Tag: salvation

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,
Isaiah‬ ‭1:16‬

In Isaiah chapter 1 God had enough of Judah’s meaningless worship. The evil king, Ahaz, and the evil leadership of the nation had spilt over into the mindset of the people. 

God said in verse 11 that their sacrifices and burnt offerings were dissatisfying to Him. They were meaningless and not from the heart. God said enough is enough!

Have you ever been part of something that seemed meaningless to you? Maybe it was a lame business proposal or even a job that was not giving you a purpose. Or maybe you’ve just been going through the motions but not connecting physically, mentally, or spiritually. 

Take note of what you’re doing because if you’re not giving your whole heart to it, you’re just wasting valuable time and energy. If your heart is not in it nothing great will come of it. 

God had a solution for Judah’s problem beginning in verse 16. He said the first thing they needed to do is to be washed and cleansed from all evil. Then their worship to Him would mean something special. Obviously their worship was so routine and ritual that they were just following instructions and not worshipping from the heart. 

It’s easy for us to follow the same behavior. We can get caught up in the routine, day in and day out, meaningless activities of life and lose the purpose of what God has set before us. 

We must live in this world but be different from this world (Romans 12:1-2). And our worship to God needs to be meaningful. We need to have our hearts renewed and cleansed from all evil to make our daily, living sacrifice mean something special to God. 

Going through the motions is not enough. Jesus said we need to be either hot or cold, but not lukewarm. Is your heart on fire for God? Is your worship to God straight from the heart? If not you have the solution. 

Pray

Lord, I live this day for You and for Your glory. I ask that you remove all evil from my heart and mind and give me joy to live freely in Your will. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”
‭‭John‬ ‭15:5‬

Can you say you’re serious about following Jesus? Many people make a decision to place their faith in Jesus for salvation but few make a serious commitment to follow Jesus closely. 

Jesus doesn’t require you to follow him, it’s your choice. But when we whole heartily follow Jesus, we are part of the vine and we bear good fruit. People don’t have to wonder if you are a Christian because you reflect the light of Jesus Christ. 

Sometimes our words and actions do not reflect the life Jesus expects from his followers. This happens when we don’t put Jesus first. When we don’t take our walk with Jesus serious we allow the devil to step in. There’s no place for the devil when you’re filled with the Spirit. If you’re filled with the Spirit, where can the devil go? He has no place.

What’s keeping you from truly following Jesus? Make a commitment today to take your relationship with Jesus a priority. The first step is repentance. You must confess your sins. The next step is to yield. You can start by asking Jesus to guide and direct you today. I promise you will see a difference. It’s simple but not easy. You have to take the first step. 

Pray

Lord, I don’t want to just know of you. I want to be close to you. I want to feel you near me. Help me to remove anything that is keeping me from being a true follower. 

For You, Lord , have made me glad through Your work; I will triumph in the works of Your hands.
Psalms 92:4

The New Living Translation says, “You thrill me, Lord, with all You have done for me!” The psalmist unashamedly proclaimed how God’s wonderful works made him glad. God delights in making us glad.

What has God done for you recently? It doesn’t take long to collectively inventory the blessings that God has graciously given to us. Sometimes we just need to pause for a minute and reflect on all that the Lord has done for us. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity of the world and only ponder the bad things that are happening around us. So just stop what you are doing and think about the good that God has done and watch how He makes you glad.

With gratitude and thankfulness we praise the Lord. God gets all the honor and glory. This is what delights the heart of God. God is glorified when we “triumph in the works of His hands.” Those who are thrilled by God have a vibrant sense of joy. They easily sing unto the Lord.

Don’t ever be ashamed to speak up and speak out for the wonderful things that God has done. We need to hear more testimonies of how God is working and moving in the lives of His people. We need to hear about the good things that God is doing and how He is working all things out. 

Pray

Lord, You thrill me everyday. Every breath I take and every moment I live is for your glory. Use me today to make a difference in someone’s life.