Curt Snow (@curtsnow)

**My Bible Verse of The Day - 8-26-26** John 1:12 (LSB) 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, This verse, and others like it, show us that we are not children of God simply because we are born. It is when we receive Him, through faith in Christ, that we become His child. It requires a conscious choice for this to happen. Likewise, we don’t grow and mature as a believer accidentally. Unlike the human body, which grows involuntarily as we age, we don’t grow spiritually by simply sitting back and allowing time to go by, hoping it will happen. Growing and maturing is a choice we make! We decide whether we will grow and mature as a follower of Christ. No one can make us grow involuntarily. No one can force us to grow. We are taught throughout the word of God that if we wish to find Him and draw near to Him (grow and mature), we must seek Him and do so with our whole heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. James tells us very plainly that we must draw near to Him if we desire Him to draw near to us. James 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Interestingly, James also refers to those who expect to draw near to God without putting forth the necessary effort as “double-minded”, exposing the hypocrisy of this notion. As followers of Christ, we must desire to grow. We must understand that effort is required. And we must do whatever is necessary to put forth that effort. Casual Christianity is a myth; a lie from the enemy to lull believers to sleep and prevent us from producing fruit for the kingdom of God. But casual Christianity is exactly what we practice if we fail to grow and mature as believers. 1 John 2:3-4 (LSB) 3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie Seven Seas Ministries 49 N Lamplighters Walk Hampstead, NC 28443 401-439-3780 If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them! #DailyDevotional #BibleVerseofTheDay #BibleDevotional #DailyBibleVerse #Jesus #GodsWord #LoveGod #GodFirst