No Longer a Sinner - The Glory of the Lord

 

Peter, James and John witnessed Christ's glory as the Beloved Son who pleased our Father (John 17:5). Jesus was on a mountain and appeared with Moses and Elijah (Matthew 17:2-8; 2 Peter 1:16-17).

Jesus is also our light who shines in our darkest hour. When we come to Christ, His glory shines in us and from us as the Light of the world, the light of life (John 8:12; Acts 6:15). We lay down our penchant to sin at His feet.

At salvation, He comes to dwell within us; however when He returns to claim us as His bride, we will see Him as He is and we will reflect His supernatural glory (John 3:1-2; Philippians 3:20-21).

In His face, we will see and understand the glory of God (2 Corinthians 4:6). Jesus will transform our mortal body into conformity with His glorious, immortal body (2 Thessalonians 1:10-12).

As we keep our focus on Christ, we are no longer affected by the events in this life; because our attention is absorbed by the only One who matters. Even in our hour of death, God's Spirit will sustain us and shine forth from us (Acts 7:51-60).

We mirror the glory of the Lord to the masses of unsaved people all around us. They know that something is very different about us (2 Corinthians 3:18). They are drawn to us by God's Spirit, and He gives us the opportunity to share Christ with them.

We may not even have to use words, because a Spirit-filled smile or a simple "Hello" will touch their hearts as no sermon ever did. Jesus bought us at a great price to Himself, now it is time for us to lay down our life for others (John 15:13).

Prayer:

Father God, You revealed Jesus to us face-to-face and His presence burns in our heart. We see Him in all of His glory and we submit to His sovereignty in our life. Your glory is gradually enveloping us by Your sanctifying process in our life. You will eventually craft us into the image of Christ on this earth.

The marks of the cross are on our heart; and we want nothing more than to bring You pleasure by our every thought, word and deed. You give us the deep, spiritual mind of Christ in exchange for the meager, carnal mind closed off to spiritual Truth (2 Corinthians 3:14-15). We are no longer our own; we belong to You, and we serve at Your pleasure.

Thought for the Day:

Let us reveal the glory of the Lord, which arises within us, to the world around us rather than the human pride, selfishness, hypocritical double-standard, frustration and carnality that we commonly feel within us. - Isaiah 61:1

No Longer a Sinner - Christ Formed in Us

As we study the life of Christ, we can see how the Spirit of God is transforming us into His likeness with each passing day, changing us from one stage of Jesus' glory to the next (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Since Christ abides in us, the Spirit in Jesus fills us to overflowing too. The glory of the Lord shines in us and on us and through us. His nature and character possess our entire being as we yield our self to Him.

He conforms us into a life filled with Christ in us and uses us for His purpose to draw people to Himself. He frees us from contentment with the flesh and gives us a hunger for the eternal.

The living Christ manifests Himself through us more each day. As we decrease by dying to our old, carnal self, He increases (John 3:30). His thoughts become our thoughts and His glory is revealed in and through us.

The more we focus on Jesus' life, attributes, power and holiness, and submit our will to the Holy Spirit within us, the quicker we become like Him and the more we exhibit His presence on the earth.

His love pervades every portion of our spirit and soul, and keeps our body in health and well-being. Even in times of trial and affliction, His abiding presence preserves us in His peace and fills us with His love.

God won our heart by His love and we entirely belong to Him as a servant to fulfill His will for our life (Ephesians 2:10). His joy is our strength and His love is our motivation to serve Him through all the days of our life (Nehemiah 8:10).

Prayer:

Father God, we bow before You in adoration and contrition, making our requests known to You through continual prayer throughout the day. Fill us with Your presence and manifest Yourself through us to the world around us. Use us for Your purpose and glory each moment of the day.

Thank You for becoming a human being through Christ, for filling us with Your Spirit and for giving Yourself to us in such a practical way. We look forward to living in Your Kingdom for eternity as joint heirs with Jesus of all that You have given Him (Romans 8:17).

Thought for the Day:

It is God's purpose to manifest the image of Christ in and through us, as we contemplate the glory of Christ and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit through every moment of our day. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

Flowing from Our Union

 

God calls us to live as Spirit-filled Believers (Ephesians 5:18). This starts when we receive the Holy Spirit at salvation (Romans 8:9). A renewal of His fresh anointing in us each day allows rivers of life to flow from within us  (John 7:38). This Holy Ghost power enhances our life and empowers our ministry for God’s Kingdom.

Sin clogs the communication between us and God and it grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Therefore, we confess every sin, great and small, on a daily basis. The Spirit leads us to live a consecrated life and to put down addictions and vices, which cripple us. Even an unkind word, a fit of temper, an unscrupulous act or a little white lie are all things we deal with on occasion.

Staying confessed of our sins humbles our flesh and gives us greater victory over those sins the next time Satan tempts us with them. Humility allows us to willingly surrender our day for God’s purpose. Of course, we must go to work to earn a living, but we can do our job directed by God’s Spirit. This way, we accomplish more and are in the right place at the right time to live out God’s will for us.

We are branches on the Vine of Christ (John 15:5). Consider a branch. It does not work or stress or struggle. It simply rests in the vine. That is the life God prepared for us. We rest in Christ and His life flows through us and nurtures us. When we bear fruit for Christ, it does not separate us from Him, but flows from our union with Him.

Our ministry is not a drain or wearisome, but a natural outpouring of the nutrients from the Vine to the branch. Ministry does not rob us of time for prayer, but is the result of prayer and our union with the Vine. The Spirit strengthens us with might from within (Ephesians 3:16). He anoints us to accomplish God’s will for our day. He blesses us with perfect peace, rest, joy and strength.

Prayer:

Father God, as branches of the Vine we are absolutely dependant upon the life of Christ flowing through us. You are the Vinedresser and You prune us so that can bear more fruit (John 15:1; 15:8). You know just where to separate us from the aspects of our life that are dead wood and preventing our fruitfulness.

Thought for the Day:

The branch depends on the vine for everything.

To Know You Intimately

The word “to know” in many places in the Bible has the same meaning, although it refers to both our relationship to a mate and to our God. The meaning of this word “to know” is a bond more intimate and personal than any other human relationship. For instance, Adam “knew” his wife, which resulted in the birth of their son Cain (Genesis 4:1). This same word, with all of its intensity, is also used in other verses pertaining to our relationship with the Lord. This relationship leads to a blessed life now and in eternity (John 17:3).

Christians can understand and “know” God in the spiritual sense with the same intimacy Adam “knew” Eve (Jeremiah 9:24). We can have this same passionate, cherished and personal relationship with our God. We not only know about God, or believe in Him, because even the demons know and believe (James 2:19). We have a deep, personal “knowing” relationship with God that transcends the intimacy of any human relationship. Not a physical relationship as in marriage, but a reciprocal emotional and spiritual intimacy that fills our soul and our spirit to overflowing (Luke 6:38).

However, so many people never develop this connection with the God of the universe. A friendship and a marriage take time and effort. A deep, personal relationship with God is more powerful and fulfilling than any human relationship. Yet, Christians take God for granted. We use Him like a mall to provide the things we want. We try to use Him as a shield from the unpleasant side of life. We nag Him about our pet peeves and we harangue Him to bring peace to the world and to fix our other altruistic causes.

However, we rarely take even a moment of our time to express a word of praise for all He has done and is doing in our life. Here is the real question! How many times do we just praise Him for who He is, apart from what He does? How many minutes in the day do we spend giving Him the praise and honor and glory that is due His name (Psalm 29:2, 66:2, 96:8)?  We often spend more time longing for a fulfilling human relationship, which is not possible as long as we are self-centered humans, than we spend in the relationship we have with God.

Since we cannot see God, feel His arms around us or actually hear his voice, we put a relationship with Him in a sub-category in our thoughts. We say, “Oh yes, I love the Lord; I claim His promises for my life.” We may also spend countless hours serving Him in ministry to our church and community. However, how much time do we actually spend “knowing” Him, sitting quietly in His presence and acknowledging that He is Lord of all (Psalm 46:10, 24:1)?

There are some Christians who do take their relationship with God seriously. They sit in His presence throughout the day and actually feel His love pouring over them like a waterfall. They spend time reading His Word and meditating on (contemplating) what they read. Words of praise are never far from their thoughts and lips. They live in the Spirit and walk by the Spirit every moment of the day (Galatians 5:16, 25).

They recognize that they no longer live in their body, because Christ is living in them and through them (Galatians 2:20). They pray without ceasing and their thoughts are not centered on the world around them, but on God’s will for them in this world. They work and play with the realization that God is using their body, soul and spirit for His purposes. They have few desires of their own, but they live to fulfill God’s desires in their life.

It is not that they are so religiously minded that they are no earthly good. They live and love everyone around them completely and fully as God uses them to bless those He places in their life. They actually find it more fulfilling to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). When they have a need, they either meet it, they ask someone to help them to fill it or they turn it over to God to provide it in His way and timing. This way, their focus is constantly on walking in the will of God moment by moment throughout the day.

Moses felt this same longing for intimacy with God (Exodus 33:13). King David passionately sought the Lord (Psalm 63:1-3, 84:1-2,). Paul considered everything in his life useless when compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus (Philippians 3: 8-11). Elijah enjoyed this intimacy and God sent a flaming chariot from heaven to bring Elijah home (2 Kings 2:11). Enoch had this intimate, personal relationship with God, and he never tasted death. He was walking with God along the road, and God just took him home to heaven (Genesis 5:24).

It is possible for all of us to have this union with God through salvation through Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:7-10). To start, confess any known sin in your life and totally surrender your life to God, read God’s Word throughout the day, spend daily time in prayer, and then wait on God and listen to the lover of our soul as you go about fulfilling His purpose for your life (1 Chronicles 22:19; Matthew 22:37; Psalm 103:4; Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Lord God, we give You praise, honor and glory for who You are. We thank You for the multitude of blessings You pour out on us every moment of every day. We thank You for allowing us to represent You in our world and for helping us to make life better for those You give us the privilege of serving. Pour out Your love in our life and allow us to recognize that it is no longer us, but You living through us (Galatians 2:20). Remind us to constantly center our focus on You.

Thought for the Day:

"As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” - Psalm 42:1-2