Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Pledge of Allegiance

To be a Christian means to have allegiance to the kingdom of God and to submit totally to the lordship of Jesus. We pledge allegiance to Him above any flag, above any race, above any natural relationship, and above any blood relative. Until we come to that understanding, we're walking below what He endured on the cross and in the garden, when He partook of the cup, saying, "Father, if it's possible, let it pass; but nevertheless, not My will; Thy will be done." That's what it means to be a Christian--"Nevertheless, not my will; Thy will be done." As we examine our own lives, can we say that is our motto and how we live? Is our hearts' cry, "It's not what I want, but what You want me to do and what You want me to be. I'm incapable of being what You want me to be! Work it in me to will and to do Your good pleasure. Here I am, a vessel. Fill me with Your presence and Your glory"? I trust that you say, "How little I've done because of what He's done, seeing that He's paid the price of that magnitude for me."

Peter had seen the Lord raised, being at the tomb. As Peter and John caught the glory of the resurrection and went back to share it, people wouldn't believe it until the Lord appeared. He draws us to Himself and we say, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief," and He says, "Here, put your finger here; touch Me." He touched you and changed your heart. He illuminated your mind so that you could see and caused the scales to fall off of your eyes. We saw Him, but more importantly, we saw ourselves for the first time. As we cried out for deliverance, just as Peter did on the water, Jesus stretched forth His hand and brought each one of us to Himself. We've experienced the miracle of the resurrection by that encounter that changed our lives and caused us to be born again. That same resurrection power that they saw visually we have seen with greater assurance--the more sure word of prophecy, the re-creation of our hearts, and the re-establishing of allegiance in our lives for His lordship. We're not the same; old things have passed away and all things are new. We love what we used to hate, and hate what we used to love. Our priorities have changed.

Yet even at times there are wanderings that can take place in each of our lives. Peter had encountered the resurrected Christ. What a change that occurred that Sunday morning after he had cowered and rejected the Lord! We think so highly of ourselves, as Peter said, "Lord, though everybody else will forsake You, don't worry. I'll be with You. I'm willing to die! Lord, where are You going that we can't go?" "I'm ascending to the Father. You can't go with Me now. You'll come later." "Lord, show us the way." "Have I been so long with you, Philip, and you don't understand the way yet? I am the way, the truth and the life. If you've seen Me, you've seen the Father." Peter didn't yet have an understanding of who he really was. Our whole life process of sanctification is finding out who we are.

I heard these words come up out of my spirit and out of my mouth as I prayed, "Father, take our knowledge of You beyond our doctrine. Help us to know You beyond our doctrine." Every thought needs to originate with Him and every action orchestrated by the Spirit of God that indwells us. Doctrine is what we have in our head, but we need to know Him.

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