March 27th. The reason for our faith. Have you ever had a great dog? Dogs are
relational and smart. With a few treats they can be trained to carry out desired
behaviors. And after a few rolled up newspapers they can learn to abandon the
more bothersome ones. But beyond these training techniques, dogs seem capable of
sensing what it is we want and then striving to achieve it. In the best of
dogs, pleasing you is the only reward they really need. But I wonder if the same
can be said of us as believers. What is the motivation for our faith in Jesus
Christ? Is it based on the things we'll get like access to heaven and escape from
eternal hell? Well this is a gospel promise we can count on. I wonder if our faith
has stopped there. I wonder if for some of us Christianity means a little more
than a finish line reward or firing assurance of some calling. Today we'll meet
Marjorie, a woman who herself had fallen into this mindset until she learned
what Christianity really means. She's here to share with us her true story. On
this unshackled, daily devotional. Joining the Girl Scouts ultimately changed my
life. Our troop met in a Christian church where I also sang in a youth choir.
So I began to hear the gospel. The truth about Jesus Christ even while Mom was
taking me to spiritualist classes to learn how to be a medium. I fell in with
some bad girls and learned to swear and drink. When I was 16 I sang in a big
church choir at the Philadelphia Town Hall. During the program a woman in
front of me collapsed and died. I knew she loved the Lord and went to be with
him while I was facing hell. So I raised my hand at the invitation to receive
Christ. My life however didn't change. For two years I continued to drink
smoke and swear. Then a new couple came to church and they began to disciple me
and one day I surrendered everything to Christ. I fell in love with a sailor who
had also given his life to Christ and his love helped me through the ongoing
conflict with my family. Jesus set me free of the deception in my past. God gave
us five children who also loved the Lord and now at 73 I'm still rejoicing in
his love. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians chapter 2 verse 6. As ye have
therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.
Friend, being a Christian or Christ follower means recognizing Jesus as Lord of
our lives. And the result of this faith does not begin at death when we enter
eternal life. Rather it begins the moment we receive Jesus and enter into
relationship with him. And it's because of this union that we live our life
for him. For he is our motivation. Will you receive this truth today? Unshackled
the longest running audio drama in history airs on over 3,000 radio stations
worldwide. 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. Listen to a
new devotional every day and don't forget to tell your friends about unshackled
