“Papa, what do you want more than anything else in the whole world?” asked my Grandson Keller.
We had been watching a commercial on popular hand-held football games and he hadn’t blinked once during the entire advertisement. My first thought was that he wanted me to state the name of the computer game. But suddenly, the words of Jesus came to my mind: “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”
“Well, Keller,” I said, “most of all I want to be like Jesus and then I’d also like to be the best Papa I can be. That’s really important to me and other than being like Jesus that’s number one. I want to be a good example for you.”
Not long ago I read a story of a man in a foreign country who wanted to “Be like Jesus.” So, he decided to memorize the New Testament and made it through the Beatitudes. One day he ran into the missionary who had led him to the Lord and baptized him. Immediately, he told him about his goal. After he heard them recited, he said, “Good. Now go and put them in to practice.”
A few weeks later he met the missionary again and said, “You know I tried doing what you said and it didn’t work out. I got confused. So, I started over with just the first one and it worked better. Now I’m trying number two. I want to live what I know.”
Knowing the Bible is one thing. Living it is very different. The Psalmist said, “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying Your decrees.”
Prayer: Lord, help us to keep it simple but steady as we grow into the likeness of Your Son, our Savior. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Psalm 119:5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
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