Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Here’s a loaded question, especially at the start of a new year, when we’re all trying to be “better people”:

Do you think you’re a good person?

Honestly? Some days, I’d say, yes. I certainly try to be a good person. I try to be kind, smart, virtuous, and disciplined. I try to be a good Christian, reading my Bible, going to church, tithing, praying, etc. Sometimes I’m successful, but then, there are the other days.

The days when I’m impatient, petty, or maybe even vengeful. The days when I let my desires get the better of me. The days when I’m reminded just how much damage I can cause—and have caused in the past. No matter how hard I try, no matter how much I grow and improve, there will always be times when I fall short, stumble, and sin—and there will always be resulting damage, to myself and others.

Maybe you can relate.

Romans 7:24-25
²⁴ Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank God! I thank God that even when we fall short, Jesus doesn’t. I thank God for the sacrifice his Son made, so that we could be made clean and redeemed. I thank God for his grace when we mess up. And I thank God for the work of his Holy Spirit within us, helping us to become more like Jesus a little at a time.

I’m not capable of being a good person on my own. None of us are. As hard as we try, we can’t fix our lives. Fortunately, God can, when we surrender our lives to him.

Through God’s power in my life, I will continue to grow as a person. And I will continue to thank God for his mercy, his forgiveness, and the freedom he offers through life with him.

Questions:
Do you feel like you’re trying to do the right thing through your own power, or through God’s power in you?

Next Steps:
Spending time in prayer and God’s Word is a powerful way to allow him to create change in your life. Commit to spending daily devotional time with him.

21 Days of Prayer Day 3—Commitment

Today’s Prayer Focus: For my Commitment to Him  (Psalm 37.5)

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, you are trustworthy. I know I can rely on you, so I commit everything I have and am to you. May I carry out your will in my actions. May my thoughts and behaviors follow your path for my life. Help me to trust you in all that I do. Teach me to listen for your voice and obey your guidance. You are the source of my strength, and my help comes from you. In your Son’s name I pray! Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

2 Peter 1:3
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

This post was written by Payton Lechner, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.