Complete in Christ

Although we are simple clay jars, we contain God’s greatest treasure, Jesus Christ, who actually lives within every Born Again Believer (2 Corinthians 4:7-9; Colossians 1:27). We are in Christ, and Christ is also in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27; Romans 8:10; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Ephesians 3:16-17).

Jesus, who knew no sin, took on the sin of the whole world; so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). Christ’s light shines in our hearts.

When we follow the Spirit’s leading rather than our flesh, we no longer experience condemnation and guilt (Romans 8:1-21). We minister in righteousness by the Spirit according to the will of God (2 Corinthians 3:7-9).

We discover that God's love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control replace the carnal nature and attitudes in our heart (Galatians 5:22-23). 

Satan wants us to focus on our failings, and he tries to make us feel like failures - not good enough. However, if Christ is in us, although our body is dying daily, God’s Spirit gives us His life (Romans 8:10).

We are no longer a separate entity from Jesus. We quit struggling, stressing and striving to be more spiritual (2 Corinthians 5:18-19); and we enter into God's rest. We cease from all of our efforts (Hebrews 4:10).

God’s grace draws us to Jesus, keeping us pursuing holiness and finishing our perfection as God’s Spirit transforms us through sanctification into God’s divine nature (1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 John 3:2).

God fills us with His Spirit to complete us in Christ. We are so united with Christ that His thoughts fill our mind (Philippians 2:5). He has our new life, our perfection and our character in His capable hands.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for giving us Jesus as our advocate with You (1 John 2:1), and Your Holy Spirit who makes constant intercession for us before You (Romans 8:26). Help us to decrease so that Christ can increase within us (John 3:30). You give us our true identity in Christ, because our human “self” is dead and buried with Christ in You (Colossians 3:3).

We live in and through Christ, and He lives in and through us. We are complete in our union with Christ (Colossians 2:10), having all of Your power working in and through us. We never even have to fear death, because the moment we leave this earth, You take us home to live with You for eternity (Philippians 1:21).

Thought for the Day:

Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4), we are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10), He puts His mind within us (1 Corinthians 2:16), and He gives us His abundant life now and forever (John 10:10).

The Door to Freedom

 

It almost takes a lifetime for human beings to come to the realization that God is always right. Starting with the fact that there really is nothing good about our humanity (Romans 7:18, 8:7). Our personality and talents from God are so much more winsome and creative than those we develop through our training and natural abilities. If we look to our self or to this world for life, liberty and happiness, we are miserably disappointed.

Our flesh is despicable to God. That is why Christ died in our place (Romans 4:25; 2 Corinthians 11:18). Nothing less than absolute annihilation of our flesh will aid us in coming into perfect union with Christ in us. This is not our responsibility, however. We simply surrender to the Holy Spirit who perfects us by replacing our carnality with His fruit. Sometimes, it takes more than one trial to completely eradicate our flesh in one certain area.

Therefore, it may take a lifetime for Him to replace our carnality with each one of His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Through His death, Jesus gave us eternal life, which begins the moment we believe in Him and commit to walk away from our sins (John 3:16-18). It is only through our union with God that we attain eternal freedom and joy (Galatians 5:1; Psalm 27:5-7). We no longer hunger and thirst for what this world has to offer. We only want more of God (Matthew 5:6).

Seeking God with our whole heart is the only way we will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). If we go without food for days, we are no longer hungry; and we will die a slow death. The same thing happens in the spiritual life. When we lose our hunger for God, we die spiritually as well. Fellowshipping with other Saints who also hunger for God will help to fill our hungry soul and spirit (Psalm 107:9).

When we comprehend the freedom, which is ours through Christ, who is our whole life, we realize that our humanity is already dead, because we are actually hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3-4). Then, we cease from our human striving and stress and enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:10). Absolute surrender to God’s will for our individual life (Ephesians 2:8-10) is our only door to freedom.

Prayer:

Father God, You gave Jesus the power to save us to the most extreme measure of perfection (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 5:6-9). We are crucified with Him; and we can only successfully navigate the life, which we now live on this earth, by the power of Christ in us, who loves us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20). Therefore, we voluntarily lay down our life and take up Your life by Your Spirit in us (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is the only door to the throne room of God. – John 10:9