Today's Reading:
2 Chronicles 33:14-34:33
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12
Psalm 119:25-32
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Focus Verses: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
11 With
this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you
worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good
purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12 We
pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you,
and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Insight:
Paul
was confident that God would one day act in justice and put the world
to rights. He was sure that destruction would come upon all who rebelled
against God, rejected the gospel of Christ, and persecuted the church.
He was just as convinced that blessing would be poured out upon all who
had put their faith in Christ and followed him through thick and thin.
With
that in mind, Paul prayed for his Christian friends in Thessalonica. He
prayed that God would fulfill every good intention and every righteous
act prompted by their faith. He wanted Jesus to be lifted up and
glorified in their lives.
Response and Action:
My
faith should help me persevere in times of trial. It should move me
toward good purposes and spur me on toward good deeds. God's grace and
power help me to become the person he has in mind for me to be, and to
accomplish the good work he has in mind for me to do.
Help
me, O Lord, transform my life, shape my desires, and prompt me toward
the righteous acts you have prepared for me to do. I am your
workmanship. May my faith in Jesus prompt me to delight in your will, to
want what you want, and to walk in your ways to the glory of your name.
Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Ephesians 2:8-10
8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can
boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do
good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Resources:
The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives
by Dallas Willard
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