Is that pet sin that you won’t let go of worth it?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ–to the glory and praise of God.
(Philippians 1:9-11 (NIV))

Do you think that you are able to discern what is best?

Do you think that you are able to remain blameless until the day of Christ?

Are you filled with the fruit of righteousness?

On the surface, these sound like simple questions, but have you actually tried to look at your life and honestly provide an answer? Do you believe your answers?

We all think that we can discern what is best, but do we always use God’s Word as the benchmark? Do we pick and choose what we think is good based on our own desires or do we honestly look to follow God in all that we do?

Do we, as the Body of Christ, do as society has us believe that truth is relative? How can we remain blameless if what we measure ourselves by is not a fixed target, but it is in the eyes of God? How can we claim to be righteous when the concept of righteousness is a moving target in our own eyes?

God has given us standards. He has given us instructions as to what is good and what is righteous. It is our fault, society and individually, that we have lost track of what is expected of us. In some cases, many of us have deliberately turned our backs on what God desires, yet, we still profess to follow Him.

I can hear His response now.

“Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, `I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
(Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV))

It doesn’t get much clearer than this. If we are not able to discern what is good, remain blameless and stay righteous, we will be cast aside. Jesus will have never known us.

Is that pet sin that you won’t let go of worth it?

Copyright 1998 – 2014 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Just what is real knowledge?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
(Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV))

Just what is real knowledge?

If you follow the media and the larger universities, many are claiming that what was once called wisdom is no longer true. They claim that we have become educated and the old wisdom and knowledge is no longer relevant. They claim that we, as humans, can apply our knowledge and solve any problem.

Are you laughing as hard as I am at this thought?

Human knowledge has its limitations. It has its errors in judgment and reasoning. It is flawed and no matter how much humanity claims that it can perfect human knowledge, there will always be circumstances that push human ability to understand, reason and to respond.

All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
(Isaiah 64:16 (NIV))

With this truth before us, there is only one true knowledge. There is only one real knowledge. God is good and that Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 (NIV))

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
(John 1:1-5 (NIV))

When you gain knowledge, it is said that you are enlightened. Jesus is the light. Knowing Jesus and following Jesus will not result in senseless results of rash decisions based on false knowledge. Jesus will walk with you in all that you do. He will be with you. The knowledge of the Holy Trinity will be with you.

Do you know the real knowledge that God desires for you to know?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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Who are we to love?

Be Still . . .
Devotionals for Daily Living ^©

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;
(Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV))

What is the one thing that we are told to do until Jesus returns?

Carefully reread Philippiams 1:9-10. We are told to have real knowledge and all discernment, but these are not the one thing that we are told to do. They are the way we are to do the one thing!

We are to love!

Who are we to love?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
(John 13:34-35 (NIV))

We are to love each other so that others will know that we are disciples of Jesus. Who are we to love and how are we to love?

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. `Look after him,’ he said, `and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
(Luke 10:30-36 (NIV))

Based on this passage, who do you think that we should love?

Copyright 1998 – 2013 Dennis J. Smock
Daily Living Ministries, Inc.
http://www.dailylivingministries.org
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