Daily Devotional for Saturday April 6, 2013

The Goal of Every Follower of Christ is to Become More Like Him Each Day

(Acts 7:54-60)

***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, how can some men of the cloth who say they are Christians support ABORTION and MARRIAGE between two men or two women? What is their rationale for going against the WORD OF GOD regarding these two issues? Unfortunately, I just cannot understand or comprehend how one can consider himself a Christian or be a man of God and not follow the teachings of the Book of GOD(BIBLE)!

ANSWER: There is only ONE Truth..THE BIBLE! Truth is not what you say, or I say, or some law may say. Truth is what GOD SAYS!!! These are men, and women which is also against God's Word, who make a mockery of the Lord and His Word. Any supposed man or woman of God who supports abortion or gay marriage is NOT OF GOD, but of satan! Anyone can call themselves "pastor" or reverend," but that doesn't make them a man or woman of God any more than me calling myself a giraffe makes me a giraffe!

The ultimate goal of every follower of Christ is to become more like Him each day. We read about how Jesus lived His life. We study the way He handled different situations. We carefully dissect His words. The whole point is to become more like Him. The popular phrase, "What would Jesus do," helps to remind us that during our busy days when we face decisions, we should stop and ask, "What would Jesus do?"

You see, Jesus came to this earth and lived as a man. He walked the same roads we walk. He saw the same things we see. He felt the feelings we have. While remaining 100% God, He was also 100% man and comprehends what we go through in our day-to-day lives. Because of His virgin birth, He was born without sin and then proceeded to live His life without sin. He set the example for all of us to follow. He gave us the standard by which we all should be striving to live up to each day. By living like He did, we make our Lord proud of us.

Many see this as an unrealistic goal. While in our own strength I agree; however, when we are living in His strength, it becomes very real. You see, when Jesus left this earth, He promised a Comforter, someone to come alongside to help. That promise was fulfilled on the day we celebrate Pentecost with the Advent of the Holy Spirit.

One of the benefits of accepting Jesus Christ into your life is to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you power to live beyond yourself when you are yielded to that power. The Holy Spirit is what brings you under conviction when you are not living a life pleasing and acceptable to the Lord. It is the Holy Spirit who enables you to live a Christ-like life, thus making Jesus proud of you.

The person and power of the Holy Spirit has been the subject of much poor teaching. I am not going to get into any theological debates over this issue, and will instead stick strictly to what the Bible clearly teaches. At that moment of being "born again," you receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. There are Biblically-documented gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit now available to those who will allow the Spirit of God to rule and reign in your life.

It is the Spirit of the living God now residing with you that gives you the supernatural power to love your enemies, forgive those who harm you, overcome the trials of day-to-day life, defeat sin in your life, and know God's love in ways you never experienced before. It is the Holy Spirit who guides and directs you throughout the day, to keep you on the path God has chosen for your life. It is only because of the Holy Spirit, that we can live like Jesus did, and make Him proud of us.

I love you and care about you so much. You will be in my prayers today as you think about these words. The most effective way to make Jesus proud of you is to live like He did. In today's scripture, we see Stephen being stoned to death and asking God to forgive those who were killing him. This is exactly what Jesus did on the cross. It was only because of the power of God living in Stephen that he was able to do that.

Was Jesus proud? There is no other place in scripture that says Jesus was standing. Search the Bible. It always says Jesus was sitting. Why was Jesus standing in this instance? I believe it was because He was so proud of his servant Stephan that He actually stood to welcome him into Heaven. My challenge to you today is to act like Jesus and to make Him proud of you.

In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,

Bill Keller