Open Heavens Devotional by Pastor E.A. Adeboye
Memorise: Little children, let no man deceive you: he that
doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 1 John 3:7
Read: 1 John 3:1-10
The call to salvation is a call to holiness. After you receive
Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Saviour, it does not end there; the
journey to Heaven has only just begun. Before you were saved, you manifested
the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21). But now that you have encountered
Jesus Christ at salvation, the fruit of the Spirit is expected from you
(Galatians 5:22-23). Every attempt at righteousness before your salvation was
equal to self-righteousness which is as filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6);
hence, Paul says his self-righteousness no longer counts but the righteousness
by faith in Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:9). God has not only saved us and given
us the gift of righteousness, He also expects us to live a life in agreement
with His standard. Today, some people think that it is just enough to be born
again and that nothing else is required. No! It is not enough! The truth is
your new birth gives you the platform on which to build on, having secured
God’s righteousness through your faith in Christ Jesus.
We are called to be like our Saviour Jesus Christ. In 1 John
2:1, Jesus is called the righteous, and verse 29 says:
If ye know that he is
righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
This means that the fruit of righteousness that you bear
will be used to determine whether you are born of God or not. 1 John 3:7 says:
Little children, let
no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is
righteous.
God is not saying you should be holier than Jesus. Even
Jesus says it is enough for a servant to be like his master (Luke 6:40). If God
expected works of righteousness from Jesus, He expects the same from you. If
you look at the letters the Lord wrote to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3,
you will notice that He kept repeating that those who will qualify for those
wonderful rewards are only the believers who overcome as He also overcame. In
every point Jesus overcame, you too should, because He is our standard. Every act
of righteousness He manifested, you too should. You must live a life that
manifests the victory Christ has given you over the flesh, Satan and the world.
You must allow Him to live His righteous life through you. Are you daily living
a life of righteousness?
KEY POINT:
Jesus is God’s unchangeable standard for man. Be like Him in
everything including righteous living.
Bible in one year: Esther 1-3
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