Rewards for Overcomers

 

The word “overcomer” means to conquer, to subdue, to get the better of or to triumph over. It is an action word that inspires hope, encouragement and victory. It challenges me to rise up to be all that God wants from me. Jesus already overcame the world for us, so now we can live in peace, even when we experience tribulation (John 16:33). By His divinity within us, we overcome evil with good, so that evil does not overcome us (Romans 12:21).

Like Paul, we “press on toward the goal” that God set for our life (Philippians 3:14), we “fight the good fight” (2 Timothy 4:7) and we “run the race” (Galatians 5:7). When we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we overcome the world through His power within us. The world holds no more interest for us. Our faith in Him gives us total victory (1 John 5:4-5). If we endure through to the end of the age, we shall reign with him; however, if we deny Him, He will also deny us (2 Timothy 2:12; Matthew 24:13).

God promises to give all overcomers the right to eat of the tree of life in Paradise (Revelation 2:7). They will have authority over all the nations of the world (Revelation 2:26). They are arrayed in white garments, and have their name in the scroll of life. Jesus even confesses their name before our Father (Revelation 3:6). He makes them pillars in the House of the Lord (Revelation 3:12). They will sit with Jesus on His throne (Revelations 3:21). Overcomers will inherit everything Jesus does, as adopted sons of God (Revelation 21:7).

We know that Jesus is coming again, which gives us the vision and hope to endure and to persevere to the end (Revelations 3:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; Hebrews 3:6). The devil will never overcome the church, no matter how hard he tries (Matthew 16:18). Righteousness will eventually overcome all evil (Matthew 12:20). In the end, the Lamb will even overcome all the evil armies of the world, led by the anti-Christ, and He will set up His Kingdom forevermore (Revelation 17:14).

Prayer:
Father God, Jesus gave us the example of an overcomer. He endured the cross, despising the shame, but He saw it through to the end (Hebrews 12:2). When we are weary of life, help us to cling to Christ, to draw comfort from Your Spirit and strength from Your Word. We thank You for allowing us to overcome, so that we will never taste of the second death (Revelation 2:11).
 
Thought for the Day:
We are able to overcome, because Christ in us is greater that Satan who is the god of this world. - 1 John 4:4; 2 Corinthians 4:4

What "Union with Christ" Means

Our actual union with Christ is founded on our salvation, from beginning to end (Hebrews 12:2). The basis of our union is Jesus’ redemptive work on Calvary’s cross (Ephesians 1:7). We were dead in sin and made alive in Christ to do the good works, which God prepared for us before the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:4-5, 10). We are also united with Christ in regeneration. It is not something we strive to enter. In this union, we are in Christ (John 15:4,5,7; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 12:2; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 1:4, 2:10; Philippians 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 John 4:13).

We are in Christ, but Christ is also in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1 27; Romans 8:10; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Ephesians 3:16-17). This makes our union complete. In this guaranteed bond, Christ dwells in our heart through faith (Ephesians 3:17). Our union with Christ brings us into a state of holiness through sanctification, not by human effort, but by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-10). We are baptized into His death, resurrected with Him from the grave, raised with Him in His ascension and we sit with Him, even now, in heavenly places. We will return to earth with Him when He appears in His glory to rule and reign in His Kingdom (Romans 6:14, Colossians 2:11-12, 3:1-4; Revelation 19:14; Colossians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

There are three stages of our union with Christ. Initially, we are justified in our death with Christ (Romans 14:8; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:8-9; Revelation 14:13). Then, we are made holy through out sanctification through Christ (John 15:4-5; Ephesians 4:16; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Finally, we persevere in our union with Christ through the faith of Christ, and nothing can separate us from the love of God (John 10: 27-28; Romans 8:38-39). Our Father is the origin of our union; Jesus is the provider of our union; and the Holy Spirit is the bond of our union.

 
Union with Christ includes more than drawing our life from Christ; it also means living in Him and Him living in and through us (Romans 6:3–4, Galatians. 3:26–27). Jesus is our rock, fortress and deliverer in whom we can take refuge. He is our shield and the horn of our salvation, our stronghold (Psalm 18:2).  He is also our loving husband (Revelation 19:6-9). We are the apple of His eye, and we can hide under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 17:8). We are Jesus’ offspring and the sons of God (Galatians 3:26-27; Romans 8:14-15). We the Body of Christ, and He is the Head of that Body (1 Corinthians 12:12–27).

When we are one with Christ, we are also one with the Father (1 John 2:24). Jesus is the foundation of the building God is making without human hands. We are the temple of God, in which He dwells (1 Corinthians 3:10–11). We belong to God as a chosen people and a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). God chose us before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless, predestining those who believe in Christ as His adopted sons (Ephesians 1:4-5; Galatians 4:6-7).

We are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's Saints and members of God's household (Ephesians 2:19; Philippians 3:20). In our union with Christ, we are also to live in union with one another as His Body. We have many gifts and talents among us to meet the needs of each individual member of the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12). In our union with Christ, there is no distinction between anyone’s station in life, race, color or gender (Galatians 3:28). We are all one Body in union with one another in Christ.

Prayer:

Father God, our relationship with You, now and in eternity, occurred in our union with Christ. Because of Christ, You raised us to new life. In eternity You will give us immortal bodies with the power of Christ's resurrection. We thank You for Your spiritual blessings to us in the heavenly realm in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). In Him all of Your promises come to pass and we are partakers of those promises (Ephesians 3:6).

Thought for the Day:

It is seeing our self from the perspective or our union with Christ, which energizes us to grow in purity and holiness.