Daily Devotion May May 29

May 29: Ephesians 4:17-24

KJV Key Verse: Ephesians 4:22 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

Devotion:
Even though our task is to take the Gospel with us wherever we go and that means getting to live and mix with the people we are trying to reach, it does not mean we have to live as they do. We must be careful not to judge others and blame them for things just because we don’t do things their way, but we must also be very aware that living with people does mean we will get used to the way they live and that can allow us to drop our guard at times.

God does not want us to give in to the ways of the people around us because He has separated us from those ways by calling us out to work with Him. That does not mean locking yourself away in a monastery to make sure we are not tempted – though some of us may need that at times! God knows that our minds can be persuaded to fold and give in. God knows that our minds are easily influenced by others. That is why He encourages us to live a life that is separate from those ways.

God can give us the power to resist those ways and encourage us to live for and with Him; but some of our best evangelism may be done whilst we are with the enemy rather than tucked away in our own private world. We need to trust Him and obey Him and that also means trusting Him when we are at our weakest point mixing with the enemy. So long as we know it is God’s strength that will allow us to resist and work His ways and not our own ways.

Putting aside our old ways and working with God’s ways may not be to our liking at first, but we will quickly learn this is the only way we can work with Him and avoid the pitfalls of our old lives. It was in our old lives where we were not walking with God. It was in our old ways we were trapped and needed a Saviour. Allow God to guide you in His ways so you can be the best you can for Him! Points to

Ponder:
Do you go back to your old ways?
Do you trust Christ to lead you forward?