The Call of Nature

In our world of higher education, instant information networks and self-reliance, the message of the Gospel of Christ makes no sense at all to most people.

 

The paradoxes and spiritual content of the Bible serve as a stumbling stone to those too proud to accept the self-effacing offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.

 

However, once we humble our self under the mighty hand of God, we immediately recognize that Jesus completely submitted to death on Calvary’s Cross to bring freeing redemption to us all.

 

We also surrender to the call of God to sacrifice our life for Him in return. The surrendered life is not one of defeat, but of relinquishing control. This means that we stop resisting the love of God and accept His courtship.

 

We acknowledge His substitution in paying the penalty of our sins and yield to His Lordship over our life. We recognize the superiority of God’s plan for our life over our own goals and ambitions.

 

We consult Him about all of our decisions and submit to His direction of our steps (Proverbs 3:5-6). We live in the reality of His presence now and look forward to the hope of His glory to come (Colossians 1:27).

 

Many people waste so much of their life running from God’s beauty and bounty. They live in rebellion to the call, which even nature makes for us to surrender to its Creator (Romans 1:20).

 

God never invades our life, but always waits to be invited. The beauty of the surrendered life is that we die to the carnal flesh and hide our life with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). We cease from our own labors and enter into God’s rest (Hebrews 10:4).

 

Prayer:

Father God, once we completely understand Your love for us, we go beyond obedience and also surrender our life entirely to You. Then, we learn what it means to truly live in abundant freedom and victory (Romans 6:16-18; Mark 8:35).

 

We no longer internalize the pain that life deals out to us, because we are hidden with Christ in You. Regardless of trials and anguish we may experience, we walk in spiritual serenity which elevates us emotionally, spiritually, mentally, physically and behaviorally. We find our constant joy in You as patience does her perfecting work in us (James 1:4).
Thought for the Day:

We enter a life hidden with Christ in God, which we formerly believed to be one of servitude, only to discover that it is actually a liberating union as a King’s kid. – Colossians 3:3-4

 

 

The Divine Life of Christ in Us

Christ lives in us, and we are united with Him, just as He is one with our Father (John 14:20). We are joined to and united with God’s Spirit, as a branch to a vine (1 Corinthians 6:17; John 15:4-5).

 

We are free from the law of sin and death, by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Daily, we live as a witness to others of the love and nurture of the eternal, triune Godhead living within us (Romans 8:4).

 

Sin no longer has power over us, because of God’s grace ruling in our heart (Romans 6:14). Since the Son of God set us free, we are absolutely free to live a life of holiness (John 8:36; Romans 6:18).

 

His divine power enables us to excel in our vocation, spiritual calling and family relationships through His divine life within us (Colossians 1:27). The fruit of His Spirit replaces our carnality (Galatians 5:15-25)

 

God’s Spirit also enables us to have the courage to boldly share the gospel with everyone we meet. Not in a preachy or condemning manner, but in the spirit of love and peace with the words He gives us (Ephesians 6:19).

 

Jesus delivers us from our sinful nature, which used to serve sin; and He gives us a mind, which is now a slave to God’s nature, principles and Kingdom (Romans 7:25).

 

As slaves of God, we are set free from the slavery to sin in order to reap the blessings of holiness and eternal life (Romans 6:22). We belong to Christ, who was raised from the dead, so that we will bear fruit for God’s Kingdom (Romans 7:4).

 

We pray through any rocky stretches of road by the direction of God’s Spirit and we petition Him to meet our needs and for the needs of all of His Saints (Ephesians 6:18).

 

Prayer:

Father God, help us to actually see the reality of the fact that we do not need to sin; because the spirit of life in Christ sets us free from the law of the spirit of sin and death (Romans 8:2). When Christ sets us free, we are truly free (John 8:36). We bask in Your presence and praise You for including us in Your eternal plans.

 

Thank You that we are no longer strangers and pilgrims in this world, but part of Your universal family. We are fellow citizens of the Kingdom of God and Saints in Your holy presence. Our love for Your Body is very important, because You prepared us for a holy dwelling place for Your Spirit. Jesus is our chief cornerstone and You are building us into Your eternal dwelling place (Ephesians 2:19-22).

 

Thought for the Day:

God gave us Christ as our redemption, not so we can sit back and continue living a life of sin with the false hope of escaping eternal judgment, but so that we can enjoy an intimate union with Him filled with all of His glory and the greatest measure of His spiritual presence. – Ephesians 3:16-19

 

Life is No Longer a Struggle

After surrendering our life to Christ, we experience a struggle between our soul and spirit. Our spirit is born again by the Spirit of God at salvation. Our carnal nature is now dead, and our life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:1-4).

Yet, there are predispositions in our life through habits and addictions, which continually pull us back to the deeds of the flesh (Romans 7:14-24). Thankfully, our redemption through Christ rescued us from serving a slaves to sin (Romans 7:25).

We can trust His Spirit to slowly sanctify us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The result is that we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:15-26). We bear holy fruit in our life and share this fruit with those God brings our way (Galatians 5:22-23).

We cannot accumulate enough good works to earn God’s love (Ephesians 2:8-9). While we were still sinners, He already gave us His unconditional and unmerited love as a free gift (Romans 3:23, 5:6-8, 6:23).

He gives us an example of how to love our children, spouse and other family members and friends. Our love for them is not based on their behavior or accomplishments, but as a free gift.

When we believe that our self-worth is based on our performance, we lose respect for our self if we fail. When we base our identity on Christ in us, we always succeed because we follow His Spirit on a daily basis.

This frees us from wearing masks to fit in or lying or living a hypocritical life in order to live up to the image we believe people expect from us. Receiving our worth from Christ in us keeps us humble and totally dependent on God.

We rely on God to point out our inconsistencies, to effect these changes in us and to help us to accomplish the works He pre-ordained for us to do (Psalm 139:23-24; Ephesians 2:10). He is our all in all through every moment of every day (Ephesians 4:6).

Prayer:
Father God, we choose to enter Your rest and to bear fruit through Your Spirit and by no effort of our own (John 15:4). We trust in the saving work of Christ on Calvary’s cross rather than on our good works; and we accept our holiness, righteousness, justification and sanctification as gifts from Your Spirit.

Thank You for rooting and grounding us in the soil of Your love and for caring for us as our Vinedresser throughout our entire lifetime. We pray that as we submit to Your will for our life, we will glorify You by bearing much fruit for Your Kingdom through Your Spirit’s work in our life (John 15:8; Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:
God searches our heart and tries us, seeing our fears and anxiety and healing us of every hurtful memory as He leads us in His everlasting way.
– Psalm 139:23-24

Continual Filling from the Rivers of Living Water

 

We receive God’s Spirit at salvation, which is the river of living water within us (1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:3). We receive all of Him, all of Christ and all of God at that very moment (Romans 8:9).

God’s Spirit seals our redemption in Christ (Ephesians 1:13-14). He gives His gifts and fruit to all Believers to enjoy and to share with the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Galatians 5:22-23).

He reveals to us the riches, which the blood of Christ purchased for us, and which God prepared for all those who love Him and keep His commandments (John 14:12-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

He is the supplier of every spiritual blessing, which Christ has for us in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). These blessings provide us with everything we need for an abundant life of holiness (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Out of His presence within us flows rivers of living water (John 7:38). As we walk in the Spirit, we no longer carry out the desires of the flesh, because we follow Him one step at a time throughout our day (Galatians 5:15-25).

The world, the flesh or the devil may tempt us, but we rely on God’s Spirit to vanquish every foe. The fruit and gifts of the Spirit gain ascendancy over our former carnal nature, and we do only the will of God (Ephesians 2:10).

If we do not have the Spirit of God within us, we do not belong to God (Romans 8:9-10). If God’s Spirit abides within us, we are a watered garden with unfailing springs of living water flowing from us (Isaiah 58:11).

We shall never thirst again (John 4:14). We joyously draw life from His springs of salvation and share them with those around us who hunger and thirst after God (Isaiah 12:3; Ezekiel 47:9).
Prayer:
Father God, there is nothing in this life, which we desire more than You. We find our lasting peace and joy in the center of Your will. Everything else compromises our ability to enjoy the filling of Your Spirit each moment of our day.

Remind us that the pleasures we receive at Your right hand are lasting and fulfilling, and so much better than anything this world has to offer. What we once found entertaining or enjoyable loses its luster and we see it for the counterfeit that it really is.

Thought for the Day:
For the glory of God, our spirit and soul need to experience a continual filling of God’s Spirit as we daily lay down our life and anything in it that may grieve or quench God’s Spirit.
– Ephesians 4:30, 5:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:19

The Faith of the Son of God

How can we live by the faith of the Son of God? First and foremost, we live by faith through the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and His provision for us of regeneration and resurrection (Galatians 2:20, Titus 3:5).

Prior to Christ’s appearing, Believers lived imprisoned under the law, our tutor to bring us to faith in Him. Now that Christ paid the penalty for our sins, we are freed from bondage to the law (Galatians 3:23). We obey through love instead.

We stand firm on our faith in the Rock of Christ throughout the issues of life (2 Corinthians 1:24). We are justified by this solid trust in Calvary’s saving grace (Romans 3:30).

Faith has nothing to do with hope, trust or claiming God’s Word. It has everything to do with Christ who abides within us. If we did not have the faith of Christ within us, we could not have faith in Christ and His redemptive work for us on Calvary’s cross (Ephesians 1:7).

Through faith, we realize that God chose us as His children in Christ (Galatians 3:26). As God’s righteous, we live by faith, and hold on to it with a clear conscience (Romans 1:17; 1 Timothy 1:19).

We live in God’s righteousness, not by keeping rules and regulations, but by the faith of Christ to us all (Romans 3:21-22.) We demonstrate our faith through our thoughts, words and deeds (James 2:18).

If we say we trust God, yet never step out in obedience to His will for our life, then what good is our faith? (James 2:14) Faith inspires our actions. Faith and obedience working together are complete (James 2:22).

Prayer:
Father God, thank You for vanquishing our doubts and increasing our faith in Your faithfulness (Romans 14:23). We find our health and strength in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:16). We obey Your direction in our life because of the faith of Christ within us (Hebrews 11:7).

Help us to be examples of sincere faith in You to future generations, so that they too will please You (Hebrews 11:6), grow in their faith (2 Timothy 1:5), and live blessed lives (Galatians 3:9).

Thought for the Day:
Our genuine faith in God’s faithfulness is of much greater eternal value than anything this temporal world has to offer. – 1 Peter 1:7

Why Be Born Again?

From the moment of our birth, we are a living body and a never-dying soul – our mind, will and emotions; but our spirit is dead in Adam’s sin (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Genesis 2:7; Luke 16:19-31; Ephesians 2:1).

Once we come to Christ, in humble repentance of our sins, we receive His salvation, and our spirit is Born Again (Romans 8:16). In Christ, we are body, soul and spirit (Job 32:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:23).

God’s Spirit abides in our spirit and we have an authentic life in Christ. Our renewed spirit is swept clean of Satanic influence by Christ’s redemption (Matthew 12:38-45).

God’s Holy Spirit moves into our rebirthed spirit to occupy our body, sanctify our soul and fill our spirit with the presence of Christ in us (John 17:17; Romans 8:10; Galatians 2:20).

We are eternally joined to the Lord as one Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17). God’s Spirit continually abides in our human spirit and perfects our soul in holiness (Proverbs 20:27).

Our body is now the temple of God’s Spirit and we continually commune with God in our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20; John 14:23; 1 John 1:3). We live, move and have our entire being in Christ (Acts 17:28).

Most people function from the soul – our thoughts, decisions and emotions. However, God desires that we live in and walk by His Spirit (Romans 8:4-6; Galatians 5:16).

This prevents us from acting on carnal impulses, which might filter through our soul. We do not make our own plans, envision our own dreams or list our own goals.

God is Spirit and desires that we worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 6:63, 4:24). God’s Spirit abides in our spirit and we have no life except in Christ.

Prayer:
Father God, remind us not to attempt to make our own plans for our life, nor attempt to understand life apart from You; but simply to listen to and obey the direction of Your Spirit, who gives us wisdom and guidance one moment at a time (Job 32:8).

Corporately, we function as the Body of Christ; living stones, which You fit together into Your temple (1 Peter 2:4-6; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 2:21-22). Thank You for our sanctification through Christ and for joining us together into His Body.

Thought for the Day:
God calls us to abide entirely in our spirit, where His Spirit directs us as we live one moment at a time.

We Will See Jesus – Part 1

We will all see Jesus in one of three ways: through the portal of death, in the rapture of His Bride, or when He returns to earth as the triumphant King in His second coming (John 12:21).

Every knee in heaven, on earth and under the earth, whether believer or unbeliever, shall bow before Him (Philippians 2:10). Those who cursed His name and those who bless His name will all give Him the glory which is due Him.

Humanity was created for God’s pleasure alone, rather than to seek our own treasure (Revelation 4:11). Adam and Eve enjoyed walks and talks with God in the garden in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8-13).

Thanks to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, we too can enjoy this intimate relationship with our Father God. We exist to obey and adore our Him. We are privileged to commune with His Spirit.

We gravitate toward holiness, because without it we will never see God (Hebrews 12:14). We do not find God through legalism, abstinence, or any works of our own, but only by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We abide in an intimate spiritual union with Him each moment of every day. We walk by His Spirit and listen for His voice within, as He directs our thoughts, words and deeds (Galatians 5:15-25).

We seek God Himself, rather than seeking power and anointing to serve Him. Ours is a life of faith, although faith without works is certainly dead (James 2:14-26); but we do only those works, which Christ calls us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

We are obsessed by an intense passion to live in the manifest presence of God. In this intimacy, God gives us joy in the midst of dire circumstances, love in a home full of hate or indifference, peace in unsettling conditions over which we have no control, and fulfillment in walking in His purpose for our life.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for becoming a man and paying the ultimate sacrifice to free us from the penalty of our sin. Help us to seek Your face, to desire nothing from life other than to sit in Your presence, and to walk in Your Spirit every moment of every day.

Help our light to shine in such a way that people will see our good works and give You all the praise, honor and glory (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). Let Your reputation go before us. Humble and cleanse us so that all the world will only see Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).

Thought for the Day:

The One who seeks us, longs to be loved by us and to enjoy our attention focused continually on Him. – Romans 3:11; Luke 15:4-7

The Faith of the Son of God

How can we live by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20)? First and foremost, we live by the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and His provision of regeneration and His resurrection life in us (2 John 1:3; Titus 3:5; Philippians 3:11).

Faith has nothing to do with our hopes or claiming God’s Word for things we want. It has everything to do with Christ who abides within us. Faith only comes to us by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

If we did not have the faith of Christ within us, we could not have faith in Christ and His redemptive work for us on Calvary’s cross (Galatians 2:16; Matthew 1:21; Hebrews 10:1-14). As Christ is formed in us, our humanity decreases.

We live in Christ, just as Christ also lives in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). We also live in God’s righteousness, not by keeping rules and regulations, but by the faith of Christ which gives it all to us (Romans 3:21-22; Philippians 3:7-9).

Christ becomes our whole life (Colossians 3:4). We receive the promises of God by Christ’s faith within us, not by mustering up our faith by human effort (Hebrews 10:5-14; Galatians 3:22-26).

Keeping God’s law through our self-effort is also useless, and Jesus showed us this truth (Romans 10:4). God works the faith of Christ into our life by His Spirit (Ephesians 1:19-20, 2:8-9; Colossians 1:12).

Through Christ in us, we are adopted sons of the living God, heir with Christ and we are given the right to call God our “Abba Father” (Galatians 3:26, 4:4-7). We can come boldly to His throne (Ephesians 3:12).

We receive peace with God through the atonement of Christ on Calvary’s cross (Romans 4:25, 5:1-12, 18). He is the only Mediator between us and God (Ephesians 1:12). The faith of Christ gives us a firm foundation (Acts 3:16).

Salvation gives us the treasure of Christ in our mortal body (Colossians 2:3). Once we recognize that we are truly crucified with Christ, then Christ is fully formed in us and manifests through our mortal body (2 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 4:19).

Prayer:
Father God, as You form Christ in us, His faith rests in us as well. The more we come to know Him, the more we walk in His faith (John 17:3). As we come to know Christ more, we also come to know Your ways and purpose for our life.

The faith of Christ in us is the evidence of the things we hope for, but which we cannot yet see (Hebrews 11:1). Abiding in Christ is the only way we walk in Your power (John 16:24). Remind us not to “name it and claim it” for our own carnal purposes; but to ask and seek only for Your Kingdom.

Thought for the Day:
We live in the faith of the Son of God, which Jesus both conceives and brings to fruitfulness in us. – Hebrews 12:2

Help My Unbelief

A father brings his son to Jesus. The boy has a mute spirit and experiences epileptic-type seizures. He believes Jesus can heal his son; yet because the disciples already failed to do so, he is afraid to try again. He asks Jesus for help with his unbelief (Mark 9:23-25).

We all feel this way sometimes. We know what the Word of God says, what preachers tell us, and what our friends share with us; yet, we still have such little faith!

Through this tiny verse God shows His humor and mercy in the same breath! He teaches us that the important aspect is to choose to believe, even when circumstances cause us to feel uncertain.

God understands that we lose hope and get discouraged. So, God put this powerful verse in the Bible to remind us that as long as we choose to believe, then He will do the rest.

Prayer:
Lord, we want to walk in obedience, trusting in Your promises and doing greater works than Jesus did (John 14:12). We believe in You; yet, at times, our faith is weak. Thank You for helping our unbelief, and for providing for all of our spiritual, physical and emotional needs.

We praise You day and night for Your wonderful works and multitude of blessings to the Your children. You do so much for us and take such an active roll in the details of our life. Thank You for caring enough to give Your life for our redemption and salvation.

Thought for the Day:
Hearing from God often requires that we find a quiet place to still our thoughts and focus on His presence in our life.

Our Life in Christ

Jesus is God, and through Him, everything was created (Colossians 1:16). Yet, He became a man to pay the penalty of our sins. He endured the cross by keeping His focus on the joy that awaited Him back in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2). We too can enjoy this peace and joy as we keep our mind focused on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

God’s gifts to us vary and are multiplied in eternity (Matthew 7:11). His main gift is free and includes our ticket to Heaven through the forgiveness of our sin (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23). We no longer need to earn our own salvation or to pay the penalty of our sins (Galatians 2:16). God completes the work in us, which He began on Calvary (Philippians 1:6).

Jesus, who is now seated with our Father God in Heaven, is our advocate and perfects our faith (1 John 2:1). He gives us His grace to avoid temptation and to accomplish the works He created us to do (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 9:8). All the grace we need in any and all circumstances in our life are just a prayer away (2 Corinthians 9:8).

As we sit at His feet and wait on His timing, God also supplies all of our physical, mental and emotional needs during our earthly existence (Philippians 4:19). We will pass from life through death and angels will escort us to the presence of God (Luke 16:22). Our last breath on earth is follow by our next breath in Heaven. We will never sin or die again (Romans 8:21; 1 Corinthians 15:52-53).

Prayer:
Father God, regardless of the pains and suffering that endure on this earth, You gave us an advocate in Christ (John 16:33; Hebrews 4:15). Thank You for sending Jesus to free us from our debt of sin and to bear the pain of our current situations for us (2 Corinthians 4:17). We thank You that Christ abides in us and is our hope of eternal glory with You (Colossians 1:27). We look forward with great joy to living as a co-heir with Christ of Your entire Kingdom (Romans 8:17).

Thought for the Day:
We will enjoy the presence of God for eternity and our joy will be exceedingly full. – Psalm 43:4; 1 Peter 3:18