Day 2 - Living A Life Of Dependence And Devotion

Where were you when Jesus rescued you?

By Francy Shepherd

When I ask myself this question, the first
thing that comes to mind is the story of Jesus: “Her sins—and they are many—have
been forgiven, so she has shown me much love.”1 How much love are you showing to
your Savior now, years after He extended His mercy to you?

As we prepare for the holidays, I want to invite you to keep in mind, as Moses did,
that “the Lord has been our dwelling place.” 2Whether you are the first generation of
Jesus’ followers or have seen Him through many generations, we are the
beneficiaries of the beautiful promise God made: “Understand, therefore, that the
Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps His covenant for a
thousand generations and lavishes His unfailing love on those who love Him and
obey His commands.”3

Every birthday is a reminder of happiness and a reason for celebration around the
world. A blessing has arrived in our homes, and the whole family wants to be part of
that time. The baby is totally dependent on the parents; he or she cannot do anything
alone. If you decided to abandon that little creature, he or she wouldn’t have an
option to survive alone. In the same way, our Heavenly Father asks us to leave all our
lives in His hands, to depend totally on Him: “I am the vine; you are the branches.
Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit, for apart from me
you can do nothing.”4

As those who were forgiven much, we should show much love for our Savior as an
expression of gratitude. If we remain apart from Him like a useless branch, we will
be deceived by false prophets at the end of time, who will mislead even those who
were chosen. How, then, can we be sure that Jesus has the right place in our hearts
and that we will be able to discern when a wrong preacher comes to us with
misleading words? As Charles Spurgeon used to say: “Lord, help me to discern the
good from the almost good.”

A good recommendation from our dear apostle Peter: “Since everything will be
destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and
godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.”5
Today, Lord, before Your throne, I ask you: “Let the words of my mouth and the
meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my
redeemer.”6

1 Luke 7:47 NTL Psalm 90:1 NIV Deuteronomy 7:94 John 15:5 NTL 2 Peter 3:11-12 NIV Psalm 19:14 NIV