The Sovereign Ruler of the Universe is God

Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional – June 2, 2024

“For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.” – Psalm 84:11, NLT

“The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forever more.” – Psalm 121: 5-8

“Unto You, I lift up my eyes, O You Who dwell in the heavens.”  -Psalm 123:1

Knowing we are loved by a Father who is always faithful gives us peace, joy, and happiness.

Lord God, we thank You for Your Pure and Never-failing Love. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.

© 2024 SDJ-STEPS 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions

Enough Love for 8 Billion – Sabbath Peace and Blessings

Our Daily Walk with Christ – Sabbath Devotional – May 31, 2024

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” —Matthew 5:43-44

“…Love your neighbor as yourself.” —Matthew 22:39

“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings…” —Acts 17:26

“The projected world population on Jan. 1, 2024, is 8,019,876,189…”

Christ has given the command to love everyone including our enemies. We cannot obey Christ’s command and love everyone without immense love and loyalty to God, a converted and transformed heart, and a spirit of forgiveness. Our love for God is reflected by how we perceive and treat others. Who is my neighbor? Everyone. Am I my brother’s keeper? Yes.

You will never meet anyone for whom Christ did not die on Calvary’s cross.

Jesus died for the 8,019,876,189 currently alive on this planet and everyone who has ever lived and will live on this Earth. We only have one opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify and transform our minds, characters, and personalities into the likeness of Christ—in our earthly lives. That Great Day is coming! Love God, Love Others, and Love Yourself! Have a blessed Sabbath!

© 2024 SDJ – For the rest of my life, I will give Christ the best of my life

The Law of the Lord is Perfect—The Truth About the Sabbath

Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional – May 29, 2024

Psalm 19:7-11

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;” v. 7

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;” v. 8

“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. v. 9

“More to be desired are they then gold, Yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” v. 10

“Moreover, by them, Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” v. 11

God declares that His Law is Perfect, Converts the soul, gives us Wisdom, is True and Righteous, Enlightens the eyes, and identifies the transgressions against God and others. Those who keep His Law receive great rewards in this life and the future, heavenly life.

The Law is the Decalogue—The Ten Commandments—Established by Christ and given to Moses and the Nation of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai in the third month following the Exodus. [Study Exodus chapters 19-20].

God is Faithful and Steadfast: “For I am the LORD, I do not change…” —Malachi 3:6

The Seventh-Day Sabbath is the greatest controversial law in Christianity. To believe nine of the Commandments are valid and the Fourth Commandment—the Seventh-day Sabbath was abolished is to accept and practice Satan’s deception that God’s Law was imperfect and fallible. God says: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple…” (Psalm 19:7).

History of the Seventh-Day Sabbath

Sabbath was Established in Creation Week: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” —Genesis 2:2-3

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” —Exodus 20:8-11, KJV

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” —Mark 2:27

These words of the Savior remind us that the Sabbath day was meant to be a blessing rather than a burden to those who observe it. The Sabbath allows us to put aside all secular activities and concerns. We focus on worshiping God and praising Him for His Great Love, Grace, and Mercies.

The Sabbath is a memorial to God’s love for humanity. Not only do we receive spiritual refreshment, renewal, and wisdom, but the weekly sabbatical is apparent in our physical appearance and mental aptitude. 24 hours with God is our greatest reward. For our obedience, we enjoy God’s blessings of joy, peace, and contentment of a worry-free life.

As in Biblical times, we use Friday [those who work also utilize Thursday night] to prepare for the Sabbath. Our Sabbath dinners are cooked and clothing is chosen on Friday. We honor God by not buying or selling during the Sabbath or speaking about secular matters. Our homes are filled with love, laughter, praise and worship music, and prayers of gratitude.

Attending church, enjoying fellowship with family and members, visiting those who are sick and homebound, taking nature trips, studying the Scriptures, praying, and resting is our continuous worship during the hours of the Sabbath. Although it sounds busy, we enjoy plenty of rest and relaxation during the Sabbath.

“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.” —Genesis 1:5

God’s timing never coincides with man’s timing. Because God designated the evening before the morning, the Sabbath is from Friday sunset to Sabbath sunset. Globally, Sabbath observance is from sunset to sunset. Although there is a location in Norway where the sun does not set, “Svalbard, Here, the sun doesn’t set between 20 April and 22 August.” During the consistent daylight, Sabbath keepers observe the hours when the sun normally sets the other eight months of the year.

Jesus Declared that He Established the Sabbath: “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day” (Matthew 12:8).

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” —Matthew 5:17-18

Consider what Jesus did not do in His ministry. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says that He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was not to abrogate the Word, dissolve it, or render it invalid. The Prophets will be fulfilled; the Law will continue to accomplish the purpose for which it was given (see Isaiah 55:10–11). https://www.gotquestions.org/abolish-fulfill-law.html

Next, consider what Jesus did do. Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In other words, Jesus’ purpose was to establish the Word, to embody it, and to fully accomplish all that was written. “Christ is the culmination of the law” (Romans 10:4).

The predictions of the Prophets concerning the Messiah would be realized in Jesus; the holy standard of the Law would be perfectly upheld by Christ, the strict requirements personally obeyed, and the ceremonial observances finally and fully satisfied. https://www.gotquestions.org/abolish-fulfill-law.html

Jesus’ Death on Calvary’s Cross Fulfilled the Ceremonial Law

“From the creation, the moral law was an essential part of God’s divine plan, and was as unchangeable as Himself. The ceremonial law was to answer a particular purpose in Christ’s plan for the salvation of the race. The whole arrangement of the typical system was founded on Christ.” EGW

“The need for the service of sacrifices and offerings ceased when type met antitype in the death of Christ. In Him the shadow reached the substance…. The law of God will maintain its exalted character as long as the throne of Jehovah endures. This law is the expression of God’s character….” EGW

“Types and shadows, offerings and sacrifices, had no virtue after Christ’s death on the cross; but God’s law [The Ten Commandments] was not crucified with Christ…. Today he [Satan] is deceiving human beings in regard to the law of God.” EGW

“The law of the ten commandments lives and will live through the eternal ages…God did not make the infinite sacrifice of giving His only-begotten Son to our world, to secure for man the privilege of breaking the commandments of God in this life and in the future eternal life.” EGW

Link for EGW: https://whiteestate.org/devotional/flb/04_10/#:~:text=The%20ceremonial%20law%20was%20to,offering%2C%20Christ….

“No Change Documented in the Bible: In both Old and New Testament there is not a shadow of variation in the doctrine of the Sabbath. The seventh day, Saturday, is the only day ever designated by the term Sabbath in the entire Bible.” https://www.sabbathtruth.com/sabbath-history/how-the-sabbath-was-changed

The deception of “The Ten Commandments” being nailed to the cross was initiated by Satan who used unconverted hearts to spread his message to undermine the Sovereign Authority of God and to incite a spirit of disobedience among the Christian Community.

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” —John 14:15

At 15, I relinquished many religious beliefs contrary to the Holy Scriptures and became a Sabbath-keeper. Although my family acknowledges the Seventh-Day Sabbath, sadly, I am the only member who obeys the Fourth Commandment. Keeping the Sabbath demonstrates our love and loyalty to faithfully obeying God when human-made theories attempt to desecrate His laws.

Revelation prophecies reveal the Sabbath will be the last earthly controversy with persecution just before Jesus’ Second Coming. Yet, Psalm 91 is the promise that we will receive angelic protection. I would like to clarify that keeping the Sabbath does not imply that all Sabbath-keepers will be saved. In fact, many will be lost for their legalistic worship of God because they were disobedient in other areas of their lives.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.” —Proverbs 14:12

Entrusting our salvation and reward of eternal life to human beings including our own thoughts will not end in our favor. We fail to consider, “What if they [or myself] are wrong about the Seventh-Day Sabbath?” When God instructs us to “Remember” it is crucial to our spiritual growth, transformation, and reward of eternal life.

To love God is to keep His Ten Commandments which includes Sabbath observance. To love God is to consecrate oneself to a life of self-denial and total surrender and obedience to the Law. To love God is to be a disciple who stands for God’s Truth even if it means suffering persecution.

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” —Revelation 3:21

Lord, we pray for those deceived into believing You abolished the Fourth Commandment. We ask You to send the Holy Spirit to those with receptive hearts to teach them the Truth and validity of the Seventh-day Sabbath. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

© 2024 SDJ, For the rest of my life, I will give Christ the best of my life

Worship God in Spirit and in Truth —Sabbath Peace and Blessings

Our Daily Walk with Christ Sabbath Devotional – May 24, 2024

“But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” —John 4:23-24

The religion of Christ means more than the forgiveness of sin it means taking away our sins and filling the vacuum with the graces of the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. When Christ reigns in the soul there is purity and freedom from sin.

The glory, the fulness, and the completeness of the gospel plan are fulfilled in the life. The acceptance of the Saviour brings a glow of perfect peace, perfect love, perfect assurance. The beauty and fragrance of the character of Christ revealed in the life, testifies that God has indeed sent His Son into the world to be its Saviour.—Christ’s Object Lessons, 419, EGW

Lord, we can do nothing without Your power and strength. We ask You to accept our covenant to serve You in faithful obedience and to anoint us with joy and peace as we worship You on this Sabbath Day. In Jesus’ Holy Name, Amen.

© 2024, SDJ, For the rest of my life, I will give Christ the best of my life

Rejoice Always! The Lord is Faithful

Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional – May 21, 2024

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” —Lamentations 3:22-23

Because God is Sovereign and Faithful, we rejoice in our challenges and sorrows as well as in peaceful times. We entrust our lives to be led by Christ because He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

“The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the Lord.” —Lamentations 3:25-26

We can rejoice because we are living a Christ-centered, Faith-Based life [through surrender and obedience] continually striving for holiness under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

“Let us search out and examine our ways, And turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands To God in heaven.” —Lamentations 3:40-41

We can rejoice because we search God’s Holy Scriptures to use as a Righteous Standard to measure our hearts, our motives, our love relationship with Christ, and our love for others. We rejoice because our hearts are open to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and we repent of the sins of thinking our own thoughts which is the source of all transgressions against God.

“If you love Me keep my commandments.” —John 14:15. “If you love me, obey my commands, and my commands are not burdensome…” —1 John 5:1-5

We can rejoice because our hearts are converted by the love and redeeming power of Jesus Christ. Our love for Christ is demonstrated through obedience to the Ten Commandments and His Righteous Principles. Yes, we love as Christ loves by loving God and placing Him above all. We rejoice because we love others despite their background or status.

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” —Revelation 14:12

We can rejoice because we strive to be like Christ, our Perfect, Righteous Role Model who obeyed the Commandments in His earthly life and lived a life of humility and surrender to God, the Father. The faith of Jesus is His Righteousness which we also pursue, not in our own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Every day we present ourselves before the Throne of Grace to seek God’s will and to receive Christ’s blessing of His strength to live holy. From our pleas for Divine Help, the Holy Spirit imparts Christ’s Divine strength. We are empowered to renounce sin and receive the wisdom and discernment to perceive sin for what it really is—spiritual death.

Artist’s Rendition of Jesus’ Second Coming

“Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” —Revelation 22:14

“And I saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who have the victory over the beast, over his image and over his mark and over the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God.” —Revelation 15:2

We can rejoice because we envision ourselves living with Christ forever in the New Heaven and New Earth! Hallelujah! Amen!

Lord God, we pray for ourselves that we will prepare today for Your soon coming and stay prepared. We bow to Your Sovereignty as our Lord, Savior, and King and ask for Your strength to be poured out as we persevere in Your Name to live righteously. In Jesus’ Matchless Name, we pray. Amen.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” —1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

© 2024 SDJ-For the rest of my life, I will give Christ the best of my life

The Faith Walk to Victory!

Our Daily Walk with Christ Devotional – May 20, 2024

“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands…” —Revelation 7:9

God created and gifted us with faith, love, power, and a sound mind to worship Him. Our acceptance and commitment to Christ changes our status from an unrighteous believer to the royal priesthood that will reign with Him forever and ever. God has predestined us to enjoy a perfect, sinless life in the New Heaven and New Earth.

The conditions: We are to honor Christ as our First Love, obey God’s will by remaining loyal, and worship Him in spirit and truth by renouncing our thoughts, and inclinations, and saying no to sin. “Behold, it is better to obey than to sacrifice.” We demonstrate our love to God as Christ did in His earthly life, one of daily surrender, Not my will but Your will, Heavenly Father be done.

“What is man that You are mindful of him?” We are the only recipients of salvation. Not even the angels understand why Christ would die for humanity—a race who refuses to obey His commandments and do His will through a life of sacrificial self-denial for which we would receive many blessings including the precious gift of eternal life.

With joy and thanksgiving, we should freely worship the Ancient of Days and the Triumphant King with overflowing love and reverence because their very Names are Holy and the Plan of Redemption required Jesus’ death on Calvary’s Cross. The theme of the Bible is God’s Agape Love for us. Jesus promises us provisions, tells us we are more valuable than sparrows, and He will never forsake us.

“The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” —Zephaniah 3:17

Our prayers rise as sweet incense to Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and Heavenly Intercessor who invites us to boldly come to the Throne of Grace for forgiveness and His Divine help. Holy Spirit, give us the wisdom and discernment to comprehend the faithful love of our LORD who rejoices over us with singing and quiets us with His peace. In Jesus’ Righteous Name, Amen.

We cannot keep Christ’s love to ourselves—someone else needs to know that Jesus’ blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Genuine love for God gives one a burden for souls. Agape love is the catalyst to fulfill our commission of witnessing to a broken and hopeless generation who desperately seeks peace even when they are deceived into purchasing the world’s version of false peace. It is our assignment to tell them, “Jesus loves you!”

“Be holy, for I AM Holy!” “…Without Me, you can do nothing.” The Holy Spirit empowers us with Christ’s strength to use self-control to renounce sin and overcome temptation. Yes, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” In faith, we follow Christ on the Chosen Path that leads to the heavenly reward of eternal life.

“In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer…I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” —John 16:33

Time is fleeting. Our trials will never cease—our characters must change to reflect the Righteousness of Christ. We face many challenges and temptations, often presented by familiar people and situations. Every day we choose our destiny as reflected in our thoughts, spoken words, behaviors, habits, and choices of friends. To remain safe, Never choose the familiar over the Divine.

Our heart’s desires prevent us from understanding the love that God has for humanity. Though sinful, we are redeemed by the blood of Christ and enjoy the privilege of entering His Most Holy presence with prayer and supplication, which His sinless angels enjoy, therefore, we should bow and honor God as the angels who cover their faces and cry Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” —Psalm 91:11

And speaking of the angel armies, they are Christ’s messengers and our guardians whose duty is to protect the righteous from physical harm and spiritual warfare [they fight and stand down Satan’s evil angels]. We have all in heaven as our Spiritual Reinforcements, still, we decide if good or evil will prevail by our choices.

The LORD’s Grace and Mercies!

“If only, I had prayed or waited for God’s answer.” When all is well, we easily become overconfident in our abilities, and fall into temptation. Immediately, the Holy Spirit sounds the alarm of Conviction. Bowing our heads in humility, we cry out, Against You, O Lord, I have sinned, please forgive me. Great is His faithfulness, we are never abandoned: “Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand” (Psalm 37:24).

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth…” —John 14:16-17

From our turbulent history of following our hearts, we acknowledge that we can only live an obedient and righteous life through the Divine power of the Holy Spirit. In our earthly lives, we will remain on a forever spiritual learning curve. To keep us on the Right Path, our struggles are intense. But suffering from disobedience differs from the trials given to change our characters.

Suffering from consequences wearies us to the core of our souls, thankfully, we eventually come to our senses and acquiesce to the Sovereignty of God. Through prayer and study of the Scriptures, we learn to hear the Voice of God and fully rely on the Holy Spirit. Our faith in God directs us to ask the Holy Spirit for the wisdom to understand Christ’s Righteousness, to teach us how to live holy, to lead us to the Narrow Gate, and to guide our steps to stay on the Narrow Path.

Jesus Warning: I come, like a Thief in the Night! “And behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Revelation 22:12-13).

Covered by God’s Grace, we receive New Mercies every day. Our gratitude is demonstrated by remaining anchored in Christ through continuous surrender, prayer, and praise. Our response of faith to God’s love is to live a Christ-centered, faith-based life and to give our best effort as we prepare daily for Christ’s soon return. Our surrender invites the Holy Spirit to empower us to live a victorious life through the Strength of Jesus Christ.

Lord, we pray for Your strength in this journey of life. We thank You for sending the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, Helper, Comforter, and Transformer. May we continue to possess a heart of gratitude by consecrating ourselves daily to serve You with surrender and obedience. In Jesus’ Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

© 2024 SDJ – For the rest of my life, I will give Christ the best of my life