One-minute read.
He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
Psalm 24:5
Faithfulness receives rewards. God blesses those who walk in integrity and strive to live obediently for Him. Of course, none of us perfectly follow the Lord; we all fall short of the mark one way or another. God knows we make mistakes, so He sent Jesus to save us from our sins. Yet, we still beat ourselves up for not doing everything exactly right. For some reason, having grace for ourselves takes more effort than extending it to others.
Studying the book of Acts with a group from my old church, we’ve spent the last two days reading about Stephen, the first Christian martyr. After presenting the truth to the Pharisees, calling them out for their rejection of Jesus, the religious leaders stoned Stephen and “placed their outer robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.” (Acts 7:58). Saul became Paul, writer of 13 of the 27 books in the New Testament. After supervising the killing of Stephen, Paul gave his life to Christ, and we now read His letters to the churches as guides to help us follow Jesus.
When Paul turned his life over to Jesus, God forgave his sins, blessed his walk of integrity, and helped him live a righteous life for the rest of his days. Like the Lord did with Paul, He does with us, forgiving our past, blessing our efforts, and helping us live righteously for him. God loves us and transforms our lives when we follow Him.
Application:
God blesses our lives and helps us live righteously.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for giving us new life in Jesus. Please help us forgive ourselves and allow You to transform our lives as we earnestly try to follow You. Bless our efforts and lead us on the path of righteous living.
IJNIP. Amen
