Do you honor Jesus?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.
(Romans 12:1 (NIV))

Paul is known for encouraging the Body of Christ in addition to spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles. In this passage, we see sound advise even for today.

Think about these words from Paul.

Do you profess that Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior?

We all think of Jesus as our salvation, as our Savior, but do we truly think of Jesus as our Lord? If we truly have turned over lordship of our lives to Jesus, then our bodies, our very lives, are no longer ours. If you were asked to baby-sit, would you treat the child badly? Would you give the child things that were bad for it’s health? Would you put the child in danger?

For the people who have asked Jesus to be their Lord, we are only custodians, caretakers, of our bodies. In essence, we are baby-sitting our bodies. We are to treat them as if they belonged to Jesus. Would you commit sinful behavior? Would you allow Jesus to be compromised and endangered?

We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices in response to and in honor of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us!

Do you honor Jesus?

Copyright 1998 – 2016 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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If your “truth” is not this truth, where do you stand?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
(John 8:32 (NIV))

I would bet that almost everybody in this country, including nonbelievers, are familiar with this passage. I would also bet that most have used this out of context and many have probably used it sarcastically.

Are you able to put these words into context? Do you know who spoke them and what they are a part of?

They are words spoken by Jesus, but they did not stand alone.

To the Jews who had believed him, 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 8:31-32 (NIV))

Knowing the truth and having the truth set you free are only achievable with conditions!

The world cannot give you a truth that can set you free.

Other religions cannot give you a truth that can set you free.

In order to know a truth that can set you free, you must know Jesus!

You must acknowledge that Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. You must profess a faith in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You must hold to His teachings. In other words, you must accept the power and the authority of His teachings over your life. Only when you do this, are you really a disciple of Jesus. Only knowing the truth of Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior will set you free.

I am sure that you have heard the old saying that sitting in a garage does not make you a car just as sitting in a church does not make you a Christian. Sitting in a church pew will not do it. It can help to lead you to Jesus, but it will not save you. The truth is not the church. The church can point you to the truth that can only be found when you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

Many people claim that Jesus is their savior, but is He your Lord? Is Jesus the perfect, spotless Lamb of God who came to bring salvation? Is Jesus allowed to be Lord over your life to the point where He has authority in all that you do?

If your “truth” is not this truth, where do you stand?

Copyright 1998 – 2015 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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