Your Daily Devotional for April 25, 2006

April 25, 2006

 

More Like the Master

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

1 John 2:15

 

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour than you are on the winning side, sanctified, and set apart by the Spirit of God. What a blessed privilege! You now belong to God. You have become the recipient of His great gift. With that gift, however, comes a certain degree of responsibility. The Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:9-10, "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ."

 

The Bible speaks of progressive sanctification. That is the sanctification whereby I am becoming more like Christ in my everyday living. When we accept Christ as Saviour, we are set apart positionally; but it is possible to be set apart to Jesus Christ through salvation and yet not be on the winning side when it comes to the progressive, sanctifying work of the Lord and conforming to His image.

 

When we speak of staying on the winning side, we are not speaking of staying saved, because if you have been born again by the Spirit, you'll never be more saved than you are right now. What we're speaking about is walking in His likeness and becoming more like Him every day. This is a process that doesn't take place by accident. The devil does not want you to walk in victory in your Christian life, and he will do what he can to draw you away from your Lord; but remember how good God has been to you.

 

The Bible says in James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Notice the words "cometh down." Those two little words hold the wonderful message that God's gifts are continual. You're not just saved for a few months; His blood is always at work. He's not going to provide for you for a few days. He'll care for you for all your days.

 

God's Word will be preserved for you all of your days, and it's available for you right now. The Word does not waver. It is from the Father of lights. Light in the Scriptures is the emblem of knowledge, purity, and happiness; and God is often represented by light. God is immutable, unchanging. Your sanctification must come from Him.

 

The Bible says in Proverbs 10:22, "The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it." If you are going to stay on the winning side as a victorious Christian that's serving God a year from now, you need to remember that sin has a price tag. When the devil is pulling you away from God, say, "Get thou behind me, Satan!" and get right back to the love of God, in step with His will for you.

 

Don't make the wrong choice. You have been filled with the Spirit, begotten by Him unto a new life. If the Spirit is in you, will you listen to Him today? Don't turn your back on a God who has given you so much.

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