“There is therefore not no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Rom 8:1
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
One thing that discouraged me from accepting Christ was the thought of becoming a Christian. I am sure I am not the only one with reservations about turning to Jesus because of the people that claim to love Him.
It seemed to me that many of “God’s people” were not very happy themselves or nice (to say the least). Most of the ones I had dealt with had no problem pointing out the many flaws I had. Ironically, most of them lacked the kind of confidence or power that “God’s people” would be expected to have. It didn’t make much sense to me.
The world they claimed they wanted to be no part of was more accepting, kind and gracious to me. Out in the “non-Christian” world, not only could I do what I want and not be judged for it, I was encouraged to push my own boundaries in the spirit of being “open-minded”. The double-bonus that came from this “freedom” was the love and support I received from the ones who were already indulging. Universal acceptance felt good. It felt really good especially after the harsh judgment and rejection I received from “church folk”.
For a while, I was pretty satisfied satisfying myself. Living by my own standards worked well for me. It was easy to justify my actions. Because whenever I would look around me, I saw countless more who did much “worse”. Then, I began to reap the destruction of the choices I had sewn into my life. It took a lot for me to drop my pride and come to terms that I did not know it all. Living without regrets actually caused many of them.
It was in that desperation that I decided to give Jesus a chance. I wondered if He could redeem the mess I had made of myself. I ignored the distractions of the Christians around me and asked God to show me who He was. As I read the Bible, I not only accepted Him in my heart, but I followed the changes He was prompting me to make. Slowly, I noticed that I no longer felt like the same person anymore…and I liked it.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for allowing flawed human’s the honor of carrying the name of Christian. Thank you for humbling me down to the lowest of lows just so I could come crawling back to you and your bountiful mercy.
I pray that each person who needs to quiet his or her restless heart just to listen to you and go your way of peace. I pray that you bless them in the quiet confines of their homes rather than experience severe humiliation from a public fall.
I have experienced both and I know that the job can be done much easier if one submits to you before being humiliated. Lord, you are the God of ALL. You have the power to make any miserable soul happy from the depths of their hearts.
You can change and bring confidence to those who are in YOU. But, they must have you living within them. Give all those that want a better life the strength they need to pray this prayer:
“Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you. I cannot live my life on my own anymore. It is not worth living anymore. I have nothing to loose by giving this life I have destroyed to you. Lord, I believe that Jesus came to earth as your Son.
He died a horrible humiliating death so I could experience freedom in this life and freedom from eternal damnation. I accept His free gift, bought with His perfect and sinless blood. I could never live a life that is worthy of going to heaven on my own. I receive the Holy Spirit. Baptize me in this Spirit so I can walk in power. I want to turn completely from my old ways. Day by day, show me in your word what you want me to do with this new life you are giving to me. In Jesus’ name, thank you for accepting me into your spiritual family, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional. Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!
Author: Julia Shalom Jordan