As
authentic Believers, not only does Christ live in us (Galatians 2:20), but we
also thrive in Him (Galatians 3:26-28; 1 Peter 5:14; Philippians 1:1; Romans
8:1). We are God's children through faith. He walks with us, and abides within us,
surrounding us with His four dimensional love (Ephesians 3:18; Romans 8:35-39).
We
accepted Jesus' sacrifice for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:17), died with Him, and
our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Christ is our whole life (Colossians
3:3-4). We leave our old, carnal sin nature behind in the baptismal grave, and
we are now filled with God's Holy Spirit (Luke 9:23, Mark 8:34; 1 Corinthians
12:13).
When
God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ (Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews
8:12; John 3:16-18, 20:31). Regardless of our lot in life, we are free to enjoy
God's continual blessings (Ephesians 1:3), as we serve as slaves to Christ
(Romans 6, 8:1; 1 Corinthians 7:4).
We
enjoy freedom in Christ (John 8:32, 36). We are a new creation, children of
God, partakers of Jesus' divine nature and alive with Him, as well as co-heirs
with Christ of God's entire Kingdom (Galatians 3:26, 4:1-7; 2 Corinthians 5:17;
Ephesians 2:5; 2 Peter, 1:4; Romans 6:4).
We
choose to walk away from sin's temptations by the power of Christ within us
(Philippians 4:13; Romans 8:37). God chose us in Christ before He even created
the world (Ephesians 1:4). Filled with His grace (2 Timothy 1:9), we receive
all of the riches of God's grace in Christ (Ephesians 1:7, 2:7; 2 Corinthians
9:8).
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You for accepting us and adopting us into Your family, and making us
co-heirs with Jesus for eternity. Thank you that since we are incapable of
earning our own salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9), our position in Christ has nothing
to do with our merits or works, but everything to do with the saving work that
Jesus gave us through His crucifixion, death and resurrection. We can leave all
of our cares with You, because You truly love us (1 Peter 5:7).
Thank
You that we are eternally in Christ with the same intensity as Christ is in us.
Your presence is our most precious possession in this life, and we look forward
to serving You each day as well as throughout eternity. Remind us that You
ordained that what Christ is, what He has, and what He will receive in the
future, also belongs to us, because we are in Christ.
Thought
for the Day:
In
Christ, we are:
· Foreknown before
creation - Romans 8:29
· Predestined to be
God's children - 1 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 1:11
· Chosen by God - 1
Peter 2:4; Matthew 22:14; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12,
Titus 1:1
· Called - Romans 9:11;
1 Thessalonians 5:24
· Justified - Romans 3:24,
5:1, 8:30, 1 Corinthians 6:11, Titus 3:7
· Reconciled - 2
Corinthians 5:18; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:10; 2 Corinthian 5:20
· Redeemed - Colossians
1:14, 1 Peter 1:18; Romans 3:24
· Brought Near -
Ephesians 2:13
· Given accessibility
to God: Ephesians 2:18, 3:12; Romans 5:2; Hebrews 4:14-16; 10:19-20
· Considered Adopted
Children of God - 1 John 3:2, 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 3:26, 4:5; Romans
8:15,
· Forgiven - Colossians
1:14, 2:13, 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, 4:32.
· Crucified -
Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20
· Dead - Romans 6:8; Colossians
3:3
· Buried - Romans
6:4; Colossians 2:12
· Raised -
Colossians 3:1; Romans 6:4
· Ascended -
Ephesians 2:6,
· Born Again - 1 Peter
1:23; John 1:12, 3:7
· Hopeful -
Ephesians 1:18
· New Creation - 2
Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephesians 2:10
· Totally acceptable in
His Beloved - Galatians 4:7; Ephesians 1:6, 1 Peter 2:5
· Righteous -
Philippians 3:8-9; Romans 3:22, 5:17, 10:3-4, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians
5:21
· Sanctified - 1
Corinthians 1:30, 6:11; Hebrews 10:10
· Perfected - Hebrews
10:1-2, 14
· Complete in Christ -
Colossians 2:10
· Heirs with Christ -
Galatians 4:17
· Citizens of Heaven -
Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 12:22
· Members of God’s
Household - Ephesians 2:19, 3:15, Galatians 6:10
· Heavenly
Inheritance - 1 Pet 1:4-5; Ephesians 1:14; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 9:15
· Eternally His - John
6:37, 10:29, 17:6,11,12,20
· His Bride - 2
Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-32; Revelation 19:7; John 3:29
· His Possession -
Ephesians 1:14
