Devotionals for September 8, 2023
REMINDER: Shine Sunday Services this Sunday! Come experience our sensory-friendly services at 9:00 & 10:30am.
READ
Galatians 5:19-24
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
1 Peter 3:15-16
15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
1 Peter 3:15-16
15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
REFLECT
As we wrap up devotions this week, it is good to step back and examine our hearts toward the lost and to remember, that apart from our understanding and acceptance of the grace and mercy of Jesus, we would blindly be the persons described in Galatians 5:19-21. That alone should give each Christ follower a spirit of worship and a humble urgency to introduce the lost to Jesus, for God desires all to be saved. We should be just as broken-hearted for the lost as Jesus is, and our attitude and approach to interacting with the lost should reflect the fruit of the Spirit…gentle, respectful, loving, patient, kind, peaceful, joyful, and self-controlled. It is the Spirit of God in us that reaches the minds and hearts of the lost around us.
APPLY
Q: What did Jesus say we should be prepared to do in 1 Peter 3:15? In what manner are we to do this (1 Peter 3:16)?
Q: Is there any negative attitude in you toward the lost you sense the Holy Spirit wants to strip away? Name it and take some time surrendering it to God now, asking Him to give you His heart and His Spirit.
Q: How will you prepare yourself to explain, with gentleness and respect, the hope you have in Jesus Christ?
Q: Is there any negative attitude in you toward the lost you sense the Holy Spirit wants to strip away? Name it and take some time surrendering it to God now, asking Him to give you His heart and His Spirit.
Q: How will you prepare yourself to explain, with gentleness and respect, the hope you have in Jesus Christ?
SING
PRAY
"And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."
Make my life a living sacrifice Lord, holy and acceptable to you in thought, in word, and in action.
Make my life a living sacrifice Lord, holy and acceptable to you in thought, in word, and in action.