LJC Devotional | 2024-01-14 (watch the video)
LJC Welcome & Announcements
Prayer
- Am I obeying the Lords word or do I rely on my own understanding?
- Do I love God’s word and obey his commands?
- Do I trust God’s word to fight the spiritual battles I face?
1 Samuel 15:22-23
…“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”
(Life Application Bible Commentary: Was Samuel saying that sacrifice is unimportant? No, he was urging Saul to look at his reasons for making the sacrifice rather than at the sacrifice itself. A sacrifice was a ritual transaction between man and God that physically demonstrated a relationship between them. But if a person’s heart was not truly repentant or if he did not truly love God, the sacrifice was a hollow ritual. Religious ceremonies or rituals are empty unless they are performed with an attitude of love and obedience. “Being religious” (going to church, serving on a committee, giving to charity) is not enough if we do not act out of devotion and obedience to God.)
1. Am I obeying the Lords word or do I rely on my own understanding?
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Psalms 119:9-16
”How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.“
2. Do I love God’s word and obey his commands?
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2 Corinthians 10:4-5
”The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.“
3. Do I trust God’s word to fight the spiritual battles I face?
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How do I follow Jesus?
- I love like He loves, I hide his word in my heart, I rely on his resurrection power to overcome.
(All scripture references are in NIV)