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Posts Tagged ‘obedience’

Faith Building Verse-Hebrews 11:8

July 6th, 2022 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Faith-Building Verse is Hebrews 11:8.

“By faith, Abraham when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

If there is one word we associate with Abraham, that word would be faith. Galatians 3:6 tells us that God counted him righteous because of his faith. That is also true for those who put their faith in Jesus.

Abraham did not know his destiny, but he was in relationship with the One who was guiding his destiny. God’s promises are true and trustworthy. His provision of heaven is secure for those who love Him. We can trust God to take us to a glorious destiny someday, and we can trust Him to guide us right now on this journey through life. It is not the easiest road or the most popular road, but it is the best road for a life that is blessed by God.

This Faith-Building Verse inspires us to trust and obey the Lord in the Year of Relationship.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Good News Focus-Relationship

October 22nd, 2020 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Good News Focus is on John 14:23.

Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”

Doing good deeds does not always reflect love for Jesus with pure motives. However, a sincere love for Jesus always motivates us to obey the teachings of Jesus.  

Humility is the quality that we need to be teachable and to stay on track with God.

God gives grace to the humble and makes Himself at home with the humble heart. Isaiah 57:15 talks about the two dwelling places of God. One of those places is a high and holy place, but the other place is with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit. He revives the heart of the contrite.

Jesus is our Source of Good News, leading us to a place of meaningful relationship with God in the Year of Vision.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Red Letter Wisdom-Not as I Will, but as You Will

April 8th, 2019 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Wisdom from the Red Letters is found in Matthew 26:39.

On the night before Jesus was crucified, He prayed three times in the Garden, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

In the Bible, the number three refers to completeness. So, it is significant here that Jesus committed Himself to doing the will of His Heavenly Father three times. His obedience to the mission was complete.

Jesus was not asking for the mission of redemption to be aborted. He was asking for His cup to be taken from Him if there was another way to achieve redemption. But there was no plan B. So, Jesus went to the cross. This prayer highlights the importance of the cross to the Gospel. To those who are being saved, the message of the cross is the power of God.

The words of Jesus inspire us to entrust ourselves to the will of God in the Year of Redemption.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Eye on Integrity-Lessons from David’s Prayer

December 5th, 2018 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on Psalm 51:12.

David prayed, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

After David confessed his sin to God, he asked for two important requests in this verse.

He asked for the joy of his salvation to be restored. When he was covering up his sin, David lost the joy of his faith. Sin has a way of doing that. David earnestly wanted the joy of the Lord to return. The grace of God is able to do that for us when we return to God.

David also asked for a willing spirit to follow God. We cannot do this on our own. We need the Holy Spirit to write God’s laws on our heart so that we want to obey His commands consistently.

Walking in prayer, confession, and obedience to God are virtues to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Eye On Integrity-Thought Life

August 22nd, 2018 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye On Integrity is based on Second Corinthians 10:5b.

“We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Our thought life can have a tremendous impact on the desires of our heart. Author Jerry Bridges has said that self-control of our thoughts means entertaining in our minds only those thoughts that are acceptable to God. We might not always have control of an initial thought that comes to our mind. For example, someone might say something that affects what we think. But then the question becomes, “What will we do with those thoughts? Will we dismiss them or entertain them?”

Philippians 4:8 gives us a focus point for our thought life: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.”

Walking with a thought life in obedience to Christ is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Eye On Integrity-Walking In Obedience to Christ

August 17th, 2018 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on John 14:15.

Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.”

Where love is at the heart of our motivation, keeping God’s commands becomes a delight rather than a duty, because in such a case, our desire is to please God with our actions.

In verse 21, we see that we gain greater understanding of who Jesus is as we follow Him. Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Our Creator knows how we are wired. He knows how His blessings can benefit our lives, and He knows how our sin can destroy us. His commands guide us in the path of freedom.

Walking in obedience to God’s Word is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Eye on Integrity-The Statutes of God

August 15th, 2018 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on Psalm 119, verses 36 and 37.

“Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word.”

In the Bible, a statute is a law or decree made by God. The writer of Psalm 119 understood that if his heart was focused on obeying God’s Word, he would not be motivated by selfish gain.

Walking in the ways of God’s statutes will not feel confining to us if love for God is at the heart of our motivation. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” Those commands will direct us on a path of Biblical integrity. They will lead us to a place of freedom where our relationships with God and with people will have opportunity to thrive. Prayer for a willing heart is a good starting place for following God’s statutes.

Walking in the statutes of God is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Eye On Integrity-Complete Devotion

July 5th, 2018 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Eye on Integrity is based on Deuteronomy 10:12.

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

These were Moses’ instructions to the Israelites after they had been delivered from slavery and were preparing to enter the Promised Land. In light of God’s blessings and promises to us, we have that same opportunity today to express our gratitude to God by dedicating ourselves completely to Him. God has a pattern of doing extraordinary things in people who fully trust in His love and revere His Divine authority.

Walking in complete devotion to God is a virtue to embrace for our lives in the Year of Integrity.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Focus On God-The Attitude of Jesus

April 12th, 2017 No comments

JOHN SHIRK – In the Year of Trust, today’s Focus on God examines the attitude of Jesus.

According to Philippians 2:5, our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, “being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-even death on a cross!”

What we see in the attitude of Jesus is a humble servant who was willing to empty himself of His glory in heaven to display His love sacrificially for us on the earth. He did it by laying down His life for us to experience an extremely painful form of death.

Having the attitude of Christ will move us in the direction of humble obedience to the call of God on our lives.

The attitude of Jesus is a reason to trust in God for today and forever.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com

Lesson of Faith-The Sinless Life Of Christ

April 12th, 2013 1 comment

JOHN SHIRK – In Christ, we see a perfect record of obedience to the Father’s will. He said in John 14:31, “I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” He became the unblemished sacrifice for our sins. Even though He never sinned, He paid the penalty of our sins at the cross. Speaking of Jesus, Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

How does that happen? How can we be made righteous in the eyes of God when our track record shows a history of moral failures? The Bible says that ‘the righteous will live by faith.’ When we trust in the name of Jesus for salvation, God no longer holds our sin against us. We are forgiven and set free from the death sentence that our sins deserve. The sinless life of Christ made Him a worthy sacrifice for our sins. His death and resurrection has made Him the worthy Savior to be praised.

Jesus is in a separate category from every human being who walked on the face of the earth. Because of His sinless record and obedience to death on a cross, God has exalted him to the highest place and has given Him the name that is above every name.

The sinless life of Christ is a lesson of faith worth remembering.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com