People often refer to Jesus Christ in their daily, ordinary
lives. However, most of the time, they are using this sacred name as a curse
word. They sling His name around without any awareness of the sanctity and the ultimate
power in His name.
Other people recognize the awesome authority of His name, and they
call on Him in prayer, but they do not really know Jesus personally. They are
moral and maybe even religious, but Christ does not abide within them (Colossians
1:27; Galatians 2:20). Their prayers and service are an exercise of human effort alone.
Then there is a remnant of people who reverence the holy name of
Jesus. They have an intimate union with Christ and trust in Him with their
whole heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). They realized that they could never
be good enough to earn a place in heaven; so they accepted Jesus’ sacrifice in
our place (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Jesus died for us, but He also wants to live in us and through
us. He wants to indwell His Body, the church, and finish the work He started
during His thirty-three years on earth. Once He moves into our spirit, He revives
our spirit, which was formerly dead in sin.
God calls us to humble our self as a little child, frail and
helpless, and in need of a Savior (Matthew 18:4). Jesus
continues His work of regeneration in us by abiding in us by His Spirit,
creating in us a clean heart and making us a new creation (Romans
8:9-11; Psalm 51:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus’ seed of faith is planted in our heart like a tiny mustard
seed, and grows to be a powerful force in our life and in our ministry for the
Lord (Galatians 2:20; Matthew 17:20). Even when we see the
fruit of God’s Spirit working through us, we remain humble and we cling to His
mercy and grace.
Realizing that we are weak, we depend on Christ in us, who is
our strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 2 Corinthians 12:9). We
listen to God’s Spirit and walk in His perfect will for our life, and enjoy a successful and fulfilling life (Ephesians
2:10). We are also Christ’s ambassadors to a lost and dying world (2 Corinthians
5:20).
Prayer:
Father God, we cannot successfully live through one day of life
without Your Spirit’s guidance and direction. Our human understanding falls
short, so we rely on Your empowerment to accomplish Your will for each moment
of all of our days (1 Corinthians 2:5). Remind us to dedicate our
existence, regardless of our vocation or health or wealth, as a living
sacrifice for Your service (Romans 12:1). We look forward to
spending eternity with You.
Thought for the Day:
Living in humble surrender to Christ throughout our life will
bring us success, peace, joy and fulfillment both now and in eternity.
