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Changing Lives Ministry
Daily Devotional
"grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity."
2 Peter 3:18

Holiness, Godliness, Usefulness
06/07/2014, by John Kincaid


Lesson 260: Rejoice Always

1 Thes.5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Psa.98:4; Phil.4:4; Col.3:16, 4:2
 
The following symptoms indicate that you don’t fully appreciate the grace of the Gospel:

  • You are weighed down with guilt, depressed, ashamed
  • You believe that sincere Christians should always be sad and downcast about sin
  • You feel uncomfortable when believers express joy in Christ

The attitude of believers, the expression on their face, should reflect joy and thanks for grace.

This gratitude comes from repentant tears, but also from the joy that God has forgiven us.
 
We don’t minimize our guilt, in fact, we ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts to expose sin.

But this increases our delight in doing what pleases Him; we can only thank Him for His mercy.

 
We are “zealous for good works” because we are His treasured possession. The song of our heart becomes, “Everything that is right about me, Jesus did.”

 

About This Series

The goal of this series is to become more useful in serving the Lord Jesus Christ, as an instrument in the Redeemer's hand. The theme verses for the series are Ephesians 4:22-24, Philemon 11, 2 Timothy 2:21

- to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,
- and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
- Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
- Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work
.

 

Changing Lives Ministries
Asheville, NC 28803

ministrychanginglives@gmail.com

Phone: (828) 318-9825
 

For Further Reading

These authors and books were
helpful in preparing this series:

Bryan Chapell:
   "Holiness by Grace"
Kris Lundgaard:
   "The Enemy Within"
Jerry Bridges:
   "The Pursuit of Holiness",
   "The Practice of Godliness",
   "Respectable Sins",
   "Trusting God",
   "The Discipline of Grace",
   "Transforming Grace"
Warren Wiersbe:
   "Bible Exposition Commentary"
A.W. Tozer:
   "The Pursuit of God", 
   "The Knowledge of the Holy"
J.I. Packer:
   "Rediscovering Holiness"
Russell D. Moore:
   "Tempted and Tried"
Paul Tripp: "Instruments
   in the Redeemer's Hands"
Timothy Lane & Paul Tripp:
   "How People Change"

Copyright © 2014 Peace In Believing Ministries, All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures are from: The Holy Bible: English
Standard Version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

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