Are you truly set free?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
(John 8:31b-32 (NIV))

This is probably the easiest saying of Jesus to comprehend, yet the most difficult to actually fulfill. Each of us wants to hold onto Jesus’ teachings, yet, we are only human, and are not capable of the perfection that Jesus modeled. Luckily, we are not held to this perfection. This perfection was modeled through the Law of Moses. We are still to model ourselves after this law, but, God knows that this law is impossible to perfectly keep by people who have inherited imperfection. This imperfection is due to the introduction of sin into the world by Adam and Eve.

Jesus was and is the perfect person. The ONLY perfect person to have ever lived. Since He was perfect in God’s eyes, He is the perfect Lamb of God who was sacrificed for atonement for all sin, EVER! How awesome to have someone perfect in God’s eyes on our side!

If we accept that Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, then we must accept His teachings. If we accept His teachings, then we must accept the truth that Jesus brought to earth. This truth truly does set you free.

Free from sin and death!

Are you truly set free?

Copyright 1998 – 2019 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What reward do you deserve?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living

I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.
(Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV))

Do you ever search your heart and examine your own mind?

Self-examination can be painful!

No one likes to admit their shortcomings, their faults and the sinful nature that holds them captive. Even though we may have professed that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we still face the issues that we did before this profession. The only difference is that we have acknowledged that we cannot face them on our own. We are to turn to Jesus constantly to help us.

With that in mind, what are your thoughts? What are your deeds? Are they focused on the sinful nature or have you replaced them with thoughts of Jesus?

Without Jesus, none of us deserve anything.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(Romans 3:23 (NIV))

Without Jesus, we are lost to our sin and will reap the fullness of what we deserve.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NIV))

If you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, then your heart should be filled with the things that Jesus desires for you. It should be filled with the things that God desires. We should be like David who was known to be a man after God’s own heart.

When the Lord searches your heart, what will He find?

What reward do you deserve?

Copyright 1998 – 2018 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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What have you been working on all of your life?

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23 (NAS))

What have you been working on all of your life?

If you have been part of the physical world, then you probably have been doing such daily tasks as trying to get the upper hand on the next guy. You might even have been working on increasing your pen and pencil collection at the expense of your office. Still a big one that many people continue to work on is seeing what they can look at without getting caught.

Have you worked on any of these tasks? Perhaps you can even think of a few more. No matter what you want to call things like these, they are sins and we deserve the payment of our wages for these sins.

Personally, that is one payday that I do not want to see, and by the grace of God, not a single one of us must see. We have had someone receive our payment of death for us. We have had the opportunity to have our wage sheet marked paid in full.

Grace and mercy are ours through Jesus Christ.

And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
(Hebrews 10:10 (NIV))

Our jobs have changed. No longer are we to toil in our sin. We are to work toward righteousness. We are to model Jesus in all that we do. He paid the price so that we can live free from the consequences of sin.

Do you work on the same things today that you did when you first accepted Jesus?