For those whom He foreknew . . . He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of his Son . . .
—Romans 8:29
According to the verse for today, one of God's goals in our lives is to make us become like Jesus. He wants us to continue to become more like Jesus in our thoughts, in our words, in the way we treat other people, in our personal lives, and in our actions. Becoming like Jesus does not happen overnight; it's a process we have to choose to embrace.
Romans 12:1 says I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication… This means we have to make a deliberate decision to give ourselves to God. God has given us a free will, and the only way we will ever belong to Him completely is to give ourselves freely to Him. He will never force us to love Him or serve Him. He will speak to us, lead us, guide us, and prompt us, but He will always leave the decision to surrender up to us.
God created human beings, not robots, and He will not try to program us to behave a certain way because He has given us the freedom to make our own choices—and He wants us to choose Him. He wants us to willingly put our lives before Him every day and say, "God, Your will be done, not mine." That short, simple prayer is extremely powerful when we really mean it, and it represents the kind of full surrender God requires.
If God has been speaking to you or dealing with you about anything, I encourage you not to put off surrendering it any longer. Choose to obey His voice and surrender today. Ask Him to be your Strength and remember that through Him you can do all things.
Clinging to Belongings
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 14:31–33
In 1888 Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth went to northern China to open a pioneer missionary work there. They labored on the field for decades, being forced to flee from the Boxer Rebellion, and then returning to China and Manchuria where they stayed until Jonathan’s blindness forced them to return to Canada in 1935. Over the years they made many sacrifices for their work, including the deaths of five of their eleven children. In her book How I Know God Answers Prayer, Rosalind recounted her sorrow at returning home after a mission trip to find their home had been broken into and all their belongings stolen. “My dear, they were just things,” her husband reminded her, and they continued on in the work.
The recognition of the temporary nature of our earthly possessions is vital to our faithful following of Jesus Christ. The materialistic culture that surrounds us encourages us to adopt the mentality that our belongings define our worth and status. Jesus calls us to be willing to give up anything and everything in order to follow Him. While most of us will likely never be called on to make such extreme sacrifices, the point is that our value system—the things that we truly love—are revealed by that to which we cling most tightly. Jesus calls us to follow Him, which means placing His commands above our own interests and desires, and being willing to pay the price to be His disciple.
Luke 14:31–33
In 1888 Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth went to northern China to open a pioneer missionary work there. They labored on the field for decades, being forced to flee from the Boxer Rebellion, and then returning to China and Manchuria where they stayed until Jonathan’s blindness forced them to return to Canada in 1935. Over the years they made many sacrifices for their work, including the deaths of five of their eleven children. In her book How I Know God Answers Prayer, Rosalind recounted her sorrow at returning home after a mission trip to find their home had been broken into and all their belongings stolen. “My dear, they were just things,” her husband reminded her, and they continued on in the work.
The recognition of the temporary nature of our earthly possessions is vital to our faithful following of Jesus Christ. The materialistic culture that surrounds us encourages us to adopt the mentality that our belongings define our worth and status. Jesus calls us to be willing to give up anything and everything in order to follow Him. While most of us will likely never be called on to make such extreme sacrifices, the point is that our value system—the things that we truly love—are revealed by that to which we cling most tightly. Jesus calls us to follow Him, which means placing His commands above our own interests and desires, and being willing to pay the price to be His disciple.
Today’s Growth Principle:
When we cling to Jesus rather than the things of Earth, we will follow Him wherever He leads.
Choose to Surrender
by Joyce Meyer - posted June 19, 2016For those whom He foreknew . . . He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of his Son . . .
—Romans 8:29
According to the verse for today, one of God's goals in our lives is to make us become like Jesus. He wants us to continue to become more like Jesus in our thoughts, in our words, in the way we treat other people, in our personal lives, and in our actions. Becoming like Jesus does not happen overnight; it's a process we have to choose to embrace.
Romans 12:1 says I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication… This means we have to make a deliberate decision to give ourselves to God. God has given us a free will, and the only way we will ever belong to Him completely is to give ourselves freely to Him. He will never force us to love Him or serve Him. He will speak to us, lead us, guide us, and prompt us, but He will always leave the decision to surrender up to us.
God created human beings, not robots, and He will not try to program us to behave a certain way because He has given us the freedom to make our own choices—and He wants us to choose Him. He wants us to willingly put our lives before Him every day and say, "God, Your will be done, not mine." That short, simple prayer is extremely powerful when we really mean it, and it represents the kind of full surrender God requires.
If God has been speaking to you or dealing with you about anything, I encourage you not to put off surrendering it any longer. Choose to obey His voice and surrender today. Ask Him to be your Strength and remember that through Him you can do all things.
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