Prior to finding salvation through Jesus Christ we
had little more than our own resources to rely on while facing the issues of
life. We developed a routine of depending on our self, with a little help from
our friends and family.
Life was hard, and every little bump in the road
threw us off course, causing us to fight with all of our strength to regain our
equilibrium. We stressed out under the strain and trials of daily living.
Once we came to Christ, we carried these same habits
and defense mechanisms into our new Christian walk. We continue to overreact to
life from our own energy and the reserve, which we build up within us.
Living life through human achievement is deadly!
Physical, mental, emotional and spiritual exhaustion and illness are all the
result of us living life through our own efforts.
Life is always hard as long we as depend upon our
own inner strength to conquer its difficulties. We want to please God with our
life; but even when we feel like we are doing His will, we often fail.
We get weary when we overly schedule our time or
when we take on too many projects that God does not lead us to perform. We
often feel like we are separated from God and He cannot help us, because He is
too far away up in Heaven.
This separation is actually caused by our
independence and self-reliance. God is always in us through Christ by His
Spirit; however, we do not acknowledge His existence unless we get into trouble
and turn to Him.
We get the optimal results from life when we seek
the Lord with our whole soul - mind, will and emotions, we acknowledge Him
before we do anything, we do not depend on our human resources, and we trust
Him as He directs each step of our life (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Prayer:
Father God, when we are safely tucked under the
shadow of Your wings, life is no longer a challenge, because it is now an
adventure! Remind us that we are united with Christ in salvation and perfected by
Your Spirit in sanctification. We no longer need to react to life from our
lack, because You face life through us with all of Your power as the triune
God.
You do not call us to live life for You, but to step
aside and allow You to live life in and through us. You did not give us a faint,
fearful spirit, because Your love, strength and self-discipline reside within
us by Your Spirit (2 Timothy 1:7). Help us to recognize the moments of Your
pure joy in our day and to focus on Your love and peace to guide us.
Thought for the Day:
As long as we separate our life into two
compartments: our humanity and His divinity within us, we are divided and
weakened; once we realize that our humanity is already dead, and our life is
now hidden with Christ in God, then we start to live only through His divinity
within us. - Colossians 3:3
