Jesus is the
picture of humanity at its finest, devoid of the depravity of sin and filled with the power
of God. What Satan stole from humanity in Genesis 1-3, Jesus - the Sacrificial
Lamb and the soon and coming King - restores to us in Revelation 20-22.
As authentic
Believers, we see God's glory with an unveiled face as He transforms us into
the appearance of Christ by His Spirit. We are changed into His image from one
stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).
Christ
abides within us and redeems us from sin, as God writes His laws on our heart
and adopts us as His children (Hebrews 8:10-13; Ephesians 1:5). God's Spirit
gives us liberty from the flesh and fills us with His fruit (1 Peter 1:19; Galatians
5:22-23).
This is an
experience common to every Believer, with no respect to one person above
another. It is a free gift, just as Salvation is free (Romans 6:23; Galatians
3:1-3). We all see the face of Christ reflected in us and in one another (1
Corinthians 15:48-53; Romans 8:17; 1 John 3:2).
Christ is
our whole life (Colossians 3:4). We gaze upon His face in our private moments
with Him, and feel His Spirit and His presence filling us to overflowing
throughout the day.
Sin no
longer claims our attention; its debauchery is disgusting to us; we have no
desire to continue to reap the destructive consequences of its power. We abide
in Christ and He in us (1 John 4:15).
We come to
know God, and Jesus whom He sent, which provides us with eternal life now as
well as for eternity (John 17:3). We see His glory in us, which comes from God
and fills us (John 1:14, 17:24). Sin has no part in our life.
Prayer:
Father God,
it is Your plan that all of humanity enjoy the benefits of Christ's death on
Calvary, the glory of His resurrection from the grave, and the proximity to You
from His vantage point on His throne in Heaven as we walk in the
ever-increasing glory of holiness.
We are
accepted through Christ into Your beloved family (Ephesians 2:19-22), pure, as
He is pure; and our life reflects His perfect image. You provide us with every
good thing that we need to fulfill Your will for our life (1 Timothy 6:17); and
You sustain us through every trial that we encounter in life. For this we give
You all of the praise and glory that is due to Your name.
Thought for
the Day:
Through the
processes of Justification, Sanctification and Glorification, we move from
obscure sinner to sacred Saint in Christ, as we are filled with an increasing
measure of the fullness of Christ through God's Spirit who abides within us.
-
Ephesians 3:16-19
