God
cares about every aspect of our life. If we try in the flesh to perfect our
self, all we have is more flesh. We often attempt to purify our self by giving
up what we consider worldly pursuits, and disciplining our self to adhere to
religious practices.
However,
the perfecting process belongs to the Spirit of God. He will totally prune us even
of our subconscious thoughts, words and choices that grieve the Trinity. We
only successfully navigate through life as we allow God to lead us into a
balance in body, soul and spirit.
As
humans, we relate to our physical world with our five senses, and we also
involve our desires, instinct and intellect. We interact in the spiritual world
through our spirit, which is Born Again at the moment of salvation.
The
spiritual world is intangible and invisible, but very vital to our existence.
God desires that we live a spiritual life, and to carry our spirituality into
every detail of our daily life (Colossians 3:17). God has specific plans for
our life, and when we live in His will, we enjoy His blessings (Ephesians
2:10).
We
can only develop true stability when we obey the direction of the Spirit of God
for each moment of our day (Galatians 5:15-25). Not a legalistic, petty structure
of religious works, but a fluid stream of God’s gifts and character flowing
through us into the world around us.
Regardless
of our circumstances, our Heavenly Daddy is the perfect Father. He nurtures,
provides for, and blesses us with every good and perfect gift (James 1:17).
When our Messiah, who is our very life (Colossians 3:2-4), returns to the
earth, we will be with Him in all of His glory and exalt His name forevermore (Revelation
19:11-16).
Prayer:
Father
God, as You search our heart, You understand the motives behind our thoughts,
words and actions (1 Chronicles 28:9). Your ways and thoughts are higher than
ours (Isaiah 55:8-9). As we trust in You, we come to realize that in times of
stress and trials, You hide us with Christ in You (Colossians 3:3-4).
What
is evident to every authentic Believer is that this is not a negative concept
to belittle us, or to force us to abandon our true self, but it is actually
teaching us that our true identity is in Christ alone. Thank You for revealing
Yourself to us (Ps 18:2; 62:6; Exodus 33:22). Help us to live as imitators of
Christ, and as Your beloved adopted children (Ephesians 5:1; 1 Corinthians
11:1).
Thought
for the Day:
God's
love and truth flow generously from a spirit connected to God though Christ; we
are simply the container from which God pours out His Spirit in us and on
everyone around us; we are a vessel of His love to everyone we meet, regardless
of how we meet them or how long we spend with them.
