No Longer a Sinner - The Express Image of God's Person

At Salvation, Christ moves into our spirit by His spirit. God charges us to stir up this gift within us and to grow in His nurture and admonition (Ephesians 6:4).

He takes possession of every piece of our self, which we willingly relinquish to Him, cherishing our submission to His love and pleased at our total surrender to His wisdom and grace.

The Christ, who is described in the Word of God, abides within us if we are a Born Again child of God (John 16:14). His Spirit conforms us into His image a little more each day that we remain submitted to God's will through continual prayer.

Jesus is the express image of God and we are the image of Christ on this earth (Colossians 1:15). We are filled with all of His anointing, power, wisdom, strength and goodness. His love and peace permeate every cell in our body.

We abide in a committed union and communion with Christ in us. God's Spirit replaces our carnality with the image and likeness of Christ as we relax and trust in Him.

Most authentic Christians seek to do God's will, prepare our heart, relinquish our idols, long for a more intimate union with Him and desire to be more like Him each day.

Putting aside the sins which so easily distract us from walking in the Spirit (Hebrews 12:1-3), we still our soul of idle thoughts and vain imaginations and sit in silence to hear from God.

God's glorious Spirit rests in us and fills us with divine power to function in the ministry into which God calls us. We are inspired, encouraged and fulfilled when we see His work in and through us.

Prayer:
Father God, we praise You for the assurance You provide for us through Your Spirit within us. He is the earnest of our inheritance and our proof for our salvation. Thank You that He leads us in Your will for each moment of our day and continues His perfecting work in our soul and spirit.

Let our face shine from Your glory within us, teach us during our times of devotion and meditation and fill us through our entire being with all of Your fullness. Reveal to us Your glory in us and that which is to come, and shower us with Your mercy and grace as we serve You in the work which You called us to do.

Thought for the Day:

We do God's works for His glory rather than our own works for our glory; He infuses our soul with His confidence; and we trust in Him, even in His silences which are times of rest for our soul.

Words of Encouragement

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“Therefore, we do not lose heart.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16

The writer of Hebrews admonished us not let the sun go down before we found someone to encourage (Hebrews 3:13). I have never met a person yet who does not like encouragement. Even the most independent people still need affirmation and reassurance, whether they will admit it or not. Building up the Body of Christ in love is a vital ministry (Ephesians 4:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).  The timid among us need encouragement most of all (1 Thessalonians 5:14). We treat those, which God put into our care as caring parents treat their children. We encourage, comfort and admonish them to live lives that are worthy of God’s calling (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12). Jude even encourages us to encourage our self (Jude 1:20).

We never have to lose heart. Even when we realize that our body is aging, we are encouraged by the thought that our spirit and soul are renewed day by day. When we face trials and affliction we are encouraged to realize that these troubles prepare for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. When we do not see the answers to our prayers, God encourages us not to look at the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen; the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

As long as we live in this sin-cursed world, we will have troubles, but Christ in us already overcame them for us (John 16:33). If we trust Him through them, He will give us His peace in them, which transcends all human understanding (Philippians 4:7). God calls us to put the interests of others above our own interests (Philippians 2: 3-4).  As encouragers, we cry when someone cries and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15). We can even remind each other that in the end times, we will meet our deceased friends and relatives in the rapture of all the Saints at the coming of the Lord in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

There is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner comes to repentance (Luke 15:7). The most important encouragement we can give anyone is to secure a place in God’s eternal home by confessing that they are sinners in need of a Savior (Romans 3:23, 6:23). In doing this they receive the promise of everlasting life. They see things differently from then on, being more interested in eternal things than in carnal and secular pursuits (Galatians 5:16). So, let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Encourage each other not to forsaking corporate worship, and to encouraging one another all the more, as we see the Day of the Lord drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You conquered sin and death for our sake. According to the last two chapters of Your Bible, You give back to us everything we forfeited to Satan in the first few chapters. Thank You for Your Spirit who dwells within every Born Again Believer and who leads, guides, comforts and encourages us all the days of our life. Help us to walk in Your truth and to keep ourselves unspoiled by the world (James 1:27). You give us joy unspeakable and the hope of a glorious future without end (1 Peter 1:8; Jeremiah 29:11).

Thought for the Day:
“The encouragement of the scriptures gives us hope.” – Romans 15:4