Mar 21 2022

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

In this verse, John reminds us that the things of this world are passing away, but those who honor the Lord will last forever. The love that the Lord shows those who follow Him is not ephemeral like the world; it is immortal and a stronghold to which we can always cling.

Think about the things of this world that attract our lust. If I am honest, things like financial success, traveling, popularity, and education attract my attention, and sometimes feel myself pulled toward them. While these things are not wrong in and of themselves, lust—the idolization of them—is sinful. It reveals that we find them more attractive and compelling than the love of the Lord, and that is sin.

The Lord promises us so much more than the highest fame, greatest popularity, and largest bank account—and it's open to each and every one of us. No one is excluded from His promises, which makes them all the sweeter. He has promised, and has already given us, Himself. Jesus laid down His life for us that we might know God, and now we can rest in Him forever. The love of the Lord will outlast everything else in our lives. He will guide us with His hand through every moment, and we will never have true reason to doubt His goodness and kindness to us.

Sometimes in my own life, I feel weary with the temptations of sin and with myself. I get tired of making the same mistakes over and over again. And I forget the ways that the Lord has changed me and continues to change me so I can become more like Him.

The enemy wants nothing more than to make Christians feel that Jesus's love isn't enough for us. When we begin to feel like lost causes, we can return to this verse, which tells us that the temptations are going to end. It reminds us that the love of Jesus will last forever—and that we are covered in His love until that day.

Dear Lord, I thank you that you have defeated the power of sin and death once and for all. Help me to live in that victory, not succumbing to discouragement or frustration, but instead digging into the promises of 1 John. Thank you for your immortal love. In Jesus's name, amen.

Mar 20 2022

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. :

In this verse from Galatians, we are reminded of the power that Christians have over sin. Before we were Christians, we had no power over our passions or desires. We were slaves to them, in fact. Now that we belong to Jesus, He has given us power over sin and new life in Him. Today, we will look at what this verse tells us about having our flesh crucified.

Crucifying the flesh is an ongoing process. The moment we become Christians, we are not immediately dead to all of our sins. It is an ongoing process that leads to further sanctification throughout our lives. Even though it will take time, we can trust that Jesus will work in us and help us become more like the people He has intended us to be.

Learning to crucify the flesh is the same thing as getting to know Jesus. When we experience the love of the Lord, we will not want to do anything that displeases him. It isn't so much that our sins are crucified; it's that we begin to fall in love with Jesus and realize how much better He is than our sin. This begins with spending time in the Bible, worship, and prayer. As we get to know God, we begin to see sin as He sees it, and reject it just as He has instructed.

Indeed, the best way to crucify the flesh is to spend as much time with the Lord as possible. While we will not become perfect overnight or even in our lifetimes, we can trust that He will continue to sanctify us as long as we continue to seek Him. This means we can have hope even if we fall into sin because we know that we are becoming more like Jesus.

A crucified flesh brings freedom. It frees us from having to satisfy lusts of any kind, from getting caught up in the world and its sinful pleasures to acting dishonestly. It makes it possible to follow the Lord even when it is difficult—especially when it is difficult. We have freedom because we have surrendered our desires and exchanged them for the incomparable love that we find in Jesus. We know that He is better than anything and that He is the only One who will ever truly satisfy us.

Dear Lord, you are so much better than anything in the world. I thank you for wanting more for me than a life in sin. I want to experience the love of Jesus on a new level, and I know this means that I must be willing for my flesh to be crucified. It is worth it. I love you, Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.


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