Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. Matthew 23:10-12
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:14
Today's thoughts from today's verses:
Today is the start of week four of a five-week devotional series entitled, “The Kingdom Plan of God.” This series is all about the intentions God has for this world and all that he is doing to see that his intentions are realized. God has a kingdom plan through which he will ultimately rescue and restore this world we live in. The Gospel is the centerpiece of his kingdom plan. God puts himself back into the equation one person at a time through the redemptive work of his Son, Jesus Christ. Through the gift of redemption Jesus indwells his redeemed ones by means of the Holy Spirit. One person at a time, from the inside out, he makes his people into the amazing people they were meant to be.
This difference Jesus makes in the lives of his people is the very means He uses to impact the lives of people all around us. The work Jesus does in us and the work he does through us is the heartbeat of God’s kingdom plan. The impact of this work goes beyond transforming the hearts and lives of people to transforming the very fabric of society itself. Over the weeks of this series, we will explore in detail the kingdom plan of God. We hope you will be encouraged, challenged, and guided as you seek more and more to become the kingdom person God has called you to be.
The series is a compilation of separate weeks of Devotional material. They were selected and put together because they all contribute very nicely to this emphasis. This series has five weeks of Devotional material with two weeks having six Devotionals and three having five. Week One: God’s on a Mission. Week Two: A Revolution of Blessing. Week Three: God’s Agents of Truth. Week Four: The Spiritual Boldness of Living Fully. Week Five: A Genuine Spiritual Legacy. We begin Week Four, The Spiritual Boldness of Living Fully, with the following:
A man once wrote a love song to the girl of his dreams that was entitled, “You’re Number Two in My Life.” It doesn’t sound very romantic. However, God gave this man a very important insight which he expressed in the song. He said something to this effect: I would never be able to love you near as much if you are number one in my life as I can if God is number one and you are number two. Living fully for God is very much about pursuing a life of surrender and seeking to allow God to be at the center which is the thrust of today’s Scriptures.
As we increasingly embrace this lifestyle, the loving impact of our lives on the world around us will become much greater than if we were to try to touch the world around us without the commitment of self-surrender and God centeredness properly in place. Dependence and waiting on God are very much a part of self-surrender and God centeredness. This is not the realm of cautious inactivity and wheel spinning – this is what it takes to be in step with God’s Spirit and to be filled with a spiritual boldness for touching our world with love, mercy and truth.
Today's prayer response from today's thoughts:
Lord, oh how I want my life to be a love song about our relationship that touches the hearts of others in ways that draws them to you. I know that living fully in this way takes on a wonderful sense of completeness and coming full circle. I know that truly glorifying you through such spiritual boldness is very much about realizing genuine completeness in living fully for you. Amen!
