Jesus is all we need to live a
fulfilled life in this world and in the next. He is our alpha and omega, our
beginning and our end (Revelation 22:13). He will complete the sanctifying
process in us, which He started on the day of our salvation.
God already justified our spirit
in the instant we believed on Jesus with our whole heart; He will eventually
glorify our body when we see Him face to face; and He will continue to sanctify
our soul - our thoughts, feelings and choices - throughout our lifetime.
Those are very comforting
thoughts to me. I do not need to stress and strain to perfect myself. Although
Paul exhorts us to work out our own salvation, he also readily admits that it
is God who gives us both the desire and the power to walk in God's ways
(Philippians 2:12-13).
We can do nothing in our human
effort; but He can accomplish everything that pertains to us through His
supernatural power within us (Ephesians 2:8-10). With Christ abiding in our
spirit, we can do all things through Him, because He strengthens us (Matthew
19:26).
This concept allows us to enter
the rest of God and to cease from our labors (Hebrews 13:5). We realize that we
no longer need to control life, because He has everything under His control.
Jesus Christ is our whole life
(Colossians 3:3-4; John 14:6). He is the very air we breathe. We no longer
dwell in darkness, because He is our light (John 8:12).
We can let go of our stronghold
on this life and trust Him to be all that we need, regardless of the circumstances
that often frighten us. He is faithful and above Him there is no other (Isaiah
45:5).
Prayer:
Father God, we rest in You and
enjoy Your peace that transcends human comprehension (Philippians 4:7). We find
comfort in Your love, joy in Your presence and safety in the fact that we can
do all things through Your presence within us. As we relinquish control of our
life to You, each moment flows smoothly from Your throne and everything works
together for our good (Romans 8:28).
Help us to completely trust You
and to surrender every aspect of our life to Your control, so that we can enter
Your rest and abide in You alone (Hebrews 13:5). Teach us to allow the light of
Your Son within us to shine forth from our life, so others may see You in us
and believe in Jesus for their salvation.
Thought for the Day:
We have some mistaken idea that
we are in charge of our life and that it is up to us to make the most of every
moment of it; when the truth is that God has a perfect plan for each life, and
we simply need to realize that we cannot, but He can accomplish His purposes in
and through us.
