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You Are Not Your Own

    So many people, even Christians, consider this life to be their own to use as they please. They make their plans and spend their time doing what they want to do, whether it is pleasing to God or not. How many of us wake up in the morning saying, "Lord, what do you want from me today?" Instead, we wake up planning how we want to spend our time. The majority of the time, we do what we want to when we want to.

    What if this is not how we were supposed to live? What if all our plans and schemes for our life gratify our own fleshly desires and really bring no glory to God? In my eyes, it'd all be for nothing if that were the case. On one hand, the Lord loves to give us the desires of our heart. He put them there for a reason! Everyone has their own joys in life that bring them satisfaction. So I am not saying that Jesus doesn't want to give us what we want. However, we should not confuse our fleshly desires with our God-given heart's desires. The funny thing about it is that your godly desires perfectly coincide with His unique design for your life.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (ESV)

    Our time is so precious to us because it is limited. That makes us prioritize it in order of importance to us. But what we keep on forgetting is that Jesus gave up His life on the cross so we could live. And not just be alive, but really live life to the fullest capacity. Doesn't that make you want to live differently? For me, I can't just say "hey thanks for the get out of jail free card, Jesus!" and go on with my life the same way. I want to thank Him with everything I have, knowing that it will never be enough.

    Praise Him with your life today and every day. Ask Him what He has planned for you so that maybe instead of spending your day doing whatever your flesh feels like, you can make a difference spreading His love to others. You'll be surprised at how when you follow His lead, it turns out better than anything you could have planned for yourself anyway. Do not be selfish with your life and your time, but give everything to the One who gave it all.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (ESV)
Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (ESV)

1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. (ESV)

Philippians 2:20-21 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. (ESV)John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (ESV)
Matthew 10:39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)

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