The Power of Christ in Us

The Jewish culture looked for powerful signs to follow, and the Greek culture craved the latest tidbit of wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:21). When Christ came, He served as a stumbling block for both cultures. To those of us, who are called in Christ, however, Jesus is both the power and the wisdom of God for us (1 Corinthians 1:22-24). To know God personally is to relate to Him in the same way that a man “knows” his wife (Genesis 4:1). This is not an intellectual pursuit, but an intimate union.

Once we know the Lord, we enter into eternal life with Him (John 17:3). We labor with all the powerful energy of Christ working in us (Colossians 1:29). This is the same power, which manifested through Christ when God raised Jesus from the dead and seated Jesus at His right hand (Ephesians 1: 19-20). God does not look for excellence, eloquence and elegance in His people. He simply looks for a surrendered life. He does not need our natural talents. He gives us supernatural abilities.

God does not call those who want the credit, only those who humbly give Him the glory. He wants a submissive person, emptied of him/her self and filled with all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (1 Corinthians 15:10; Colossians 2:9). This takes a work of God’s Spirit in our life. For instance, when the soldiers came to take Jesus, Peter unsheathed his sword to defend Jesus to the death; however, just a few hours later, he denied Jesus three times, just like Jesus said he would (Mark 14:66-72).

Jesus knew Peter’s habit of depending on the flesh to fight his battles. That is why the transformation in Peter after Pentecost is so amazing to me! For the first time, he preached by the Spirit, unashamed of the gospel (Acts 2:14-36). Peter learned that it is not by our human talents or abilities through which we accomplish great works for God, but only by God’s Spirit can we ever make an impression on anyone for the Lord (Zechariah 4:6). We can learn from His example.

Prayer:

Father God, when I lay down to sleep, I remember all that You do for me. I cannot help but to worship You with all of my heart (Psalm 86:5). Remind me that You want all of the glory for what You accomplish through me. I surrender my flesh, which wants to take the credit for Your accomplishments through me, and I ask you to give me Your humility in its place. Do not cast me from Your presence, but create a clean heart in me, and renew me with a righteous spirit (Psalm 51:10-11). Unite me with You in the power of Christ in me (Colossians 3:3).

Thought for the Day:

As Born Again Believers, we intimately know the joy, which belongs to God's Saints, instead of the fleeting happiness provided by the world, the flesh and the devil.

Thank God for Encouragers

 

Every Pastor needs at least one encourager to keep him from succumbing to the constant discouragement from Satan’s emissaries. Pastors need people to respect and believe in them, to pray for them and to compliment them for a job well done.

The congregation needs encouragers too - people who will listen and remember to pray for our concerns - those who call to check on us and to see how we are doing, and if they can help with any of our physical, emotional, financial or spiritual needs.

A man named Joseph in the Bible encouraged people so much, that the Saints started calling him “Barnabas”, which means “the son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). What a great compliment! God used Barnabas to introduce Paul, the persecutor of Christians, to the apostles of Jesus who lived in Jerusalem (Acts 9:27). The duo of Paul and Barnabas became a household name after a while, even to this day.

Barnabas had the discernment needed to encourage others. Even when Paul disqualified a young Believer named Mark from joining him in ministry, Barnabas took Mark under his wing. Barnabas believed in Mark and encouraged him, just like he had encouraged Paul. Eventually, Paul recognized the new maturity in Mark and took him on one of his future missionary journeys (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24). Barnabas even took a turn encouraging and ministering with the apostle Peter (1 Peter 5:13).

We each have our own personal encourager living right inside of us (John 14:16-17). Our Father sent Him to us when Jesus returned to heaven. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and our guide. He revives, helps and fortifies us as He teaches us and brings the words of Jesus to our remembrance (John 14:26). Therefore, between comfort from our church family and that of the Holy Spirit within us, we can rise above any challenge Satan throws at us (1 John 4:4).

Prayer:

Father God, Your strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Your Spirit leads us in this world of darkness, and comforts us in every trial we endure. Remind us to submit to His presence within us, and to trust that You are working through Him to direct the feet of the stumbling and to protect the heart of the downtrodden. His comfort envelops us and brings us victory in each facet of life and through every tribulation.

Thought for the Day:
When someone rejects God’s Truth, we can love them without condemnation or rejection, which will give them the freedom to express their doubts in a safe environment, as we encourage them to open their hearts to God’s love.

So, You Want to Give Up?

Read: Habakkuk 3:17-19
 
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 Sometimes it is easier to escape than to endure. Life gets so difficult that there seems to be no way out our troubles. The torturous events go on and on. One negative experience follows on the tail of the previous one until we are covered with an avalanche of destruction all around us. People say, “Trouble comes in threes”, but sometimes, that is an understatement!

I wrote a song that speaks to this topic:

When my ship is all but sunken,
And my treasure’s lost at sea,
When my crew has all deserted
And I know not the fate of me.

When the paycheck’s always shrinking,

And the landlord upped my rent.
When my friends all turn against me
And my motorcycle’s bent.

I will put my trust in Jesus.

I will call upon His name.
And I know my battle cry
Will still remain,

The battle is the Lord’s. Hallelujah!

The battle is the Lord’s. Praise the Lord!
The battle is the Lord’s. Glory, glory!
The battle is the Lord’s forevermore.

In God’s economy, it is never time to give up. Remember what He did with so many of the Biblical saints? He waited until Job lost everything before He gave Job more than he had to start with (Job 6:8-9). He sent angels to rescue Daniel only after he was in the lion's den (Daniel 6:19-21). God rescued Peter from prison the night before he was to be executed (Acts 12:4-11). Paul says God rescued him after he had the "sentence of death" within him (2 Corinthians 1:9).

He works like this in all of our lives. He waits until the last minute according to our timetable. That is why people call Him “The God of 11:59”.  He is actually always on time, according to His time schedule. He always rescues us right on time and with an abundance of blessings that follow. We find joy in hope and peace in times of trouble, when we immerse all things in prayer at all times (Romans 12:12).

Habakkuk really had a rough time too. His fig trees refused to blossom. His vines produced no grapes. His olive crop failed and his fields yielded no produce. Even his livestock dwindled until there was nothing left. But, he had a battle cry similar to mine. He said, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights" (Habakkuk 3:17-19). We can always set our hope in God, because He will deliver us continually (2 Corinthians 1:10).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when I see nothing but shadows all around me, Your Word shines a light on my path and gives me a lamp for my feet (Psalm 119:105). It keeps me from stumbling in the darkness. Therefore, even in this dark time, I can grasp Your hand and hold on. You alone are my hope (1 Timothy 4:10).

Thought for the Day:

God always brings us victory out of defeat.



(Thank you, Ann Hill, for sharing your lovely photo.)