S)"60 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no one else. 61 Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day."
1 Kings 8:60-61 (NASB)
O) Everyone makes mistakes, but that's not the same thing as hypocrisy. Most people in the world seem to have such disdain for Christianity because they see people talking like they love God, but then they seem to live however they want with little remorse. There's no evidence that Christianity is any different than so many other religions of the world at that point. But, when a person devotes their heart wholly over to God, committing to walk in His statutes, keeping His commandments, living life His way, completely, that is when the LORD can reveal Himself as the only true and living God. This is because it's at that time that the believer will be born again. There are a lot of people who are professing the name of God, but they are not truly born again. They claim the name of Christ, calling themselves "Christians" and they say that He's their God, but they're not fully devoted to Him. Because of that distance between their words and their actions, the God they profess appears fake to the world. Everyone sins, even authentic, born-again Christians. The difference is a repentant and devoted heart.
A) I want my devotion to the LORD to be self-evident. I want people to recognize that there is true change, true rebirth, true redemption that can be had through faith and devotion to the LORD. I want people to know, based on my actions more than my words, that healing in Jesus Christ is real, that hope in Him is real, that life in Him is real. Religion never did anything for me, but the LORD changed my life.
P) Father, Your work in me is amazing still. When I reflect on the way I have changed in You, I'm perplexed by Your grace. I pray that those who knew me then are able to see me now, not as a man trying to be righteous, not as a man pretending to have it all together. I pray they see me as a man, allowing myself to be changed, continually, in the hands of my Maker. For those who didn't know me when I was broken, who didn't know me when I was vile, I pray that I have opportunity to share with them the changes You put in me. Holy Spirit, whenever people look at my life, I pray they see that the LORD lives and He is good and submission to Him means life to them. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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