Wednesday Devotion 9-30-20 7 Minutes

Good evening everyone watching by video this evening,,, it's time for our weekly devotion.

And the devotion reading will be from my Billy Graham devotion titled "Unto the Hills" that I read this morning.

Our scripture will come from Ephesians 4:22-24

I'll be reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Ephesians 4:22-24

22 You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; 23 you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; 24 you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

God bless the reading and the hearing of your word this evening.

Let us pray:

Dear Lord,,, as we begin this evening,,, with all that are listening and watching by video,,, we ask that you open our ears to hear and our hearts and minds to receive the message that you have for us today,,, In Jesus' name I pray,,, Amen.

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When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior,,, we aren't a part of this world any longer.

We don't live for this world,,, or,,, the things of this world,,, any longer.

We "live" in this world,,, but our focus should be on Jesus Christ and living the kind of life that we should,,, so that we will obtain our heavenly home!

Billy Graham said that we should not be conformed to the world's definition of what it means to be religious,,, instead,,, we should make sure that we have met God's requirements for discipleship.

In Isaiah's day,,, there wasn't another nation that was more religious than Israel.

The temple was filled.

The altar ran red with the blood of sacrifice.

The religious festivals were strictly observed,,, and the voice of prayer was heard in the house of God.

But there was a lack of depth and true devotion in Israel’s worship.

The nation was deteriorating morally,,, even though record crowds were attending the Temple.

Speaking as God commanded,,, Isaiah said in Isaiah 1:13,,, 13 Stop bringing useless offerings. Your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons and Sabbaths, and the calling of solemn assemblies — I cannot stand iniquity with a festival.

Then Isaiah told them how to regain the favor of God.

These people,,, who were members of the church—

these people,,, who had been raised according to the formalities of their religious laws,,,

These people,,, were not living a righteous life during the rest of the week as they should.

So,,, Isaiah warned of the judgment of God.

Then he told them how they could be cleansed from their sin.

He said,,, in Isaiah chapter 1,,, verses 16 and 18,,,

16 “Wash yourselves. Cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil. 18 “Come, let us discuss this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool.

Today,,, there are thousands of people who do not give themselves to Jesus Christ,,, because they have conformed to the world.

They are afraid of being called fanatics,,, acting better than everyone else,,, or,,, just religious.

Billy Graham said that a true Christian is a nonconformist.

He does not conform himself to the worldly concepts of religion.

Instead,,, he is to become a true disciple,,, a “follower” of the Jesus Christ.

That means that our rest of the week,,, must match our Sunday best!

We must not come to church on Sunday morning,,, go through the motions of worship,,, then get up Monday morning and go right back to acting like we aren't worried about anyone other than ourselves!

Jesus said in Matthew 7:21

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

We must live the life that Jesus wants us to live,,, not just on Sunday,,, but every day of the week,,, or else we will be like the Israelites who were just going through the motions of worship.

We need to remember that as we go through each and every day,,, in case we need to change our ways and live them the way that we should be living.

Our Father and our God, cleanse me from all my impurity and unholiness. Wash me in the blood of Christ so that my sins are removed and I am as white as snow in Your eyes. Make me a true disciple in word and in deed. Give me the mind of Christ so that my eyes may stay fixed on You. In His name. Amen.

Graham, Billy. Unto the Hills: A Daily Devotional (p. 311). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.