are dependent upon our obedience to God and our part in His Plan for others to come to Christ for salvation.
You and I can indeed waste our lives seeking out how to only live in accordance with our own desires or we can seek to do the best we can for the one who saved us.
Let's put this all on the table. If your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tic-Toc, Netflix, etc. were used in court, would there be any true evidence to convict you of being a Christian?
If your home were checked would they know a Child of God lives there?
As the opening prayer we read goes into...just who or what are you presenting your heart, mind and body to?
Is your mind being transformed? In and through a right relationship with Jesus or is it going away from God?
Just because you have been abundantly blessed it doesn't follow that you were meant to hoard it nor spend it entirely on yourself. Pray about your blessings, yes be thankful for them, but offer them back to God who gave them. It could be that you are the tool the Father wished to use to bless someone else.
Look at King Hezekiah. A man certainly blessed of God, yet though God blessed him, thought only of himself when told his life was coming to an end. Yes indeed the Lord extended his life. Yes it had all the appearances of good. Yet look at what became of his request not to die. One of the worst kings ever over Israel came from him after his request was granted. Everything he showed others was taken. Had he accepted the will of God life might have been different for Israel.
"Your thoughts betray you" was a quote from a movie. Yet if we really look at our thoughts would they be God honoring? Would you speak those thoughts before the host of Heaven without feeling remorse or guilt at their content?
I have had years of attacks by Satan or one of his minions concerning my thoughts. I in no way have arrived at mastery over them but I have arrived at asking God to forgive me of them and to not listen to that browbeating. More often than not my thoughts are met with silence or with grand encouragement, but the thing that matters is whether or not those thoughts honored God.
If we spend hours on ourselves with no regard for the Kingdom of God, what evidence is that of a life with Christ? I am not referring to work.
If we spend our money on our own desires and pleasures while aware of brothers and sisters in need, are we trying, really, to silence the Spirit's message to our hearts prompting us to help? Several times Jesus taught parables on giving from a right heart attitude. About meeting the needs of others.
So what does your life say about you? What does your thoughts say about you?
Do you know far more about various things such as sports, movies etc. than you do about your Bible? Is your passions in life caught up in those things and not in your walk with Jesus? You won't be quizzed before Jesus on your knowledge of the things of this world. You won't be asked about your hobbies in regards to how they satisfied you. You WILL be asked about the deeds done in the body that were yours to do in Christ.
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