Sanctify Christ as Lord in Your Hearts

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Sanctify Christ  as Lord in Your Hearts

In everything that happens to us,  moment by moment,  we need to  “sanctify Christ  as Lord in your hearts.”      We can be tempted  to let our temper flare,  tempted to be a bit jealous,  tempted to be selfish,  tempted to make an uncalled for remark,  tempted to be judgmental,  tempted to be impatient,  tempted to become proud,  tempted to be unsympathetic towards another’s needs,  tempted to be rude…….

All day,  every day, there are all sorts of things  pushing us  to be self-serving.      When we set ourselves up  as Number One,  Christ is no longer Number One  in our lives.      We might verbally say  Christ is the most important part of our life,  but our actions are showing otherwise.      Our actions can show  that we have allowed  “I, me, and mine”  to have top priority.

1 Peter 3:15 teaches us,

Sanctify Christ  as Lord in your hearts,  always being ready  to make a defense  to every one  who asks you  to give an account  for the hope  that is in you,  yet with gentleness  and reverence;  and keep a good conscience  so that  in the thing  in which you are slandered  those who revile  your good behavior  in Christ  may be put to shame.

When we honestly give Christ  a place of reverence,  holiness,  and priority  in our hearts,  it will show,  because we will be always checking our response  to every happening,  and basing it  on what Christ  has done for us.      Even though we strive  to always be gentle and reverent,  keeping a good conscience  —  there will still be those  who will choose  to slander and revile  our good behavior.

But,  that won’t matter.      As time goes on,  sooner or later,  the slanderers and revilers  will become ashamed  when they see  that we will not copy  their bad behavior.      When they wonder  why we refuse  to respond to their slander and reviling  with more slander and reviling,  we need to be “ready  to make a defense  to every one who asks you  to give an account  for the hope  that is in you.”

We will be ready  as we daily spend time  in God’s word  and realize  how good and merciful  our Lord has been towards us  in Jesus Christ.      1 John 4:19 says,  “We love,  because He first loved us.”      Let us discover more and more  how greatly loved we are,  so that we are enabled  to love those around us,  in truth.

Thankful for the love and mercy  shown to us,  we say,  “Hallelujah!      Lord,  You are so patient,  merciful,  and kind  towards us.      Let Your love  shine through our hearts.”

Love,
Margaret

 

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A Christian devotional to glorify the LORD of lords and God of gods

 

Pray for our country.

 

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

 

The word of the LORD is tried;
He is a shield  to all  who take refuge  in Him.
Psalm 18:30

 

Sing for joy in the LORD,  O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming  to the upright.
Psalm 33:1

 

How blessed are those  who dwell in Thy house!
They are ever praising Thee.
Psalm 84:4

 

Just as a father has compassion  on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13

 

Oh give thanks to the LORD,  for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
Psalm 107:1

 

Glory in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
Psalm 105:3

 

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that
I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12

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