GOD’S WORD FOR  MARCH 7

We are reading from a daily devotional  called “Running To Win” written by Erwin Lutzer  and the late, great D.L. Moody.   Erwin Lutzer is a light in our day as D.L. Moody was in his.  Besides his many ministries, and many books, Pastor Lutzer was Senior Pastor at Moody Church in Chicago for 36 years and now serves as Pastor Emeritus there.  He is  Chancelor and a former professor at Moody Bible Institute, where he taught Theology and Ministry, and now has numerous radio teachings.

THE POWER OF THE NEW BIRTH

Romans 8:15

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba!  Father!”

 D.L. MOODY

I want to say very emphatically that I have no sympathy with the doctrine of universal brotherhood and universal fatherhood:  I don’t believe one word of it.  If a man lives in the flesh and serves the flesh, he is a child of the devil.  That is pretty strong language, but it is what Christ said.  It brought down a hornet’s nest on His head, and helped to hasten Him to the cross, but nevertheless it is true.  Show me a man that will lie, steal, get drunk and ruin a woman – do you tell me he is my brother?  Not a bit of it.  He must be born into the household of faith before he becomes my brother in Christ.  He is an alien, he is a stranger to the grace of God, he is an enemy to God, he is not a friend.  Before a man can cry, “Abba, Father,”  he must be born from above, born of the Spirit.

ERWIN LUTZER

God loves to remake spoiled vessels. His grace outweighs our sins, and He loves to remake people as it pleases Him.   In Christ, “the old has passed away:  behold, the new has come”  (2 Cor 5:17).  Remaking us isn’t easy:  the transformation comes only when our love for Christ is greater than our love of sin.  God is the divine Potter:  He puts the vessels into a kiln and turns up the heat.  There are some sins and past values we won’t give up except by the conviction of the Holy Spirit and seeing the consequences of our actions.

No matter where you find yourself, submit to the potter; do not resist the divine hand upon your life;  He is in the process of remaking us for His honor and glory and our good.  God, our loving Father, is shaping us.  As Moody said,  we cannot cry, “Abba Father” unless we have been born from above.

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PRAYER

Father, thank You for working in my life to make me look more like Jesus.  Thank you for difficult circumstances which remake me toward Your eternal purpose for me.  Please cause me, Father, to submit gladly to You.

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Galatians 3:26-27

    “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

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Acts 3:19

    “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” –

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1 John 1:9

    “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

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Romans 5:1

    “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

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Galatians 3:26-27

    “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

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    Acts 2:21

    Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

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    1 Corinthians 6:9-10

    For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

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