Sinners
are in mortal combat with God. They fight in opposition to everything God is,
and that for which He stands. Once we come to Christ in repentance, asking for
forgiveness for our sins, He exchanges our sin for His righteousness.
We
do not simply create a superficial contract with God, but we enter an intimate
relationship with Him, which includes a unified life. Developing this union
with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4) allows God's triune presence to permeate
our spirit and soul, and to heal our body.
We
unite our life with the Spirit, and He carries out God's plans in and through
us. God purifies us in increments, going deeper with each penetration of His
holy fire, until we radiate Christ’s nature from within us.
He
replaces our carnal nature with the fruit of His Spirit, which is actually the
very nature of God (Galatians 5:22-23). This gives us the wisdom and courage to
face life's challenges. We cling to His presence in us with our thoughts,
choices and emotions.
The
less we function out of our humanity, and the more we wait on God, the more He
expresses His character in us and through us. As we embrace His divine nature,
we are filled to overflowing with all of Him, and His very life flows out of us
(Ephesians 3:16-19 Amplified Bible).
Our
human way of thinking and feeling passes away, and we are now an entirely new
creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We walk in communion, fellowship and accord with
Christ within us (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). We belong to God’s household as
co-heirs, priests and saints.
Prayer:
Father
God, unbelief separates us from You for eternity (John 3:18). Therefore, our
union with You is based on our faith in Your faithfulness. When our trust fuses
with the faith of the Son of God, who loves us and gave Himself for us, we have
perfect unity with You (Ephesians 5:2; Galatians 1:4).
Our
intimate bond with You is broken only by our propensity to sin. However, if we
walk in accord with the direction, wisdom and love of Your Spirit, we will
never fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15- 25). We thank You that Your
forgiveness totally eliminates our confessed sin – past, present and future.
Thought
for the Day:
The
degree to which we exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our life corresponds with
the depth of our love for and obedience to Christ within us; the more we
experience Christ as our life, the further away we run from the world, straight
into our Savior’s waiting arms.
-
Colossians 3:3-4; John 14:15
