Have you ever wondered how to live an effective and productive life for Christ? If so, the answer is found in this passage. I encourage you to meditate on these words, then put them into practice.
As you live a life focused in Christ, you will live a life that is effective and productive. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 2 Peter 1:5-8 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control;and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s Reading: 2 Peter 1:1-11
0 Comments
We are very convincing. We convince ourselves that we are the only ones going through a particular problem. Yes, we realize that others are going through SOME of the same things we are going through, BUT this ONE thing is unique to us and no one understands it, so we “suffer” alone.
This passage reminds us that thinking in this way is wrong. God has not given any of us a singular, unique problem that we are the only one on earth who has to deal with it, or worse, can deal with it. A part of humbling yourself is accepting that God has placed people in your life to help you through EVERY situation. You NEVER have an issue that He cannot provide you support to guide you. When you accept that truth, then you will be casting your anxiety onto Jesus. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 1 Peter 5:6-9 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 5 Clear, Biblical instruction, who does not want that? The question is, when we receive it do we heed it.
This passage gives us understandable direction. I encourage you to meditate on these words, then do what they say. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 1 Peter 4:7-11 7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 4 Imagine your life if you lived out this passage. The US societal norms seem to pull us away from this type of living. We are told to look out for “number one.” We are told to give how you have received. If someone hurts you, you have every right to hurt them back without consequence.
In Christ, that could not be farther from the truth. As Peter teaches in this passage, we must be compassionate towards one another. We must be willing to extend the same grace to others that we, ourselves, want extended to us. Be encouraged to live out 1 Peter 3:8-9. Don’t focus on how you are treated by people. Be reminded of how you have been treated by God. He sent His Son to take on your sin and die in your place so you may have eternal life with Him. Isn’t that more than enough to inspire you to live how He has called you to live? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 1 Peter 3:8-9 8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 3:8-22 In 2002, while on a cruise, the Lord woke me up around 4:00 am and took me to this passage. He told me that this is the way I must live with my wife. Since that day, I have endeavored to remain obedient to this calling. My wife makes it easy, but the enemy and my flesh certainly provide plenty of challenges and obstacles.
As you continue to read your Bible daily, allow God to place in your heart His desire for your life. Empty yourself of what you want. Focus on Him and what He wants. When His desires become your desires, He will always give you the desires of your heart. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 3:1-7 *Side Note: If you are a wife or husband or plan to be, commit “today’s reading” to memory; if not word for word, definitely the lesson/command. Today’s reading is a podcast idea; episode coming soon!
Although Peter is being literal in verses 11 and 12, we can also view this passage from a spiritual perspective. We are “foreigners” in this world. Our residency is in heaven. Therefore, we must live by our “re-birth” culture, not by our earthly culture. Our lives must be such that people see how we live and are inspired to want a life in Christ. It starts with love. God’s love for us and our love for Him and His creation. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. 1 Peter 2:11-12 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 2:11-25 As you read this passage, let it sink in. This is who you are in Christ. There is no need to worry or fear any outcome. Put your trust in the Lord. Seek Him and His righteousness. When you do, you give God space in your life to do the things that you would never ask because you could never think of it apart from the urging of the Holy Spirit. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.
1 Peter 2:9-10 9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 2:1-10 *The last two days I put parts of 1 Peter 3 as our verse/reading. Each of those were from chapter one, not chapter three. Thank you for your patience.🥰 I love reading passages like this one. There is no way to confuse how we must live. Are you living a life for Christ? I encourage you to choose Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.
1 Peter 3:13-15 13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conformto the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 3:13-25 When your name is positively connected to Jesus Christ, you’re on the right track. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.
1 Peter1:7 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Today’s Reading: 1 Peter 3:1-12 *Quick Testimony*
In the early hours of a 2001 day, the Lord woke me up. I did not respond well. I said a quick prayer and went right back to sleep. So the Lord woke me up again, but this time I knew I BETTER get out of my room and pray in earnest! That early morning was an important day in my walk with Christ. God told me two things: 1. I am called to help believers in Christ who need to strengthen their walk with Christ or have fallen away. 2. I must know the book of James. After I finished praying, I read the entire book of James. The last two verses shook me. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. James 5:19-20 19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. Today’s Reading: James 5 The simplicity of a life with Christ is complicated by our own self-serving desires. If we would heed James’s words, we would quickly simplify our lives and be able to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.
James 4:7-10 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. Today’s Reading: James 4 Each day we have a choice. We can choose to be self-serving, thinking of our wants and desires before all others. We can act on those wants and desires and make sure we get what we want at all cost. This type of life would lead to our downfall.
The other choice is to allow our lives to be lived through the humility of wisdom. In that life, we choose to place the needs of others above our own. This is the exact example Jesus lives for us. He had no personal need to die on the cross. He was without sin, and would not face the consequences of sin. Yet, He chose to put His life away and serve others. He served you. What are you doing to serve Him? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. James 3:16-18 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. Today’s Reading: James 3 Faith is required if we want to please God (Hebrews 11:6). However, if our faith is not manifested in good works, it is not faith at all.
James 2 gives us a clear explanation of how our faith must be followed by good deeds. If we say we love God and have faith in Him, our actions should show this faith. It is not our faith in action that saves us, Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice on the cross did that. However, if we truly believe Christ died so that our sin would be forgiven, our actions should show this. Do yours? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. James 2:14-17 14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Today’s Reading: James 2 Matthew records Jesus saying that the one who loves Him obeys His commands. As we read this passage, we must be reminded of the criteria Christ uses to confirm our love for Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy.
James 1:12 12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trialbecause, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. Today’s Reading: James 1 Jesus Christ has never changed. He has always been one who served others from a position of leadership. He explained to His disciples that if someone wanted to be great, he must be a servant to all.
We know that Jesus is alive in heaven with the Father and all of the believers who have gone to sleep in His name. However, if Jesus, in flesh, was still walking the earth, He would be serving all in need. We know this because of this seemingly insignificant statement at the end of a paragraph in Hebrews chapter thirteen. If Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then we must be servants of all if we say we are Christians. A Christian is one who identifies with Christ. They are Christ-like. Therefore, we are required to be servants to all. That’s what Jesus did. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. Hebrews 13:8 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Today’s Reading: Hebrews 13 Recently I watched a Tik Tok video of a man refusing to give his ID to a police officer. He stood firm in his “righteousness.” However, viewing the video, it seemed as if the police officer’s request was reasonable. He clearly articulated the alleged offense and remained calm throughout.
By the end of the video, the alleged offender was in handcuffs, both he and his supportive wife. Reading this passage about Esau reminded me of that man. Once he realized he had made a bad decision, he was “begging” for his freedom. What are you using to guide your decision making? Do you run all of your decisions through the Word of God? What is the outcome of those decisions about which you do not inquire of the Lord? In Christ, there are times when a decision we make may seem wrong, but because we trusted God, ultimately things will work for God’s purpose in our lives. Be patient. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. Hebrews 12:14-17 14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.17 Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. Today’s Reading: Hebrews 12:14-29 Hebrews 12:1-3 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. I am always encouraged by the reminder that the path I walk is laid out for me. If I will “fix” my eyes on Jesus, I will not take a misstep. It confirms that every misstep I do take is a direct result of me taking my eyes off Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of my faith.”
What issues are you dealing with in this season of life? Are you turning it over to Jesus by faith or do you, “have it under control?” I encourage you to trust God by placing your issues in His more than capable hands. You do this by seeking Him in His word, through His people, and solitary prayer time with only You and Him. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Today’s Reading: Hebrews 12:1-13 As you read Hebrews chapter eleven, it is easy to think if you have faith, God will pour out blessings on you that the world will see and think, “oh what a faithful person!” However, as you near the end of the chapter, you learn that many people of faith never get to experience those “blessings” on earth.
Can your faith withstand some of life’s biggest challenges? I encourage you to continue to get in your Bible daily. Allow God to grow your faith. As the Psalmist says, hide “the word in (your) heart so (you) may not sin against (Him).” Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. Hebrews 11:35b-38 There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. Today’s Reading: Hebrews 11:20-40 Faith is the key. Saying you believe in God is meaningless if it is not followed by faith. Your profession of faith is meaningless if it is not followed by action. The idea that if you have faith you will “get anything you want” is not faith, it is wishful thinking.
If you meditate on Hebrews chapter eleven, you will see that people of faith have their faith challenged. In his book, “Experiencing God,” Henry Blackaby calls it a “crisis of faith.” He explains that our faith is meaningless until it is put into action. How is God calling you to exercise your faith? What holds you back from being faithful to Him no matter what? Put your faith into action so your witness to others will inspire them to seek Christ. Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. Hebrews 11:13-16 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Today’s Reading: Hebrews 11:1-19 As you read this passage, I encourage you to slow down and take it in. The words are empowering, if you allow them to get inside you so that you may recall them when you need them.
Our commission is to share the gospel. Our mark is love. Jesus said people will know we are His disciples by our love for one another. This love is shown in how we encourage one another and how we serve one another. How are you doing? Here’s today’s Bible verse. Enjoy. Hebrews 10:19-25 19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living wayopened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Today’s Reading: Hebrews 10:19-39 |
Details
AuthorDr. Gregg Mays shares his daily devotion. Archives
May 2024
Categories |