Our Joy is in the Lord

Every person on the face of our planet searches for the meaning of life and their place in the larger scheme of existence. Many want fame, riches, success, health and some even seek inner peace and happiness. Others wish they were never born; some do not want to die. Now that they are here, some want to live forever. Others want to end their life here and now and take the chance that what is on the other side of life is better than the reality facing us here on earth.

The basic need in all of us is to find some sort of fulfillment now and in eternity as well. We concentrate on family, business, hobbies and sometimes even church of some sort. However, when we attempt to find fulfillment only by meeting our own needs, a web of conflict erupts. Self-centeredness limits us in life. It narrows the circle of our possibilities for our future. It’s stunts our emotional and social growth and restricts our full potential. We fail to encourage, strengthen and minister to others, because our life is consumed with our self.

Our needs often become an idol in our life, because we focus more about them than we do our Savior. This is a very lonely existence indeed. Most people who reach their goals and fulfill their ambitions in this manner end up very unhappy with the end result. Paul is a great example of someone who had nothing, but who lived a completely fulfilled life. Even prison did not douse his joy. His fulfillment did not depend upon any person, place or thing. He found His joy only in his relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul put his time in jail to good use and wrote letters that continue to edify Christians throughout the centuries of time. His legacy is more lasting than all the riches in the world. When we choose to submit our life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, as Paul did, He fills us with His righteousness in exchange for our sin, Godly wisdom replaces our temporal knowledge, faith takes the place of doubt and the fruit of the Spirit overcomes our carnal attitudes and expressions.

We can confidently trust that He who began a good work in us, will continue molding us until Jesus Christ returns (Philippians 1:6). God’s Agape love makes a true difference in our life. His Word is sustenance to our soul and a lamp to guide us on our path. God will be there for you, even when no one else is; He's the only one you can really count on to stand in your corner every time. He walks within us and leads us to spiritual prosperity and fulfillment. This, in turn, affects our soul – our mind, will and emotions, as well as our body. We are filled with deep peace and joy that transcends anything the world has to offer (John 14:27).

God has a purpose for everyone, and we will never find fulfillment if we do not live within that purpose. A church or an individual who puts their trust in Jesus alone, apart from human effort or accomplishment, finds what they are looking for. Those who think they are Christians, but who follow the designs and dictates of the world are simply fooling themselves. Everyone else can see their hypocritical lifestyle; and they lose respect for God and the church because of it.

Righteousness is not a list of imperatives, but the result of a life fully submitted to God. It is only as we are filled with the fruit of Christ’s righteousness that we can ever bring honor, glory and praise to God (Philippians 1:11). Integrity is the most vital factor in the life of a fulfilled believer. The objects and relationships that the world considers crucial are mere illusions. God completes His work in us as we totally surrender to His love and care.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, everyone searches for fulfillment; however, only those who put their total faith and trust in You will find what they are truly looking for. Everything else is an fantasy, which fades in the light of the Son. You are our only source of true peace and joy. We are only complete in You. A healthy life as well as a healthy church is submitted to Your Lordship and Your Spirit’s direction. As we submit to Your will for our life, You reveal Your perfect plan for us during each individual moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

If all we have is God, we have everything we need (John 14:8).

Bridging Gaps in Relationships

Read: Proverbs 15:1-2

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”  - Proverbs 25:11

Have you ever noticed that whenever there is more than one person in a room, there is the potential for a disagreement? The most loving of couples eventually experience an argument. To protect the integrity of their relationship, conflicting partners need to recommit themselves to one another after every stressful event or time of discord in their life. This assertion of love and faithfulness between them serves to reassure them both.

The first step in bridging a gap in your relationship is forgiveness. If the difference of opinion gets swept under the rug or is put on the back burner and allowed to simmer, the issues will resurface with some future catalyst. Not only will it reoccur, but it will also cause the current issue to balloon out of proportion with the added steam from the unresolved conflict. Admitting, “I was wrong and I apologize” are both the toughest words to say and the most powerful ointment verbalized in the human language. Humility puts your partner at ease and generates an environment for them to apologize for their own part in the quarrel.

Once the apology is made and accepted, then a recommitment to the relationship is necessary. Even when we choose to forgive, the painful memory of the occurrence reverberates in our mind. Sometimes, relying on God’s agape love is the only way to care for an individual in the absence of any feeling of human love toward him/her. The painful memories ease with time, but a restored dedication to the union between you creates loving emotions in you right away. 

A phenomenon that I never understood until now is that sometimes we even disagree when we are the only one in the room! Did you ever have an argument with yourself? Psychologists say this “split personality” comes from the three ego states within your soul. They label them as the Inner Parent, Adult and Child. Your Inner Parent is Authoritarian, Permissive or Nurturing and reflects all the parental figures from your past; your Inner Child is either healthy, wounded or recovering depending on the way you were treated by all of the parental figures in your life; and your Inner Adult is the person you are becoming now and often serves as the referee between the Parent and Child.

If you analyze the transactions between these three entities within your soul, you will discover a great deal about yourself and you will also feel more connected and integrated as a person. You will also react differently to other people in your life, because you will start to recognize their distinct ego states as well. God’s desire is to restore us to wholeness, as we invite Him to go back in the corridors of our past, where often we do not want to go, and to heal the painful memories that haunt us to this day. He is waiting to fill those empty places as only He can fill them. You can depend on Him to do it. He lived on this sin-cursed earth and empathizes with every hurt and negative emotion that we could ever experience. He understands exactly how you feel.

There are many books written on this subject. The one I recommend is: Healing the Child Within, by Charlie Whitfield. If what I said peeked your interest, I am also available to chat more about this at: ckbradley950@comcast.net

Prayer:

Lord, when I conflict with my loved ones, please give me the humility to admit where I am wrong and to apologize for hurting their feelings. Move by Your Spirit to renew the bonds of love and allow us to walk in one accord. Start by healing the factions within my own personality and make me whole and complete in You (Colossians 2:10).

Thought for the Day:

Even if I am not at fault, help me to apologize for contributing to the discord.

Only Believe

Read: Romans 10: 8-10

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." - Hebrews 8:10

People complain that the Bible is a book of rules and improbable stories. They disdain the thought of making any effort to follow its principles and they make fun of those who do. Their attitude is irreverent, skeptical and sarcastic. They constantly fight the Spirit as He draws them with His mercy and love.  

In truth, we only have one rule to follow. "Believe in the one He has sent." (John 6:29). Those who refuse to believe, condemn themselves already (John 3: 18) and face an eternity of torment. Those who do believe in Jesus take the first step towards an eternity with God. From the moment of our faith filled prayer, God starts the transforming process that revitalizes our life. He writes His laws in our minds and on our hearts. His Spirit guides and comforts us. He adopts us into His family. Steadily, He turns us into a "new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Sometimes it is hard to put our trust in a God we cannot see. I love the fact that God deals even with this issue. Mark 9:24 tells us the story of a father who instantly cried out, "I do believe, but help me to overcome my unbelief!" We who believe in Jesus for salvation often lack the faith we need for any number of personal issues throughout our life. We struggle with believing God. In this story, God makes it clear that honesty is what God is looking for, rather than perfect little Saints. He wants us to admit our doubt and to look to Him to restore it for us. He is always present and forever faithful.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, completely redesign our relationship with You by Your grace. Let us see and feel Your love, and help us to trust You and obey You in word and deed.

Thought for the Day:

If we take the time to hear His voice, we cannot help but to believe and be saved.

Complete Through Christ IN Us

Read: Galatians 2: 20-21

“God wanted his people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery – the mystery, which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory.” - Colossians 1:27

In the perfect balance of the Trinity, God is three separate entities – the Father, Son and Spirit - who all dwell within each other in a spiritual union. God sits on His throne and Jesus sits at His right hand; however, we forget that by the Spirit, the fullness of the Godhead also dwells within us (1 Corinthians 6:17).  When we repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we connect in a spiritual union with the entire Trinity (Galatians 2: 20-21). Even when we realize this fact, however, for some reason, we continue to view God as “up in Heaven” and separated from us down here on the earth.

If we view our lives as separate from Christ, we feel forsaken when we endure our trials. However, our whole attitude and outlook about life change, when we come to realize that Christ is in us (Colossians 1:17). We no longer face adversity unaided. We are now assisted by all the power of the Godhead, which dwells within us (Galatians 2:20). Therefore, we no longer live alone, but Christ lives His life in us and through us. This means that we can do all things through Christ who empowers us from the inside out (Philippians 4:13).

John explained, "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (I John 5:12). This is what Christians mean when we say we are “Born Again”. A person without the Spirit of God has a spirit, which is dead in trespasses and sins. It is only when we are born again of the Spirit of God that He breathes His life into our spirit and regenerates us (John 3:6). We are then "born from above" (John 3:3,7). The full power of the Godhead dwells in us from that moment of Salvation.

God does not visit us occasionally, nor does He listen to our prayers from His throne in heaven. He took up permanent residence in us the second we asked Him to forgive our sins. He possesses us - body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). God does not only reveal His Son to us, but in us as well, because Christ “is all, and is in all” (Colossians 3:11).

How does this transforming manifestation occur? Christ converts our natural man (1 Corinthians 2:14) into a spiritual being (1 Corinthians 3:1). He changes us from "children of the devil" (1 John 3:10) and "sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2; 5:6), to "children of God" (Romans 8:14,17; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 3:26; 4:6,7; Hebrews 2:10; John 1:12; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1,2,10). The Trinity’s presence and function within us now identifies us as Christ followers (Acts 11:26; I Pet. 4:16).

We are in Christ and He is in us. Biblical evidence reveals that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This means that the unregenerated “old man” (Ephesians. 4:22; Col. 3:9), who is worthy of eternal death, has been crucified with Christ (Romans 6:6). Now, with Christ living in us, we become a "new man" (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10).

From this point on, when we perform the good works, which God prepared for us before time began (Ephesians 2:10), this is actually the Trinity working in us and through us. We are now pleasing in His sight (Hebrews 13:21). Our life manifests as a living letter of Christ, not written with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, on the tablets of human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3). Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Him (John 17:23). Born Again Christians are in Him as well, and He is in us (John 14:20). This means that the Father and the Spirit are also in us.

Within each of us is God’s Divine power, which delivers and defends us. We do not need to feel fearful when a friend turns against us, when a mate leaves us, when a child rejects us, when our boss dismisses us, when our transportation breaks down on us, when our body gets sick, when the pantry is empty and when there is no more money in the bank.

We only need to dwell in the shelter of the Most High and to rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). We have a mighty fortress deep within our spirit, in which we can hide and feel safe, until we connect with His Spirit and gain the strength to face our trials. Then the Trinity, dwelling within us, triumphs over every negative circumstance in our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are complete in every facet of human existence because You dwell within us (John 14:17; 2 Timothy 1:14; James 4:5). We will never be worthy of your sacrifice on Calvary’s cross. However, Your power and might manifest in our lives, which make it possible for You to dwell within each of us. Now, we ask You to use us, body and soul and spirit, for Your glory on the earth.

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, dwells in every Born Again Christian.

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