Shaped into His Grace

Our salvation is not earned by our works, and neither is our sanctification (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 3:1-3). God's Spirit instantly rebirths our spirit through regeneration and then transforms our soul through a lifetime of sanctification.

We are formed like clay by the Potter's hands, shaped into His grace. We feel His hands on our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions - as He molds us into the likeness of His Son and stretches us to do His will (Isaiah 64:8).

Intimately knowing God, and Jesus Christ whom He sent, provides us with eternal life now and for eternity (John 17:3). The fruit of eternal life within us is that we live to abide in the will of God for our life.

Our desire for the world diminishes, and doing the will of God is our motivation for each moment of our day (1 John 2:17). Living for the things of the world is no longer an option, as our draw to them thins and wanes in the light of God's presence within us.

We come to trust God's hand in every area of our life, which helps us to stop worrying and to live to praise Him. Through each season of sanctification, our life is renewed, as we realize that God bought us back from Satan's clutches with a high personal price to Himself (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Our part is to surrender to His love, mercy and grace; and set free from the law of sin and death, to live as slaves to His righteousness (Romans 6:22). We conscientiously transfer control over our life from our own keeping to God's great love.

We do not retain our position in the driver's seat, but move to the back seat and give God control of the wheel, the brake and the direction we take. We move from anxiety, fear and insecurity to total faith.

There is no one on earth or in the spiritual realm that we can trust with our life other than God (Psalm 73:25). Even when we walk through the valley of death and destruction, we fear no evil; because His rod and staff bring us comfort and direction (Psalm 23:4).

Prayer:

Father God, as we surrender control of our life to You, You manifest Yourself to us in all of You glory and grace. As the Body of Christ, we find You using us to do greater works than Jesus did, because Your authentic Saints live all over this world (John 14:12; Ephesians 2:10). With Your glorious riches, You provide us with everything we need to accomplish Your will for us, and You meet all of our daily needs (Philippians 4:19; Ephesians 3:16).

Use us to glorify You in the earth and to bring as many people to Heaven with us as will listen to Your gospel and surrender to Your will in their own life. We love and trust You with our whole heart, soul, mind, will and strength (Luke 10:27). We give You all of the praise, honor and blessing due to Your name (Psalm 29:2).

Thought for the Day:

By His grace, God gave us special talents, abilities, fruit and gifts to bring Him glory with our life. 

- Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11

God's Abiding Presence

Good and evil do not determine whether we go to Heaven or hell. Belief and unbelief are the key issues in our eternal destination. Those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ, as God who came in the flesh to secure our salvation, condemn themselves (John 3:18). God prefers that everyone come to faith in Christ; however, He knows that many will refuse His love.

Unbelievers suffer the wrath of God as a result of their choice not to believe (Acts 17:30-31). Pride and rebellion keep them from totally surrendering their life to Christ. They prefer to serve the devil or their self rather than God (Ephesians 2:1-3; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Some even live a religious life, attempting to be good and to do good by their own human efforts, looking to their own self-efforts to save them.

There is obviously a Satanic lie fueling their behavior, because he makes them feel safe in rejecting God. It is a Believer’s responsibility and privilege to reveal the Kingdom of God to anyone who will listen, to help to draw them out of the kingdom of darkness and to share with them the truth of the gospel of Christ (Romans 10:14-15).

We desire, as God does, that no one shall perish in eternal damnation and to see all people everywhere saved (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus steals us back from the kingdom of darkness, which once captivated our mind (2 Timothy 2:24-26). He reveals His truth to us that He is all and in all, and that all things belong to Him (Ephesians 4:6; Psalm 24:1). Then, in the sanctification process, Christ is fully formed in us (Galatians 4:19).

Christ’s elect bride is all around us, some know of His place in their life and some are still resisting His invitation to come to Him. It is only when we live, move and have our being in Christ that we live a fulfilled and productive life (Acts 17:28). As Believers, the divine life of Christ is ensconced in our mortal bodies, giving life to us in spirit, soul and body.

This keeps us from taking any credit for what God’s power does in and through us. This world often beats us up, confuses and terrorizes us, but we are not disheartened, because God lives in us by faith in Christ through His Spirit. Because of God’s abiding presence within us, we cannot help but to broadcast the news of God’s love to everyone who will listen (2  Corinthians 4:7-15).

Prayer:

Father God, Your gospel turns family members into enemies (Matthew 10:34-36). This should not be so. Yet, due to rebellion and pride, many of our family will reject the gospel message and us as well. However, we never know what is going on the heart of that loved one to cause them to react to You and to us as they do (Psalm 19:9). You are the only one capable of judging a heart. Draw our loved ones ever closer to Your heart.

Thought for the Day:

Our faith in Christ gives us the victory to overcome the world. – 1 John 5:4