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\ / WHAT JESUS DID! -- http://www.heartlight.org/
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Friday, March 6, 2009
Perfect!
"If you love only the people that love you, then you will get
no reward. Even the tax collectors do that. And if you are
nice only to your friends, then you are no better than other
people. Even the people without God are nice to their
friends. So you must be perfect, the same as your Father in
heaven is perfect."
-- Matthew 5:46-48 (ERV)
KEY THOUGHT:
I am called to be perfect! Especially perfect in my relationship with
others. My goal is the character and compassion of God. WOW! What a
challenging call. But the transformational nature of Jesus' love and
his disciples' Kingdom Family lifestyle demand that we surpass
conventional standards of righteousness and pursue the heart and
character of God himself. Anybody can be nice to someone who is nice to
him or her. But what about those folks God places in our lives as that
grain of sand out of which we are to fashion our pearl? You know, those
irritating, dependent, demanding, and critical people that God uses to
fashion us into more Christ-like children or to confront us with our
own selfishness. In the Kingdom Family, we're to rise above the
mediocre standards of the masses and find the redemptive standard set
by our Father!
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Majestic, righteous, and holy God, I bow in worship and adoration at
your kindness, mercy, and grace demonstrated to me in so many different
ways. Work your righteous and character-altering work in me, and as I
keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, please make my character more reflective
of yours. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
>> NEW: Phil's What Jesus Did devotional is now
>> available as a book. Click below to order!
http://images.ultracart.com/aff/ACU9/1414/108/185/575/0/index.html
>> The WJD! web page has related scriptures and the
>> full text of today's key passage. Read it at:
http://www.heartlight.org/wjd/matthew/0306-wjd.html
>> For further study of today's passage, use our
>> online Bible study site: SearchGodsWord.org!
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=Matthew+5:46-48&sr=1&t=erv
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