Abundant Life

It is foolish to count our worth according to our fame, fortune or success in this life. These are fleeting and transitory and can change in an instant. As followers of Christ, we no longer pursue aspects pertaining to this earthly realm, but we focus our mind, affections and goals on the purposes of God for us (Colossians 3:2). We no longer desire to fulfill the deeds of the flesh in our mortal body; because we are putting on the new self, which Jesus is renewing within us (Colossians 3:10).

 

Without the understanding of Christ dwelling within us, we cannot walk in victory over sin, sickness and death. Once we come to an epiphany of our union with Christ, anything is possible, according to the will of God (Mark 10:27). We serve the God who graciously forgives our sin debt (1 John 1:9). On top of that, He saves us from the punishment of our sins (Romans 6:23). Then He moves into our spirit to live His life through us.

 

The greatest aspect of our relationship with God is to come to intimately know Him as the one true Father of compassion, the God of all comfort, and to realize that He wants to live His life through Christ in us moment by moment throughout the day (2 Corinthians 1:3; John 17:3). God provides us with the desire and the will to bring Him pleasure (Philippians 2:13). He also gives us His Spirit to teach us all things that we need to know for a successful life of Godliness (1 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Peter 1:3).

 

We are never more fulfilled than when we are walking closest to God through Christ in us. God changes our nature from carnal, earthly flesh to one full of purity, Godliness and spirituality (2 Corinthians 3:18). He gives us a way out of every future temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13). He walks with us every moment of every day, giving us His strength to go through every trail and to deliver us from it (Philippians 2:12). With our mind focused on God, we walk in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3). Our deepest affections are reserved just for Him.

 

True abundance in this life only comes when we adopt a spiritual purpose (Matthew 6:19-21). When we focus on our life with an earthly perception, we experience stress, anxiety, anger and many other negative emotions. The consequences of our choices and actions follow us into eternity. When we focus with an eternal perspective, we are only interested in God’s intentions, instructions and His inclusion of us in His plans. His peace, which transcends all human understanding, fills our heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

 

Prayer:

Father God, we want to daily contemplate Your goodness, majesty, power, mercy, love, wisdom, justice and sovereignty. We are to walk in a different dimension than unsaved humanity. Remind us that our values and purpose are centered on Your Kingdom. You supply us with the spiritual resources to perform supernatural feats as we interact in our daily activities with family, church, work and community. When the love we feel for our fellow mankind springs from our love for You and from You, it is more committed and unconditional. All of creation is eagerly waiting for the manifestation of Your sons (Romans 8:19).

 

Thought for the Day:

When we surrender our life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we enter the realm of abundant life, which He promises. - John 10:10

Thank you, Tracy Hassall, for the use of your photo.

Eternity's Secret

So often, the overwhelming difficulties in our life hang like anchors around our neck. We are usually devastated by many of our trials. Eternity has a secret, however, and once we learn it, life takes on a whole new meaning. God declares that He is involved with us in every issue of our life (Matthew 28:20). He does not want us to depend upon our human might to solve our problems by our self. He uses these conflicts to build Godly character in us and to further His Kingdom in the earth. Then Jesus successfully settles every one of them for our eventual good (Romans 8:28).

We can embrace every negative issue with faith and peace, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ dwells within us with all the power of the triune Godhead (Colossians 1:27). He gives us healing, courage, wisdom and divine revelation to resolve them, or He instructs us to leave them in His capable hands. This is how we dwell in serenity all the days of our life. It is important for us to understand that God already arranged for a solution for these issues prior to them ever happening. He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and He has a perfect plan for our life (Romans 12:2).

Let us live life in full awareness of the immense potential available to us through our union with Christ. Jesus within us breaks the chains of every type of satanic or earthly hindrance that attempts to steal our spiritual freedom from us (Psalm 107:14). He encourages us to take His yoke upon us, and to learn from Him; so that we can find rest for our soul (Matthew 11:29). Jesus is poised to deliver us from the bondage of every negative emotion, wound and circumstance we experience and to bring us astounding joy that is beyond words and full of His glory (1 Peter 1:8).

Our supply for each circumstance, and the wisdom to deal with it comes from Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). I recently learned that scientists discovered 10 “colors of noise” in our world, ranging from white noise, which has equal amount of energy in all frequency bands; to black noise, which refers to silence with occasional spikes of sound. This calls for us to adjust our “headphones” to hear only the voice of God and to block out all of the worldly and satanic static in the chaos of life swirling all around us.

We can look at our problems as adventures rather than as challenges. God works them all out for our good, just as He promised He would (Romans 8:28). Jesus, in the full power of His divine nature, dwells within each authentic Believer. His divine nature in us infuses us in body, soul and spirit. Once we realize this, we rise above the dissonance of our concerns and we enter a new realm of being led by the Spirit of God. Every negative circumstance, which life throws at us, can be overcome by faith in God through Christ within us.

Life is not about you or me. It is about proclaiming God to the world. He provides us with the energy and power to teach and admonish others about what we learn from Him (Colossian 1:28-29). We live a life of thanksgiving and praise to God for His willingness to sacrifice His Son for our redemption, and for demonstrating His glory in creation and in our everyday life. Jesus, the Word, is the physical manifestation of God’s glory. He exhibits his glory and divine character in and through every one of us who lives a completely surrendered life before Him.

Prayer:

Father God, awaken our sleepy soul and raise us from the dead. Remind us that Christ lives as a light within us, showing us the way You would have us to walk in this world. Help us to pay attention to how we live, so that we use Your wisdom in everything we say and do. Remind us to make the most of the time You give us and not to foolishly use time for our own selfish gains. Show us Your will for our life and help us to walk in it (Ephesians 5:14-17).

Thought for the Day:

When we see our problems as God’s opportunities, it changes our focus and attitude about them.

 

 

 

Thank you, Peter Dehart, for the use of your photo.