“A Father to the Fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His Holy dwelling.
Psalm 68:5
Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Whoever wants to be my disciple, must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Matthew 16:24
“Don’t conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is –His good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2.
Meditation:
After believers make the decision to repent, surrender to God, accept Jesus as their savior, and be baptized, their Next step of Faith in their Spiritual growth is to become a follower of Jesus Christ.
We are all God's children but not all of us are followers of Jesus Christ. To be a follower of Jesus Christ we must do the following:
Deny ourselves:
To Stop copying the pattern of this world, requires renewing your mind, thinking less about yourself and more about God … It can be difficult to get over ourselves sometimes. We often inflate our egos and make everything about "me" when it should always be about God. He has a plan for all of us, just as He had a plan for Jesus.
Less me and more like Jesus… is a Process going from a self-centered life to a life more focused on Jesus and following his teachings. Living for Jesus is when the Process of Transformation by the Power of the Holy Spirit begins.
Take up their cross.
“Taking up your cross” means putting God’s will above your own and being willing to make sacrifices for the sake of others, even at the risk of rejection and persecution even from your own family. In many countries Christians experience, rejection, criticism, persecution, discrimination, hate… from their countries and their families as well.
Many people are born in families that are divided and complicated and dysfunctional. There are many women who are both the 'father' and the 'mother' to their children. And there are many men who are the 'father' and 'mother' to their children as well. Many have no fathers, or mothers to take care of them and guide them. So who is their father? The bible says God is the Father of the fatherless! He is the only Perfect Heavenly Father who takes Good Care of his children, at all times! So we need to have a good relationship with God, who is the Father of all of us!
When we Follow Jesus Christ…
We Become Children of God, He Promises He will never leave us or forsake us. Our Heavenly Father is Faithful! He Always fulfills His Promises! We will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will
Prayer: Merciful and forgiving Father, how blessed we are to be your children and have you in our life. When we are weak, you forgive us, and each time we face adversity, with your help we overcome it and we gain strength in our faith. We Praise you, Our Heavenly Father, for giving your only begotten Son to us, so that we would have a shining example that never strayed from your path. We beg that you strengthen us every day.
In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
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