Jesus learned obedience
through the things, which He suffered, just as we do (Hebrews
5:8). He dealt with the common curse of
His pesky human flesh all the way to cross, just as we do (Hebrews
4:15). He laid down His human life on
Calvary’s cross and came forth from the grave in His immortal glory, just as we
will, once He returns for His Bride (1 Corinthians 15:54). We receive our redemption through His blood, and we
gain the indwelling of His Holy Spirit through His resurrection and ascension.
When we come to intimately
know the living Lord, we start to experience eternal life right here on this
earth (John 17:3). He gives us the
love, which God gives to Him (John 17:26).
We live in this world, just as God sent Jesus into the world, to accomplish
God’s will for our lives (John 17:18, 20). At the same time, Jesus gives us a new nature and makes us holy (John
17:17-19; Colossians 3:10). The Spirit
teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live disciplined, holy
and Godly lives, not by our own self-efforts, but through Christ Jesus within
us (Titus 2:12).
Slowly, the Spirit changes
us from glory to glory until people see Jesus when they look at us (2
Corinthians 3:18). In Christ all the fullness of the triune God dwells and Jesus dwells in
us, at the same time that we are in Him (Colossians 2:9; Romans 6:8). We are united to the triune
God through Christ. Our spirit is infused with power through His Spirit, and
Christ lives in and through us (Ephesians 3:16-17). Since Christ is in us, even though our body is dying,
His Spirit gives us His life (Romans 8:10). We have supernatural strength regardless of how we
feel in body and soul.
When
Jesus moves
into our spirit, we walk by the direction of His Spirit (Galatians
5:16, 25). Following the leading of
God’s Spirit moment by moment throughout the day results in physical
productivity, a healthy mental and emotional life, spiritual power and material
blessings that we cannot even imagine! We submit our negative thoughts to the
Lordship of Jesus Christ for healing. We even lay down our positive thoughts;
and, instead, take up His thoughts as our own (Philippians 2:5). We submit our will to His will. Out of God’s glorious
riches, He provides all of our needs (Philippians 4:19; Matthew 6:33).
Rather than to spend our
financial blessings on frivolous amusements and earthly treasures that are here
today, but gone tomorrow, we actually prefer to donate to our local church and
to missionaries doing the work of the Lord. This makes the fruit of our labor
last into eternity; 1 Corinthians 1:9, 6:17; 2
Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:3-14,
4:32, 5:22-33; Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 15:28). When Christ is foremost in our thoughts and we pray about His order for
our day, even cleaning the house, tending the children, working in the secular
world, ministering at church, preparing meals and spending time with our family
is the result of a spirit-filled life.
Prayer:
Father God, You love us so
much and You reveal Yourself to us in a multitude of ways all throughout the
day (John 14:21). We often get too busy to even notice Your blessings.
We spend our time so absorbed in our own plans and the issues in front of us,
that we fail to see Your provision and direction for us in the midst of it all.
However, You continually give us exceedingly great and precious promises of
salvation, for the purpose of us partaking in Your divine nature (2 Peter
1:4). You sanctify our heart of flesh
and give us Your Spirit to perfect us. As we keep our focus on Your glory
within us, we are transformed into the likeness of Christ with ever increasing
holiness, which comes from the sanctifying work of Your Spirit (2
Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2).
Thought for the Day:
We
have the potential of becoming spiritual beings in a carnal world, because of
the divine power and authority of Christ in us. - 1 Corinthians 15:48Thank you, Peter Dehart, for the use of your photo.
