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

Overcoming the World

 

Paul chronicled for the Romans his journey from an earthly-minded sinner to a liberated Saint who was led by the Spirit of God (Romans 6-Romans 8). He describes in detail the revelation God gave to him: The law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus freed him from bondage to this world and the flesh (Romans 8:2). We too share in this liberation. We all died in Christ, and now we live, not for our self, but for Him (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). We do not pursue our own agenda or work to amass this world’s goods, which will only burn up in the end. Instead, we focus on the eternal aspects of life (Matthew 6:19-20).

We cannot perfect our self by our good works any more than we can save our self by them (Galatians 3:1-3). It is all the work of Christ on the cross (Romans 7:18). We now belong to Christ, and the carnal cravings of our flesh are crucified with Him (Galatians 5:24). Our humanity is dead, and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). We no longer struggle with sin, because sin disgusts us. We have no desire to partake in the frivolity in this world, because just like Jesus, we must be about our Father’s business (Luke 2:49). We are totally led by the Spirit and have no desire to take any part in sinful activity (Romans 5:18).

We are from God and have overcome the world, because Christ in us is greater than anything this world offers us (1 John 4:4). We may be surrounded by the horrors of tragedy, but this is not our life; therefore, they do not rob us of our peace and joy (Philippians 3:8-14). We set our mind on the spiritual aspects of the Kingdom of God, rather than on the earthly issues swirling all around us (2 Corinthians 4:18). Jesus sanctified and perfected us on His cross (Hebrews 10:13). Now, we walk in obedience, not through self-effort, but by obeying God’s Spirit moment by moment (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Christ is working in and through us, giving us the strength and the longing to follow the leading of His Spirit throughout the day (Philippians 2:12-13). We no longer have any desire to wander back into sin and destruction. We rejoice when we face temptation, because it has no affect on us (James 1:2). We submit to God and resist the devil, and God delivers us every time (James 4:7). Our anxiety is swallowed up by His faithfulness and assurance. Any depression is replaced by His joy, which is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). We live as victors in Christ.

Prayer:

Father God, there is no reason for us to attempt to perfect our self by any self-effort (Galatians 3:1-3). We know that You work out all things in our life according to Your perfect plan (Ephesians 1:11). We come to You to replace all of our negative emotions with thoughts of whatever is true, gracious, accurate, pure, divine, commendable and worthy (Philippians 4:8). If we happen to fall into temptation, we confess the sin; and You readily forgive us and cleanses our conscience from all unholiness (1 John 1:9; Hebrews 9:14). You are capable of keeping us pure in our body, soul and spirit, as we live in Your abiding rest (Jude 24; Hebrews 4:9-11).

Thought for the Day:

Daily, we take up our cross and follow Jesus, by realizing that we are dead and Christ now lives His life in, through and instead of us regardless of our circumstances (1 Corinthians 4:8-14; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3).