Weekly Devotion

By Pastor Dennis

Romans 8:28: “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

This is a comforting verse to Christians, but it fails to tell just what that purpose is.  However, the next verse does.  Verse 29 says: “Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” 

The bottom line is…..God wants us to be more like His Son.  After His baptism by John, Jesus went into the wilderness where He stood up against Satan.  From that day forward, He gave us the perfect example of how to live and offered the simplest of instructions.  He said simply, “Follow Me.” 

There is an old Gospel song entitled, “It’s Not an Easy Road.”  We are living that message today. We are besieged by conflicting ideas, philosophies and religious tenets which have divided us to the point of breaking up long-term friendships and have undermined our reliance on our faith.

My father landed on Normandy (Omaha Beach) on D-Day where only one out of ten survived. As our troops were pinned down, they were encouraged to see their commander standing on a hill ahead of them with blood dripping from his arm signaling for them to advance. They followed Colonel Bennett to victory that day. 

Colonel Bennett’s bravery and suffering caused thousands of soldiers to do what was right. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s suffering and death inspired millions to stand for equal rights resulting in the Civil Rights Bill.  Jesus’ suffering and death encouraged all mankind to believe His Good News, love our neighbors and follow His blessed example. 

What We Should Know

God wants us to be like His Son.  How are we doing?