Marie’s daily verse:  Ephesians 6:18 NLTPray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

DAILY DEVOTION, March 15, 2023

That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, ¹⁶ holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain (Philippians 2:15-16).

Paul writes to his beloved church at Philippi. He calls upon them to be blameless and harmless. That is a challenge! We become “blameless” by trusting in Jesus, who removes all blame from us. We become harmless by striving never to harm another person. We are to do good to others, not harm them! We are to be bright lights in a perverse and crooked world. We achieve these grand goals by “holding fast to the word of life,” the Bible. Paul fears that if the Philippians (or us) fail to live up to these ideals, he has labored in vain.

The bottom line is to hold fast to Jesus our Savior and to fill our minds and behavior with the words of Jesus. We do not want Paul to say, “I have labored over you in vain.”

Father, I thank You for Jesus, who on the cross removed all blame from my life. Help me to hold on to Him tightly and to allow His Word to guide my steps. In His name, Amen.