Titus 3:7 - Yardsticks of Success

Titus 3:7 "He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life." (NLT)

It has always intrigued me to read of the work of some of the Family of Jesus. These are people who, for the most part, have sacrificed the most of the things that they could have in this world to make life easier. They always seemed to pick the hard road...........denying themselves...........their needs.............for the sake of others. It isn't as the scripture above suggests...........just coasting into eternal life for them.

And as I study further in the scriptures, I'm becoming aware that the life of a disciple is not an easy one. Much of the comforts this world has to offer are passed up by a disciple of the Lord because his/her focus seems to be exclusively on the work of the Kingdom and his or her needs are always second to that.

I have a tendency to compare myself to these stalwart members of the Family, and I'm always humbled at how far they've gone in doing His Work and how far I have to go before I'm in the same league as them.

But I really think that at some point in my walk with the Lord, I'll stop making those comparisons........because, with His Help, I'll be so committed to His Work that things of this nature won't matter to me anymore.

I read Brother Paul's writing, and I'm struck by how little you actually see of him in the scriptures and how much you see of the Lord. And I really believe that at some point in my walk with the Lord, again with His Help, I will see only the work that lies before me to do..............I'll stop looking at others to measure my progress and start looking at the work that lies ahead.

I love what Moses put to song in Psalms about the Work of the Kingdom............"Let Thy work appear to Thy servants, And Thy majesty to their children. And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And do confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands." (Psalms 90:16-17 (NASB))

If anyone understood the commitment of the human spirit to the Work of the Kingdom, it was Moses. And his yardstick of success was the confirmation he received from the Lord and no one else. I pray that someday I arrive at that point.

Love in Jesus,

Jim

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"But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired." (1 Corinthians 12:18 NASB)

"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission."

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This devotional was originally posted on CCI-Devo - Daily Group Devotionals on May 2, 2004 in post #540. It was written by Jim Ross, a former United Pentecostal Church member, who attends Christian Challenge International, the sponsor of the devotional group. The devotional is the copyright of Jim Ross and is reprinted on this site by permission.

Page added April 14, 2006

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