Totally Accepted and Approved

 

Our dependence on other people, our accomplishments, the size of our bank account or the amount of worldly goods we accumulate will overwhelm us with bondage to the earthly realm of life.

Our motivation for our choices and activities usually revolves around temporal considerations rather than eternal factors. What we fail to realize is that we are already crucified with Christ and filled with His Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:16-19).

The Lover of our soul is poised to lead us through each moment of our life; yet, we often ignore Him and tend to go to Him only in moments of crisis.

We forget that we are totally approved, accepted and unconditionally loved our Creator and King (2 Timothy 2:15). He loves us from the inside out.

God chose us before He formed the world and has a fulfilling plan for our life (Ephesians 1:4). We do not deserve His love and constant attention, but He freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32).

We find our security, peace of mind and needs met only in Him, regardless of circumstances. We do not earn it, because it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Therefore, we never need to fear that we may do or say something to lose this personal connection to our Almighty God. It is ours forevermore. Once we express genuine sorrow over our sins and choose to follow God instead, we are eternally secure in Him (Romans 5:8).

Prayer:

Father God, You will never change Your mind about us and divorce us from Your family. You love us in spite of our foibles and idiosyncrasies, regardless of our behavior and without us having to earn Your unconditional favor. You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Thank You for Your overwhelming love, which sent Jesus to die for our redemption, for adopting us into Your family and making us co-heirs with Christ of everything pertaining to Your Kingdom both now and for eternity (Romans 8:17). Strengthen us in our inner being by Your Spirit and help us to walk in Your ways.

Thought for the Day:

There is nothing we could ever think, do or say that could ever separate us from the love of God. - Romans 8:38-39

Our Life in Christ

Jesus is God, and through Him, everything was created (Colossians 1:16). Yet, He became a man to pay the penalty of our sins. He endured the cross by keeping His focus on the joy that awaited Him back in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2). We too can enjoy this peace and joy as we keep our mind focused on Him (Isaiah 26:3).

God's gifts to us vary and are multiplied in eternity (Matthew 7:11). His main gift is free and includes our ticket to Heaven through the forgiveness of our sin (Ephesians 2:8; Romans 6:23).  We no longer need to earn our own salvation or to pay the penalty of our sins (Galatians 2:16). God completes the work in us, which He began on Calvary (Philippians 1:6).

Jesus, who is now seated with our Father God in Heaven, is our advocate and perfects our faith (1 John 2:1). He gives us His grace to avoid temptation and to accomplish the works He created us to do (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 9:8). All the grace we need in any and all circumstances in our life are just a prayer away (2 Corinthians 9:8).

As we sit at His feet and wait on His timing, God also supplies all of our physical, mental and emotional needs during our earthly existence (Philippians 4:19). We will pass from life through death and angels will escort us to the presence of God (Luke 16:22). Our last breath on earth is follow by our next breath in Heaven. We will never sin or die again (Romans 8:21; 1 Corinthians 15:52-53).

Prayer:

Father God, regardless of the pains and suffering that endure on this earth, You gave us an advocate in Christ (John 16:33; Hebrews 4:15). Thank You for sending Jesus to free us from our debt of sin and to bear the pain of our current situations for us (2 Corinthians 4:17). We thank You that Christ abides in us and is our hope of eternal glory with You (Colossians 1:27). We look forward with great joy to living as a co-heir with Christ of Your entire Kingdom (Romans 8:17).

Thought for the Day:

We will enjoy the presence of God for eternity and our joy will be exceedingly full. - Psalm 43:4; 1 Peter 3:18

Our Glorious Future

Everyone knows that life on this earth is but a vapor in time (James 4:14). Many do not want to live this short life in the miserable clutches of sin (Romans 7:24). They recognize their limitations and gladly come to Jesus for his wisdom, mercy and strength (2 Chronicles 16:9). When we fully surrender to Christ, He impacts our assets, lifestyle, possessions and relationships by directing our decisions through the leading of His Spirit (John 16:13). His peace and joy permeate every nuance of our life.

Our sin nature passes away at Salvation and we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We relinquish the world and grasp onto the freedom in body, soul and spirit, for which Jesus apprehended us (Philippians 3:12). When we live and move and have our being in Christ, we no longer exist in condemnation and sin (Acts 17:28; Romans 8:1). Christ in us is our hope of attaining a glorious future (Colossians 1:27). We can even share this hope with our family and friends (Jeremiah 29:11).

The Law of Sin and Death, under which we formerly struggled, is replaced by the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 7:22-25, 8:2). We forgive our self for our shortcomings, because God already forgave us (Romans 5:8). Rather than living with a carnal mind, we focus on spiritual and eternal aspects (2 Corinthians 4:18; Romans 8:6). We renew our mind and take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Philippians 4:8-9). Sin no longer appeals to us in any way (James 4:1; Galatians 5:17).

Our true identity, value and purpose in this life are only realized as we look to Jesus for our worth. Every achievement in this world will burn up as wood, hay and stubble (1 Corinthians 3:12). However, no one can take away from us the fact that God adopted us as co-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:15-17). God works out every catastrophe in our life for our good, as well as rewards us with an eternal heritage. At the same time, His Spirit conforms us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29).

Prayer:

Father God, you spoil Your children and always provide what is best for us. Many people blame You for the effects of sin in this world. They curse You for the death of their loved ones and for spoiling their wealth. However, You adopt into Your family those who surrender to You. You work everything out for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). Everything You allow into our life comes from Your sacrificial love for us. You ultimately give us safety and provision (Luke 12:28-38).

Thought for the Day:

We know without a doubt that when we leave this earthly realm, the angels will escort us to our glorious future in the presence of the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8