Romans 8:12-14
So, dear brothers, you have no
obligations whatever to your old sinful nature to do what it begs you to
do. For if you keep on following it you are lost and will perish, but
if through the power of the Holy Spirit you crush it and its evil deeds,
you shall live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of
God.
The Living Bible
copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights
reserved.
Some 20 years ago, Greg and I would have been
spending summer Sunday afternoons out on the lake, with our pontoon boat tied
together with several other pontoons and a ski boat or two. We would be
with our friends, soaking up the sun and enjoying our beautiful crystal
clear lake. This morning at church, one of our “boat buddies” (who is
now the father of four children ages 2-10) said, “I no longer tie up in a
cove like we used to do…it’s too dangerous for kids.” Greg and I no
longer even own a boat. We take our children to the indoor pool at the
local Aquatic Center. Times have changed…and we have changed with them!
We
could buy another boat and go back to the cove on the lake with our
friends. Some have grown children now…others have small, young
families. It would be the same – yet different…and we are not bound to
keep doing what we always did. Life changes, and we change with it.
In
the same way, we are not bound to continue our old sinful ways once we
give our hearts and lives to Jesus. We have a new focus…new interests…a
new way of doing things. You may be one of those people who really had
a pretty good life as a sinner. You didn’t break rules…you were kind
to others and cared about their needs…you observed the laws, went to
church, and “did all the right things.” It might seem like your “old
life” was not all that different from the new one…that doing what you
always did would not really be that bad even now.
Here’s the
difference…the power of the Holy Spirit. Because of the commitment you
made to Jesus…and His Holy Spirit working in and through you…everything
about your “new life” is better. “New and improved” are the words of
the day. It may not feel all that different…but your focus HAS shifted –
or it should have. Instead of just going through the motions, you
should now be calling on the Holy Spirit to guide your days…direct your
paths…ordain your thoughts, words and actions. Where you once muddled
through each day, He now gives you a life of “intention”…a holy
purpose…and the promise of Eternal Life.
I sometimes think an
afternoon on the lake would be fun. But then I think about the heat and
sunburn…all of the gear to load and unload…the worry of making sure
that the kids stayed safe…and I am totally content with things as they
are. And I wouldn’t trade my “new life in Christ” and the company of
the Holy Spirit for a single second of the “old life” as a sinner.
All
I have to do is think of how glorious “life” will be in Paradise for
all eternity…and how carefully God tends to my every need in this life
through His Holy Spirit, and I know that this is the life for me…forever
and ever. What about you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label how we live for Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how we live for Jesus. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for March 17, 2016
2 Corinthians 5:6-10
Now we look forward with confidence to our heavenly bodies, realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus. We know these things are true by believing, not by seeing. And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare—before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Spring Break is upon us…and for some of you, it may already be happening. I hear people talk all the time about longing for the beach…or a tropical island. Some prefer a cruise. And in light of all that we have experienced in recent months, more than a few people have said to us, “You two need to get away somewhere and relax!”
Can I tell you something? I’ve been on those kinds of trips. I’ve played on a sandy beach and sailed on a cruise ship. I’ve skied in snowy mountains and relaxed by a roaring fire. I’ve enjoyed several days of dining out and having someone else do the cooking and dish washing. And what I have discovered is that, for me, nothing compares to home. And ultimately the only place the grass will truly be greener for me is in the real Paradise…Heaven!
Have you heard the phrase, “I need a vacation from my vacation!”? It’s true for many of us…the “earthly pleasures” we seek never quite satisfy. And they won’t – they can’t! Nothing will compare to what we experience in Heaven. But here’s the thing…what we do with our earthly time matters greatly. How we serve, how we react and respond…it all matters. If we mope around and gripe and complain about our everyday existence in this earthly life, we are not focused on pleasing God.
Our daily routine may be dull and boring…or fraught with disappointments and difficulties. Yes, there are horrific things happening all around us. Let’s be honest, this earthly life can be pretty crummy at times. But what matters is how we respond to our circumstances…what we show others. I am not suggesting that we be phonies…I am reminding us to stand strong in the LORD!
I know I am preaching to the choir in many instances…but I am also yanking some of us up by the bootstraps – myself included! It is time for us to get up and get going…to ask, “What would you have me do with this, LORD?” The time is NOW to build our “portfolio” for Heaven…to fill it with the countless ways that we have glorified God and demonstrated His love and care through the teachings of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for each of us.
There is nothing wrong with earthly vacations…or looking forward to them. But we must always be even more focused on our final destination – and how we prepare for Heaven. SOMEDAY, each one of us will stand at Heaven’s gate…present before God and accountable for everything we did – and didn’t do – on this earth. Your “ticket to Paradise” will be punched…but not before a “performance review” is conducted. What will you have to say for yourself…and what will God have to say to you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Now we look forward with confidence to our heavenly bodies, realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus. We know these things are true by believing, not by seeing. And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So our aim is to please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged and have our lives laid bare—before him. Each of us will receive whatever he deserves for the good or bad things he has done in his earthly body.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Spring Break is upon us…and for some of you, it may already be happening. I hear people talk all the time about longing for the beach…or a tropical island. Some prefer a cruise. And in light of all that we have experienced in recent months, more than a few people have said to us, “You two need to get away somewhere and relax!”
Can I tell you something? I’ve been on those kinds of trips. I’ve played on a sandy beach and sailed on a cruise ship. I’ve skied in snowy mountains and relaxed by a roaring fire. I’ve enjoyed several days of dining out and having someone else do the cooking and dish washing. And what I have discovered is that, for me, nothing compares to home. And ultimately the only place the grass will truly be greener for me is in the real Paradise…Heaven!
Have you heard the phrase, “I need a vacation from my vacation!”? It’s true for many of us…the “earthly pleasures” we seek never quite satisfy. And they won’t – they can’t! Nothing will compare to what we experience in Heaven. But here’s the thing…what we do with our earthly time matters greatly. How we serve, how we react and respond…it all matters. If we mope around and gripe and complain about our everyday existence in this earthly life, we are not focused on pleasing God.
Our daily routine may be dull and boring…or fraught with disappointments and difficulties. Yes, there are horrific things happening all around us. Let’s be honest, this earthly life can be pretty crummy at times. But what matters is how we respond to our circumstances…what we show others. I am not suggesting that we be phonies…I am reminding us to stand strong in the LORD!
I know I am preaching to the choir in many instances…but I am also yanking some of us up by the bootstraps – myself included! It is time for us to get up and get going…to ask, “What would you have me do with this, LORD?” The time is NOW to build our “portfolio” for Heaven…to fill it with the countless ways that we have glorified God and demonstrated His love and care through the teachings of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for each of us.
There is nothing wrong with earthly vacations…or looking forward to them. But we must always be even more focused on our final destination – and how we prepare for Heaven. SOMEDAY, each one of us will stand at Heaven’s gate…present before God and accountable for everything we did – and didn’t do – on this earth. Your “ticket to Paradise” will be punched…but not before a “performance review” is conducted. What will you have to say for yourself…and what will God have to say to you?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for January 6, 2016
Proverbs 10:27
Reverence for God adds hours to each day; so how can the wicked expect a long, good life?
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
While my mom dozed today, I looked through family photos. Mother has dozens of photo albums, filled with photos of the people she loves - or loved - the most…relatives, friends, students, people she met while traveling. It doesn’t seem fair that there will not be more albums to fill and memories to create. After all, doesn’t this scripture passage imply that those who have reverence for God will live longer? By that benchmark, my mother should be on this earth for many more decades or more!
I think of all of the people Mother has known and loved in her 76+ years…and I look at the comments and messages I have received in the last week about her life and her Godly influence on others…and I realize that this passage is not really about quantity - it’s about quality.
Those who are “wicked” may indeed live to be 100 or more. They may appear to “skate by” unscathed in life, while those who revere God and serve Him well struggle and suffer…or have their earthly lives cut short. But that’s where some of us get it all wrong. It’s not about THIS life…but rather, what we build for eternity! And in that regard, my mother has been plenty busy creating something amazing. Someone wrote to her today that the trip on which she is about to embark will far surpass any travels she ever took in her RV! And I believe that wholeheartedly.
Someone shared a meme with me on Facebook that said something to the effect of “I asked the Lord why He gave me so much troubled water, and He said…’because your enemies cannot swim.’” When we revere and respect God – and fully serve Him with faith and obedience – our lives may not be trouble-free, or lengthy. But our eternal life and legacy will be something truly incredible…far beyond what we can ever imagine. And isn’t that the ultimate goal? Shouldn’t it be?
Earthly life is not about how many years we have…but what we do with them. What are you building for Eternitya?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Reverence for God adds hours to each day; so how can the wicked expect a long, good life?
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
While my mom dozed today, I looked through family photos. Mother has dozens of photo albums, filled with photos of the people she loves - or loved - the most…relatives, friends, students, people she met while traveling. It doesn’t seem fair that there will not be more albums to fill and memories to create. After all, doesn’t this scripture passage imply that those who have reverence for God will live longer? By that benchmark, my mother should be on this earth for many more decades or more!
I think of all of the people Mother has known and loved in her 76+ years…and I look at the comments and messages I have received in the last week about her life and her Godly influence on others…and I realize that this passage is not really about quantity - it’s about quality.
Those who are “wicked” may indeed live to be 100 or more. They may appear to “skate by” unscathed in life, while those who revere God and serve Him well struggle and suffer…or have their earthly lives cut short. But that’s where some of us get it all wrong. It’s not about THIS life…but rather, what we build for eternity! And in that regard, my mother has been plenty busy creating something amazing. Someone wrote to her today that the trip on which she is about to embark will far surpass any travels she ever took in her RV! And I believe that wholeheartedly.
Someone shared a meme with me on Facebook that said something to the effect of “I asked the Lord why He gave me so much troubled water, and He said…’because your enemies cannot swim.’” When we revere and respect God – and fully serve Him with faith and obedience – our lives may not be trouble-free, or lengthy. But our eternal life and legacy will be something truly incredible…far beyond what we can ever imagine. And isn’t that the ultimate goal? Shouldn’t it be?
Earthly life is not about how many years we have…but what we do with them. What are you building for Eternitya?
©2016 Debbie Robus
Daily Devotional for June 20, 2015
June 20 ~ Luke 17:28-30
“It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That’s how it will be—sudden, total—when the Son of Man is revealed."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I have to admit…the massacre of nine people at the “Mother Emmanuel” A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina last Wednesday evening has caused a major shift in my thinking…and not in the way you might think. I had grown comfortable – and complacent – in a particular area of my faith. Sure, I love Jesus…and He is front and center (most of the time) in my thoughts and actions. Yes, I am certain that Heaven will be my eternal home…that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life…and that God is guiding my steps (though He may occasionally wring his hands and ask, “What on earth is she thinking?!”)
The much-needed “jolt” that this tragic event of June 17th provided for me is a reminder of 1) how precarious and temporary this life is, and 2) Who is really in control! See, while I am ready for heaven in many ways, I realized that I have held subconscious thoughts that nothing will happen to me, because I still have work to do on this earth. There are family members to nurture and care for…there are dozens of “important” projects to complete. I have photos to scan and devos to write and children to drive to swim lessons and VBS… and so many more “important” things to accomplish! But this week, I’ve very clearly felt God showing me that I am indeed important to Him…but I am not indispensible. In other words, there is nothing about me that makes me more special than anyone else…more extraordinary…or more useful.
So when I saw a state senator and pastor swept to heaven in the middle of a sermon, I knew that the Son of Man can be revealed to any of us in a heartbeat. When I learned that a young man who just graduated from college has “graduated” to heaven…I realized that the plans we have cannot hold a candle to those of God. When I heard about the seven other church members who nurtured a hate-filled, angry, malicious young man for more than an hour – and he shot them dead anyway…I realized that when God is ready for me, there won’t be a thing that I can do about it. And more importantly - I won’t want to!
So I am looking at my life through a new lens…and I encourage you to do the same. I am thinking more about every word and action…because they might be my last. Did I offer kindness and a word from God to a would-be killer…or more likely, to someone so mired in depression or difficulties that he/she was facing a mental or emotional breakdown and considering suicide? Did I waste time checking social media or watching a dumb reality TV show instead of playing with my little niece and nephews…doing something with my husband or other loved ones…or visiting someone who is sick, grieving or lonely? Did I pay close enough attention to the people around me…both those I know and love – and those I’ve merely shared space with at the grocery check-out line, passed in a hallway at church, or swam next to at the community pool?
Have my comments on social media been kind and reflected God’s word and will? Have I taken advantage of the minutes/hours/days/weeks/years that God has granted me on this earth? Have I been like Lot…so busy carrying on and having a good time that I didn’t see the firestorm that was brewing…or recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life? If you and I were staring down the barrel of a gun as we attended a Bible study or prayer meeting – and given a moment to reflect before the trigger was pulled – what would we be the focal point of our last thoughts?
Are you ready for heaven? Are you aware that the time of your departure is NOT your decision to make…and are you truly at peace with this? We have seen this week that even the most faithful among us are not indispensible when God is ready for us to sit at Jesus’ feet. When our perspective shifts and we change our attitude, we can start to really make the most of the time that we have left – and the blessings that God has given us. I know I plan to…what about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
“It was the same in the time of Lot—the people carrying on, having a good time, business as usual right up to the day Lot walked out of Sodom and a firestorm swept down and burned everything to a crisp. That’s how it will be—sudden, total—when the Son of Man is revealed."
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
I have to admit…the massacre of nine people at the “Mother Emmanuel” A.M.E. church in Charleston, South Carolina last Wednesday evening has caused a major shift in my thinking…and not in the way you might think. I had grown comfortable – and complacent – in a particular area of my faith. Sure, I love Jesus…and He is front and center (most of the time) in my thoughts and actions. Yes, I am certain that Heaven will be my eternal home…that my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life…and that God is guiding my steps (though He may occasionally wring his hands and ask, “What on earth is she thinking?!”)
The much-needed “jolt” that this tragic event of June 17th provided for me is a reminder of 1) how precarious and temporary this life is, and 2) Who is really in control! See, while I am ready for heaven in many ways, I realized that I have held subconscious thoughts that nothing will happen to me, because I still have work to do on this earth. There are family members to nurture and care for…there are dozens of “important” projects to complete. I have photos to scan and devos to write and children to drive to swim lessons and VBS… and so many more “important” things to accomplish! But this week, I’ve very clearly felt God showing me that I am indeed important to Him…but I am not indispensible. In other words, there is nothing about me that makes me more special than anyone else…more extraordinary…or more useful.
So when I saw a state senator and pastor swept to heaven in the middle of a sermon, I knew that the Son of Man can be revealed to any of us in a heartbeat. When I learned that a young man who just graduated from college has “graduated” to heaven…I realized that the plans we have cannot hold a candle to those of God. When I heard about the seven other church members who nurtured a hate-filled, angry, malicious young man for more than an hour – and he shot them dead anyway…I realized that when God is ready for me, there won’t be a thing that I can do about it. And more importantly - I won’t want to!
So I am looking at my life through a new lens…and I encourage you to do the same. I am thinking more about every word and action…because they might be my last. Did I offer kindness and a word from God to a would-be killer…or more likely, to someone so mired in depression or difficulties that he/she was facing a mental or emotional breakdown and considering suicide? Did I waste time checking social media or watching a dumb reality TV show instead of playing with my little niece and nephews…doing something with my husband or other loved ones…or visiting someone who is sick, grieving or lonely? Did I pay close enough attention to the people around me…both those I know and love – and those I’ve merely shared space with at the grocery check-out line, passed in a hallway at church, or swam next to at the community pool?
Have my comments on social media been kind and reflected God’s word and will? Have I taken advantage of the minutes/hours/days/weeks/years that God has granted me on this earth? Have I been like Lot…so busy carrying on and having a good time that I didn’t see the firestorm that was brewing…or recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life? If you and I were staring down the barrel of a gun as we attended a Bible study or prayer meeting – and given a moment to reflect before the trigger was pulled – what would we be the focal point of our last thoughts?
Are you ready for heaven? Are you aware that the time of your departure is NOT your decision to make…and are you truly at peace with this? We have seen this week that even the most faithful among us are not indispensible when God is ready for us to sit at Jesus’ feet. When our perspective shifts and we change our attitude, we can start to really make the most of the time that we have left – and the blessings that God has given us. I know I plan to…what about you?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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