"Apart from Me you can
do nothing." - John 15:5
The Bible declares that
Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Scholars call this theme “Paul’s Obsession”, because he used the phrase
“Christ in me” or “In Christ” more than 170 times in his writings. If we have
Jesus Christ living in us, He daily delivers us from sin’s dominion by His
resurrection life within us (Romans 5:10). He
also gives us new values, priorities and goals in life (2
Corinthians 5:17). He gives us His peace
that transcends human understanding (Philippians 4: 6-8). If we do not have the Son of God living in us,
however, we do not have any of this (1 John 5:12).
Christ’s salvation goes
beyond the spirit to the soul and body as well (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The original Biblical language uses three words for
salvation: sotheis,
sezosmenos, and sozomenos." They mean that believers are currently saved in our
spirit through Justification, that we will be saved in our body when we see
Jesus through Glorification, and lastly that we are being saved in our soul –
our mind, will and emotions - through the lifelong method of Sanctification.
Salvation is a process, three stages in an exciting journey that gets sweeter
as the days go by.
I desire to know Jesus more
intimately every day and to see myself grow into His beloved, mature child. My
right standing before God is by faith in all that Christ accomplished on my
behalf. I do not have to work for or earn this position. If I really believe
this fact, then I will take advantage of the opportunity, which He gives me, to
get to know Him more intimately as my redeemer, friend and brother. I do this
by spending time reading God’s Word; by prayer – talking and listening; by
attending a Bible teaching church; by fellowshipping with other Christians and
by sharing with others what God is doing in my life.
On a recent trip to visit my
friend in the hospital, I spoke to a lady in the elevator whom I did not know.
She wore a beautifully ornate cross around her neck. I asked, “Do you know the
Jesus who died for us on the cross?” Shocked at my question, she blurted out a
bit sarcastically, “Well, not personally.” I felt so sad for her, so I said,
“Well, He wants to have a personal relationship with you. Just read your Bible
and attend a Bible teaching church and He will be your best friend just like He
is to me.” The elevator door opened and I never saw her again. I truly hope she
took the time to meet my best friend.
God freely offers everyone
this gift of a personal relationship with Him. We have the option to either
embrace His friendship or to refuse to acknowledge Him. The choice is ours. God
gives us this opportunity to get to know Christ and to grow in our
understanding of His power, His resurrection and in what He has to offer us in
eternity. We can experience first hand both Christ’s sufferings and His
victories as we walk through our trials with Him within us. Apart from Him, we
can do nothing (John 15:5); but in
Him we are conquerors over every trial, because He loves us (Romans
8:37).
Christ suffered rejection by
the religious leaders of His day. They did not believe they were actually
crucifying the living God, because they did not recognize Him for who He was.
We do know Him, however. We have the opportunity every day to fellowship with
Him; to walk in His mercy, power and grace; to be led by His Holy Spirit and to
live with Him in eternity in Heaven. When we put our trust in Jesus and allow
Him to live in us and to work through us, His power flows through us and from
us as it changes the world around us.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for
Your death on Calvary’s cross, which paid the penalty for my sin (Romans
5:8). Thank You for Your resurrection
that gives me life in my spirit, soul and body. Thank You for Your redemption
that guarantees me a place in eternity with You. Thank You for life to live on
this earth. Help me to make every day count for Your glory.
Thought for the Day:
Jesus
gives me the opportunity to be one with Him in perfect love and acceptance, apart
from any good deeds, pious performances or imposed restrictions, which come
from my self-effort.
