Daily Devotionals: Grateful Humility

0:00September 2nd, grateful humility. Have you ever met a person who didn't seem to know their place? Maybe it was the new intern criticizing the boss's directives, or the young babysitter advising the mom on how to parent. These situations can leave us fuming. Who do they think they are? But how often do we behave this way with God? If we're not careful as Christians, we can begin to think God is the one who needs us. We create this imaginary leverage, and soon, our relationship with God is nothing more than cutting deals with Him or telling Him what needs to be done. Today we'll meet Patrick Denario, a man who ran his life like a mob boss, believing even God was at his back in call. He's here to share with us his true story. On this unshackled, daily devotional.

1:01After I stood by while some kid beat up my brother, my father beat me. Later when I was falsely accused of vandalizing neighbor's car, dad beat me with his belt for 10 minutes until I was cut and bleeding. I wanted revenge, so that's when I joined a gang. In junior high, we beat a teacher so badly I was expelled and sentenced to a year in reform school. But when I got out, my friends treated me like a hero, so I decided to become the greatest gang leader in history. We fought for any pretense and stole cars just to wreck them for fun. Every time I got in trouble, I prayed, God, get me out of this and I'll never do anything wrong again. But I was powerless to stop my evil ways. When I tried to hit my mother, dad knocked me through a glass door. Then during a robbery, I was shot and nearly lost my leg. Dad stayed with me at the hospital and prayed for me. Again, I promised God I would serve him if he saved my leg. Recovering at home, I spent hours with my aunt who loved the Lord. She read Bible verses that showed me the darkness in my heart. Mom and dad were saved by then and invited me a series of

2:01revival meetings. On the sixth night, I hobbled down the aisle and confessed my sins, weeping to God, I'm not worth it. But Jesus thought I was worth dying for and saving and His love has changed my life forever. Today, I serve Him as a missionary in Alaska with my wife and children. In Job, chapter 38, beginning in verse 4, God addressed Job saying, Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand, who marked off its dimensions, surely you know. The following four chapters continue with God declaring His majesty and sovereignty, reminding Job, His position before an infinite, perfect, and holy God. Friend, while we might have never lived a life like Patrix, may we always possess the grateful humility he found when he trusted Christ as his Savior. Will you receive this truth today? Unshackled, the longest running audio drama in history

3:07airs on over 3,000 radio stations worldwide, real people, real life stories, stirring dramatic accounts of hopelessness, and the hope that changes everything. This award-winning program grips the heart with compelling and relevant stories of transformed lives. Without Jesus Christ, we are all shackled by sin, by our wrong choices, disobedience, and selfish motives, but God is at work, and the power of Christ sets us free of our bondage. We are Unshackled. Unshackled daily devotionals are a daily reminder of God's presence in your life, produced in Chicago by Unshackled of Pacific Garden Mission. Listen to a new devotional every day, and don't forget to tell your friends about Unshackled daily devotionals.