Toni Smothers
Scripture Reading: Titus 3:1-7
Scripture Quote: And such were some of you; but you have been washed, you have been made holy, you have been given righteousness in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor 6:11(NIV)
Jesus preached the gospel so that sinners would be converted and join together as one church body. It doesn't matter who we have been or what we have done. When followers accept Christ's offer of salvation, we are washed by His blood. We promise to follow Jesus and to make Him the Lord of our lives. We publicly demonstrate the purification of our bodies in baptism and our spirits declare an inward connection to God and His empowerment to achieve His purposes. We understand that His Holy Spirit now dwells within us.
We return to life as we have known it - The only difference is our deepened certainty of God’s profound love for us. We can still sometimes fail as we seek to emulate Jesus, but we are stronger and better able to deal with life’s challenges. When fleshly desire creeps in, we are able to denounce its power over us because our conscience has been tweaked by the Holy Spirit - It nudges us into good moral choices. And God who made the Lord Jesus come back from the dead, assures us that He will do the same for us. God’s desire is to love us and enable us for good - Be grateful and worship Him!
Today’s meditation: We are care-takers and sharers of God’s mercy.
Memory Verse: I am free to do all things; but not all things are wise. I am free to do all things; but I will not let myself come under the power of any. 1 Cor 6:12 (NIV)