Speaker 1: Most of us eat every day, some of us too much,
because yesterday's food is not enough to supply energy for
today's needs. Why then, do some of us expect yesterday's
portion of heavenly manna, the word of God to keep
us through today's challenges. On this program, we are going
to change all of that. Let's experience God's words today
and receive the power we need to live healthy, vibrant lives.
Welcome to your Daily Portion with your host, author speaker,
Elle David Harris.
Speaker 2: Good morning, good morning, good morning. It is Wednesday, January fifteen,
twenty twenty five. Hello, my name is El David Harris.
I am your host, and this is your Daily Portion
where we give you God's word every single day, and
today is no exception. We are continuing in our Lesson
study series God's Love and Justice, and our caption for
today is Living Stones, Living Stones. We'll get into that
in just a moment, but first I'd like to say
welcome to you and ask you to please go over
to your Daily Portion dot com. Please join our online community.
Please make sure that you click that number seven. I'm
working on ten thousand. I need ten thousand people click
that number seven and subscribe there and make sure you
pick up your daily portion. Companion. The companion to this
lesson study this quarter, okay, and this is one of
the ways that we continue to build faith and fellowship.
Let's go ahead and pray, and then we will get underway.
Father and Heaven, thank you for this day and forgetting
us this far into our work week. Please get us
over the hump, over that speed bump, so that we
can go down, down, down, down steadily toward the time
that we can have Sabbath with you, that we can
tabernacle with you in a special and unique way. Father,
I'm asking you now to make us lively stones, help
us to live your ideal in this regard. In Jesus name,
I pray, Amen and a man again, living stones, Living stones.
The lesson writer asks this question, how is it that we,
as fallen, sinful beings, can be pleasing to a holy God.
I think that we have covered this couple of times
this week, and of course I'm really saying that for effect.
Of course we have, and we know that God looks
upon us with pleasure. He created us for his glory,
and he loves us with an everlasting love and with
loving kindness. He is drawing us and for those who
yield our will to him, those of us who submit
ourselves to him and begin to allow his covenant, his
new covenant, to live and reside and abide in our hearts,
the love of God written in our hearts. Then we
are are pleasing in his sight. We are pleasing in
his sight. I don't want to idealize this thing, because
the truth is God does have a view. He has
a view like it is. It is displeasing to him
when people reject grace. It's displeasing to him. When when
people trample his law, Ah, it's displeasing to him. When
when when love is not what we live by, it
is not the rule that we live by, you see.
And so to become living stones is pleasing to God.
And so we begin by reading from the Bible Book
of Romans, Chapter five. Romans, Chapter five, beginning at verse six,
the Bible reads, for while we were helpless at the
right time, Christ died for the ungodly. You see, God
was not waiting for you to figure it out. He
was not waiting for you to say, Ah, I was
naked and ashamed, and I hid myself. He knew that
he had to make the first step. Somebody just got
what I said. Ah, he makes the first step, so
we are helpless. He knows that He knows where we
were born, he knows who are grand and great great
grands are. He knows what we're up against, and therefore
he died for the ungodly. He did that first to
get us started off. And of course we need to
respond with the power that he entrusts us with. But
let me keep going verse seven. For rarely will anyone
die for a righteous person. Though for a good person,
perhaps someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates
his own love for us in that while we were
still sinners. Did you get that part? While we were
still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn't die for us,
by the way, brothers and sisters, while we were still sinners,
so we could continue to be that way. It's not
that he the reality of how we live and think
without him under the rug. He's not saying it doesn't matter.
He's not saying that I'm just going to give them
everything without them responding in kind. No, But he is
positioning us. He's positioning us to live according to his principles,
to overcome sin in all areas to become living stones
as part of his sanctuary. I wish I had the time.
We'll get into that, I promise we will. But He
has to give us the victory that comes through Jesus
giving his life a ransom for many, and then coming
out from that death situation and now ministering in the
heavenly sanctuary on our behalf. Okay, verse nine. Much more then,
because we have now been declared righteous by His blood,
we are saved through him from God's wrath. For if
while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through
the death of his son, how much more since we
have been reconciled, will be we be saved by His life.
And now there is therefore now no condemnation. Romans Chapter eight,
beginning at verse one, to those who are in Christ
Jesus who walk not according to the flesh, but according
to the spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life has set you free, brothers and sisters from the
law of sin and death. For what the law could
not do, in that it was weak in the flesh,
God did by sending his own son in the likeness
of sinful flesh, in order that the righteousness or the
righteous requirements of the law might be fulfilled in us
who walk not according to the flesh, but according to
the spirit. You understand. So God has positioned us to
give us life as a gift, and then he empowers
us to live holy like Jesus lived, to be a
to actually keep the Ten Commandments if we love him.
His love empowers us to actually keep his commandments. And
his commandments are not grievous. And I'm like, yeah, I
know there are people on the platform right now, you're listening,
you're watching, You're like, Dave, why keep bringing up the commandments? Well,
because it's a transcript of God's character. It is the
manifestation of what holiness is. It is the standard of righteousness.
And so the one who sanctifies us, he's empowering us
to live like Jesus lived. And I'm grateful because otherwise
we wouldn't even be here. We wouldn't be here. And
so I want you to apply this to your personal
life today. I'm going to page I'm going to page
forty five, forty five in our Companion Guide. No, actually,
let me, I'm misspoke. I'm going to what's the right
page number forty six in our Companion Guide, and we're
going to go with relationships. Relationships, what is important now?
Considering all that God is saying to us about this today,
Understanding God's love for you, like his deep love for
you even in your brokenness, is crucial. This truth changes
how you view yourself and how you can have healthier
esteem or God esteem in you, or self esteem rooted
in God's perspective, not your achievements or your failures. Well,
how do we internalize this insight? Number one? Take time
to meditate on Romans chapter eight and verse one. Meditate
on it which assures that there is no condemnation for
those who are in Christ Jesus, except that you are
free from guilt and shame because of His grace. And
allow this truth to reshape how you see yourself and
your worth. And then the next best move? What do
we need to do now? Whenever you feel overwhelmed by
feelings of inadequacy or guilt, remind yourself of God's unconditional love.
Write out and memorize Romans chapter eight and verse one
and Romans chapter five and verse eight to use as
reminders of your standing in Christ. And that was sorry.
The personal application. I did accidentally say relationship applications so
much more to say God loves us. He loves us unconditionally,
but that love empowers us to actually do God's will.
Make it a great day, Peace.
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining us listening.
Speaker 2: Friends.
Speaker 1: Always remember we cannot live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God. This
has been your daily portion with El David Harris. Make
it a great day. Yeah.