Prayer
– Lord, refresh me with Your truth. Help me to throw off my old nature—that judgmental
spirit that has so plagued me. Renew a right spirit within me that I would
think, say, and do things that are pleasing to You.
Since
you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him,
throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is
corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts
and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous
and holy. Ephesians
4:21-24
Meditate.
What will a new creation of yourself be like?
Have you
ever created something out of clay—maybe a hand-built bowl in Grade School or
even thrown a pot in a High School or College art class? God is referred to as the “potter” in several Bible verses. 
Granddaughter Lydia throwing a pot!
Good job!
And yet, O LORD, you are our
Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We all are formed by your
hand. Isaiah 64:8
Think
about how He formed Adam from the dust...the clay…and created him “in our image”
as portrayed in Genesis.
Then God said, "Let us make
human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the
sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,
and the small animals that scurry along the ground." Genesis 1:26
This
scripture text today talks about the new nature, created to be like God—truly
righteous and holy. We have to throw off the old to become new. New…with
God’s righteousness and holiness.
Once we, too, were foolish and
disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our
lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. But—“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love,
he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of
his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through
the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus
Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us
confidence that we will inherit eternal life." Titus 3:3-7
Hang in
there…make good choices to be obedient and to encourage others.
Be careful then, dear brothers and
sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning
you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is
still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and
hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as
firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. Hebrews 3:12-14
Verse
of Salvation ~ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away
from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow.
But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
When it
was hot in the summer in Israel, during Jesus’ time, what do you think He ate
to cool off? I don’t think they had ice…and with no refrigeration they were at
the mercy of any cool stream or deep well that might offer cool water. Remember
how Jesus at a wedding in Cana turned the water into wine as His first miracle
(see John 2:1-11)? He had the servants fill the waterpots that were normally
used for Jewish purification ritual. Those pots held twenty to thirty gallons
of water. He turned that water into wine. It was probably cool since the
servants had just drawn the water from the well. Cool water or wine—refreshing
on a hot summer day. Be sure to drink plenty of cool water during these scorching days.
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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