Understanding the Trinity

 

People accuse Christians of having three Gods. They cannot conceive of the concept of three persons in one God. Yet, the Bible is very clear that we have one Body, one faith, one baptism and one God who is over all, through all and in all (Ephesians 4:4-6).

There are many examples to explain the Trinity. My favorite is to consider a man: he is a son, a father and a grandfather; yet, just one person with three functions.

Another is a basketball with the outer pig skin, the inner tube and the air within the ball giving it substance and form; one ball with three parts and functions.

Yet another idea is an apple with the skin, the flesh and the core; one apple with three distinct parts, serving three distinct functions. 

A triangle has three equal sides, which together make one complete shape. Understanding the Trinity is just that simple.

The confusing part with the Trinity is when God calls Jesus His son; yet, Jesus makes it clear that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). He said that if those in His day saw Him, then they have also seen the Father (John 14:7-9).

He also said that He had to leave the earth so the Holy Spirit could come (John 16:7). Clearly, one God with three distinct functions.

There are many diverse denominations of Believers, but we are all one Body in Christ with many parts (Romans 12:4; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). God's grace chooses us, claims us by faith, gives us hope for the future and sustains us throughout our whole life (Matthew 22:14; Jeremiah 29:11; 1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer:

Father God, regardless of the denomination in which we choose to worship, You fill every authentic Believer with Your Holy Spirit. He joins us as one Body, one church, one Bride and one faith just as You, Your Spirit and Your Son are one. We are all one in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Thank You for sending us Your Spirit to comfort, guide and counsel us in Your Truth. We rely on His direction through every moment of every day. We are eternally grateful to Christ for His sacrificial offering in our place, and we bask in Your presence, which fills every fiber of our body, soul and spirit.

Thought for the Day:

Every authentic Believer is united with the Trinity who dwells within us; when someone as monumental as God moves in, there will be wondrous changes in our life.

Filled with God's Spirit - Part 2

 

Once we surrender possession of our life to God's Holy Spirit, our total motivation in life changes. We are directed each moment of the day to walk in the center of God's Will. The still, small voice within us whispers our marching orders (Isaiah 30:20-21). The Spirit permeates our life and dictates our thoughts, words and deeds (Romans 8:14).

If what we hear contradicts the Word of God, we never act on it (John 16:8-11). Satan is an angel of light and His whole purpose in life is to deceive. He will give us promptings that will lead us to a ruined life. God's Word is our measuring rod to gauge what we hear (John 16:12-15). God's Spirit will never oppose His Word.

The power of God's Spirit within us allows us to make wise choices for our life, to live by Godly principles and stewardship, to have a word for the weary in due season (Isaiah 50:4) and to witness to people in every situation, which God provides for us (Acts 1:8). Through God's Spirit we have a new song in our heart (Psalm 96:1).

We speak to one another in spiritual songs, giving continual thanks to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19-21). God's Spirit teaches us God's ways, conforms us to the image of Christ's divine nature and keeps us on a solid footing on the rocky road of life (Romans 8:29; Psalm 27:11; 2 Peter 1:4). God's Spirit is our guarantee and assurance that God abides in us (1 John 4:13; Romans 8:16).

Prayer:

Father God, if we follow the vain idols, which this world offers to us, our heart will faint away and we will end up in desolation. Only You give us Your eternal life and salvation (Jonah 2:7-9). Teach us to continually walk by Your Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25). Help us to hear Your Spirit and to walk in Your statutes (1 Kings 8:61), and to memorize Your Word and to hide it in our heart, so that we will never sin against You (Psalm 119:11; Acts 20:22-23).

Thought for the Day:

God's Spirit will teach us God's ways, so that we can have faith in His faithfulness, and walk through life with our focus on the glory of His name. - Psalm 86:11

The Power of God's Love

When a being as large as God moves into your life, you are going to notice some changes going on inside of you. This is one of the most convincing verifications that God is alive and well on planet earth! He makes a difference. No one who is truly Born Again will continue to willfully indulge in a carnal lifestyle. God’s Spirit now resides within us and we cannot continue to live in sin (1 John 3:9).

The Bible is full of typical illustrations of the changes, which God’s Spirit works into our life. The Apostle Paul is a great example of someone who persecuted Christ by tormenting and killing His Body. Christ turned this prideful, self-centered man into a paragon of virtue with the power of God’s Spirit to reach many for the cause of Christ (Philippians 1:13; Timothy 1:12-15).

Many are convinced that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell. This is simply not true. Our eternal destination depends on where we currently place our trust (John 3:16-18). Do you trust in your own merits, or in the grace and mercy of God? God is in the life changing business. He opens our blind spiritual eyes. Our transformed life is a living testimony of the power of Christ to save.

God takes a human spirit, which is dead in Adam’s sin, and births new life in it through His life saving power (2 Corinthians 5:17). He totally transforms an angry, rebellious wounded soul into a serene and joyful one. The change in our life speaks volumes to everyone. We are no longer ashamed to proclaim to our world, the difference, which Christ made in our life.

The power of God brings a life-altering change to anyone willing to totally surrender to His love (Romans 1:16). The story of how God changed our life is a powerful tool for bringing others to the cross of Christ for their own salvation (Luke 8:39). A meek, empty person or a vile blasphemer can both witness the love of Christ in their life and melt under the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, we seek no other pleasure in this life than to bring delight to Your heart. We want no other success than to bring You glory. We cry out for nothing more than to see You more plainly, to know You more deeply and to love You more intimately through each successive day of our life. Your love for us transforms the carnality in our life until we love you with our whole heart (Luke 10:27; Psalm 119:10).

Thought for the Day:

Even while our life is rife with sin and degradation, God loved us enough to suffer the penalty of our sins and to set us free in His love. – Romans 5:8

 

Powered by God

Read: Ephesians 1:19-20

 "To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy, which so powerfully works in me." - Colossians 1:29

I love when Paul stated that if he functioned in the flesh, he labored and struggled; yet, when he plugged into the energy and power, which came from God, he accomplished great things. Paul recognized that this anointing under which He labored was the same might that God exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the Heavenly realm.

God bestows this same unction upon each and every Believer, as well. Now we can walk in His authority and have influence over the principalities and powers in the spiritual kingdom. We can also do greater works on earth than Jesus did (John 14:12). We cannot do this in our own strength, but only because of His power residing in us by His Holy Spirit. Without His spiritual energy we succumb to exceeding weariness, we fail miserably and we never accomplish anything of eternal value.

However, there is nothing that will stand against us when we walk in the Spirit and stop fulfilling the lusts of our flesh. We will see souls saved, strengthened, healed and empowered with this same spiritual anointing. We will walk in victory regardless of the circumstances in our life. We will enjoy a personal relationship with Jesus that nurtures our soul, heals our body and fortifies our spirit.

Jesus invites us to yoke up with Him in the ministry (Matthew 11:30). Without His power we can do nothing; however, with it, we can accomplish all things through His strength (Philippians 4:13). He is our all sufficiency and we find great fulfillment by walking in His love, His light, His joy and His peace.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help us to be strong in You and in You mighty power (Ephesians 6:10). It was impossible for death to hold You, and that same capacity resides in us by Your Spirit (Acts 2: 24). Help us to walk in Your anointing, so that we can affect positive changes on the earth for Your honor and glory.

Thought for the Day:

We make a difference when we trust that the difference maker is Our God.