Only Through Jesus
Today's Scripture
"For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT
Thoughts for Today
It is only through Christ, who never sinned, that we can have perfect moments. He paid the penalty for our sin so we could be made right with God. When we receive Him as our personal Lord and Savior, we begin our journey toward perfect moments. As we grow and mature in Him, those moments will come more often because the power to have perfect moments comes from Him.
Worldly perfection focuses more on being right, and godly perfection focuses on being holy and loving. Godly perfection does not come to us naturally. Only by the power of God through Jesus can we grow in His kind of perfection.
Consider this …
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
We can live a godly life—we can have more and more perfect moments—if we are willing to do things God's way and to depend on Jesus. When we try to do it our way, we often become more focused on being right than on being loving. That is the world's kind of perfection. Godly perfection, on the other hand, focuses on being holy and loving.
Are you in a relationship that is increasingly frustrating because the other person won't see things or do things your way—the way you perceive to be the "right way"? Perhaps you should take the focus off getting your way and focus instead on love. Ask God to help you have perfect moments—His way.
Prayer
Father, I like to see things done my way. I know I expect others to do things the "right way"—a phrase I've used to describe "my way." Help me to overcome this need to be right. Help me to grow in your holiness and love. Help me to remember the "right way" is your way, not mine. Help me to stop judging and start loving more. In Jesus' name …
These thoughts were drawn from …
Where is the Image of God in You? by Brad Rymer. The purpose of this study is for us to see how some of the different character traits we have can be used in constructive rather than destructive ways in our lives and relationships so that we are operating more and more in the image of God according to the way He created us. Also, this study can help us better understand others as we build godly relationships. Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.
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