15 lines
4.4 KiB
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15 lines
4.4 KiB
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<html><head><title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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<div class="head">Day By Day By Grace</div>
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<div class="subhead">Bob Hoekstra</div>
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<div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020">December 29</div></div>
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<h1>Walking with Jesus the Way We Received Him</h1>
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<div class="block"><i><b>As</b> you have therefore <b>received</b> Christ Jesus the Lord, <b>so walk</b> in Him…Are you so foolish? Having <b>begun</b> in the <b>Spirit</b>, are you <b>now</b> being <b>made</b> <b>perfect</b> by the <b>flesh</b>?</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Col', 2, '6-6');">Colossians 2:6</a> and <a onClick="return mV('Gal', 3, '3-3');">Galatians 3:3</a>)</div>
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<p>In this vital matter of relating rightly to the Lord, one common mistake is attempting to develop our Christian walk in a different manner than we began it. Our present verses point us to the proper outlook. We are to build our life with the Lord upon the very same terms that we began that life. <i>"<b>As</b> you have therefore <b>received</b> Christ Jesus the Lord, <b>so walk</b> in Him."</i> We are to <b>walk with Jesus the way we received Him</b>.</p><p>We received the Lord and His great salvation as gifts of grace. <i>"Thanks be to God for His <b>indescribable gift</b>!…For by <b>grace</b> you have been <b>saved</b> through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the <b>gift</b> of God"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('2Cr', 9, '15-15');">2 Corinthians 9:15</a> and <a onClick="return mV('Eph', 2, '8-8');">Ephesians 2:8</a>). We must, therefore, walk in Him with a "grace-receiving" mentality. <i>"And of His fullness we have all <b>received</b>, and <b>grace</b> for</i> [upon] <b><i>grace</i></b><i>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn', 1, '16-16');">John 1:16</a>). We must never attempt to treat the Christian life as something we can manufacture or earn. Sinful, earthly fathers were created with a desire to give beneficial gifts to their children. Even more so, our holy, heavenly Father has a heart to give all that is needed to those who are willing to ask and receive. <i>"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, <b>how much more</b> will your Father who is in heaven <b>give good things</b> to those who <b>ask Him</b>!"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Mat', 7, '11-11');">Matthew 7:11</a>).</p><p><a onClick="return mV('Gal', 3, '3-3');">Galatians 3:3</a> reinforces the need to have the same pattern for beginning and developing a walk with God. <i>"Are you so foolish? Having <b>begun</b> in the <b>Spirit</b>, are you now being <b>made perfect</b> by the <b>flesh</b>?"</i> These rhetorical questions warn of the deadly danger of having our approach to Christian growth differ from how we found spiritual birth. The Holy Spirit alone was able to bring us spiritual birth. The flesh of man could avail nothing. <i>"That which is <b>born</b> of the <b>flesh</b> is <b>flesh</b>, and that which is <b>born</b> of the <b>Spirit</b> is <b>spirit</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn', 3, '6-6');">John 3:6</a>). The Holy Spirit must bring us spiritual progress. The flesh can contribute nothing. <i>"It is the <b>Spirit</b> who gives <b>life</b>; the <b>flesh</b> profits <b>nothing</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jhn', 6, '63-63');">John 6:63</a>). Any change in approach from birth to growth is foolishness. It is doomed to failure.</p><p>We began by grace, so we must continue by grace. We began by the Spirit, so we must continue by the Spirit. Yes, we are to <b>walk with Jesus the way we received Him</b>. Any changes in approach are unacceptable, ineffective, impossible.</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Heavenly Father, You are such a generous giver. You gave me Your Son and His salvation as a gift of grace. You gave me new life by a work of Your Holy Spirit. Now, I want to walk in Christ these same ways, in His gracious name, Amen.</div></div></div><div class="desc-center"><div class="pad2020"><a href="./devotions/daybyday/12/1228.html">Yesterday's Reading</a>
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