Following Jesus' Example

Jesus lived every moment of His life in dependence on our Father. He did not make His own decisions or live His own life, but consulted the Father throughout His day (Psalm 62:5-12). Our Savior and Brother gave us His perfect example of how God wants each and every Born Again Believer to live his/her life (Romans 8:17); totally surrendered to God and completely expended for Him without any reservations.

Christ’s death atoned for the debt of our sin. He died in our place and took our punishment upon His own body (2 Corinthians 12:9). He redeemed us by shedding His own blood (Matthew 26:28). Now He sits on His throne on high and intercedes for us (Hebrews 7:25). He is our advocate with our Father (1 John 2:1). At the same time, He dwells within us by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16), empowering us to live a transformed life (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Jesus is the head of His Body, comprised of His Born Again Saints (1 Corinthians 12:27). The only way for us to truly experience the power of Christ’s resurrection is to conform to His death and become like Him (Philippians 3:10). As we die to our flesh Christ manifests His life in and through us (Romans 6:5). He impliments and perfects His life in us.  As we share in His sufferings, our comfort abounds (2 Corinthians 1:5).

Are we ready to die to the world and to our goals, aspirations, desires and wants for God? Does anything in our life mean more to us than God? Jesus did not come to do His will, but our Fathers (John 4:34). Do we have a separate agenda of our own that we prefer to follow instead of God’s will for our life? Living in the center of God’s will is the happiest place on earth.

Prayer:

Father God, knowing You in an intimate relationship is the reality of eternal life (John 17:3). We do not need to wait until heaven for this to occur. We can know You now. Bring us into spiritual maturity so that we can obtain the complete fullness of Christ in our body, soul and spirit (Ephesans 4:13). Remind us that as we conform to Jesus’ death, we live victoriously in His life. In eternity, we will also share in His glory (1 Peter 4:13).

Thought for the Day:

Only as we die to self will the life of Christ manifest in our life.

Amazing Love

 

When life heats up the fiery furnace for you, do not worry, because Jesus is in us, right there with us. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we have nothing to fear, because He is right there in us. The world rewards human capacities such as intelligence, talent and earthly accomplishments; however, these have no bearing in the Kingdom of God. There is no facade or pretense that we can use to impress God to love us more than He already does (John 3:16-17).

Jesus’ love fulfills the Biblical law (Matthew 5:17-20). He approves of us just the way we are (John 15:12). In turn, He calls us to treat one another with this same love and acceptance. Our union with Christ draws us to walk in obedience to Him and His Word. His love through us is proof that His new life resides within us (John 13:34-35). This removes the excuse that the church is full of hypocrites. The world is drawn to the family of God, when they see His love in us.

Christ in us is the quintessence of His Divine love. He loves the undeserving and unappreciative with the same fervor that He loves those who choose to obey Him (John 3:16-18). The more we allow Christ’s love to flow through us, the more conviction these contrary people will feel; and the more they are drawn to accept Christ as their Savior. God gives us His Divine love for them; we simply allow it to flow through us.

God also gives us His heart of love for all fallen humanity. This love transcends the earthly realm and is full of the Spirit of God. Due to the humility we learn through squarely facing our imperfections, we can love others without judgment or expectations. We live as continuous examples of Christ’s sacrificial love to our family and to everyone we meet. His love in us is the common denominator that makes us all equal to one another.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us to live for You and to serve one another. As we follow Your guidance and direction, we will not enable others or codependently slip into the role as a caretaker beyond Your direction. Teach us to live in step with Your Spirit and to love as You direct us to. Allow nothing in my character or behavior to dim the light of Your Divine love through me. We count it as a privilege to be called by Your name and to express Your love to the world.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus taught us by His example to live as a servant to all.