Our Death on Calvary's Cross

I find it difficult to surrender my humanity so totally to Christ that it dies. This concept is very appealing to me, because I want to die in a practical sense to my self and the flesh. Sin infects every area of our life and we reap destruction from the seeds we sow. Repenting of our sins frees us from this vicious cycle and sets us free in Christ.

The first area to nail to the cross is trusting in our human mind and talents. Otherwise, we use secular wisdom to decide truth and this sets us on the wrong path for life. Next we die to our inordinate affections for things of this world that do not pertain to life and godliness (Colossians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:3). The pride of life, the lusts of the eye and the lusts of the flesh all expire little by little (1 John 2:16).

Jesus carries us through this dying process so there is no fear (Hebrews 2:15). We entrust our soul to His safe keeping, and reap sweet fellowship with our Savior and Lord. Our continuous union with Christ transports us to the spiritual realm where He lives. We lay down our humanity on the altar, and God raises us to walk in a new life (Romans 6:4).

As we surrender, the Spirit of God sanctifies us and leads us into God’s Kingdom. When we long for a more intimate relationship with King Jesus, we feel His presence in our spirit, sense His touch in our soul and see His healing or His grace to deal with an illness in our body. His love pours over us like a continual waterfall. We have instant access to the throne of God at any time (Ephesians 3:12).

Prayer:

Father God as we loose the ties that bind us to this earth, we are free to fly into the heavenly realm with You. We soar in the Spirit with eagles’ wings and we touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and are healed in spirit, soul and body (Matthew 9:20-21). We willingly submit our flesh to death on the cross with Christ, so that He can live in and through us each moment of the day (Galatians 2:20). Help us to relinquish our hold on this world and to trust You with our every need.

Thought for the Day:

It is time to relinquish any worldly idols, which keep us from intimacy in our union with God.

Lasting Treasure

 

 

God knows the thoughts and objectives of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). We walk out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ who dwells within us in all of His divine fullness (Colossians 1:13; 2 Peter 1:4). We walk in His Light, because Christ in us is our light (Psalm 27:1; Matthew 5:14-16). Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but when He works through us, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13). We abide in Him and He teaches us to believe, talk, think and act like Him (Galatians 2:20).

Then, we live in the center of God’s will for each moment of our day. The Spirit and Christ in us lead us to follow Jesus’ example and to do only those things, which our Father instructs us to do. This takes no striving or human effort on our part. As we wait on the Lord, He renews our strength and we rise up on eagle’s wings (Isaiah 40:31). We only get caught off guard or walk out of the Spirit when we rely on our human effort and understanding instead (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We no longer struggle with fears, doubts and unrest. We enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:10). We no longer attempt to earn our salvation or our sanctification, because we know that just as with glorification, we can do nothing to attain these states of Christian maturity. We live in peace, which transcends human understanding (Ephesians 3:20-21), and we walk in His Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25).

We walk in contentment regardless of the amount of this world’s goods, which we lack. We can live in a mud hut in Africa without a blanket to our name and still be rich in His wisdom and grace (Proverbs 19:11). We find abundant delight as we walk in His will (Psalm 119:35). We abstain from carnal lust, which war with the desires of our heart, because we are not tempted or drawn to this wicked and perverse world (1 Peter 2:11).

We walk in joy, regardless of the trials in our life, and persevere in walking by His Spirit. We witness a transformation in our life as He leads us ever further into His perfection (James 1:2-4). This happens when we realize that each trial is a new adventure in Christ. He uses us to further His Kingdom in the earth regardless of our limitations or failings, because Christ in us is our true treasure and our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Nothing will ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).

Prayer:

Father God, we have no desire to lay up treasure on this earth, because they usually end up broken or stolen eventually (Luke 16:8-9). Help us to lay up treasure in heaven instead, because this is where our heart truly lies (Matthew 6:19:21). When we come to the end of our life, we see our true accomplishments only in the people in whose lives You use us to minister (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).

Thought for the Day:

When we abide in Christ, people no longer see us, but Christ in us. – 1 Peter 2:9