Standing Firm in Our LIberty

 

The Liberty, which comes from Christ, sets us free from the penalty of sin, the power of sin and the presence of sin in our life (Galatians 5:1; Romans 6:14). We are truly free from ties to this earthly realm and given the power of the godhead in the spiritual realm (John 8:36).

We stand firm in our liberty through the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus and no longer allow the law of the spirit of sin and death to rob us our place of right-standing with God (Romans 8:2).

The truth of God's Word continues to set us free from bondage to sin and makes us bond servants to the righteousness of Christ in us (John 6:18, 8:32). We reap the rewards of holiness and inherit eternal life (Romans 6:22).

We belong to the body of Christ, raised from the dead to bear fruit for God (Romans 7:4). His Spirit even gives us life in our mortal body (Romans 8:11) and heals our soul - our mind, will and emotions (Psalm 23:3).

Since this life is only temporary, and what is unseen is eternal, we focus on the unseen spiritual world, regardless of what occurs around us on this earth (2 Corinthians 4:18).

In this world we have tribulation and experience many negative events full of suffering; yet, the Lord delivers us out of them all (John 16:33; Psalm 34:19). He turns our sorrow into gladness and we dance before Him in joy (Psalm 30:11).

God gives us His eternal wisdom, which is pure, peaceful, gentle, reasonable, without hypocrisy, full of mercy and produces good fruit. We sow this seed of righteousness in peace and reap peace in return (James 3:17-18).

We walk in God's love, which frees us from the condemnation of sin and gives us hope for an eternal future (Romans 8:1). We stop focusing on this world and the content of our life here and now. We dwell in the Spirit and interpret life through the Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that through Your wisdom and love we assist Your Body, meeting the needs of each member through serving in ministries in our local church family. We also reach out into our community; making a larger impact on our world by changing lives one at a time. As we serve those considered least in our world, we actually serve You (Matthew 25:31-46).

Remind us to maintain an eternal focus and not to pursue worldly gain during our lifetime, but to store up our treasures in heaven by walking in Your will for our life through each moment of our day (Matthew 6:19-21). We love You with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind and thank You for setting us free in the liberty, which only Christ can give (Luke 10:27).

Thought for the Day:

Through the perfect law of liberty, we serve God and the world around us by the direction of God's Holy Spirit and in the perfect will of God for our life. 

- James 1:25; Galatians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 3:17 

Many thanks to Matt Milligan for sharing his photo.

Fulfilling Goals

Read: Galatians 5:16-25

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 3:14

How often do you find yourself rewriting your list of life goals? How many goals have you successfully accomplished? How many did you fail to achieve? Well, I have good news for you! God has a perfect plan for your life that will bring you both fulfillment and excitement. There is never a dull moment when you walk in God’s footsteps for you.

As we pray about His will for us, He opens doors for us, which glorify His name. We may work in an office, school, church, hospital, retail store, beauty shop or garage, but we are doing His will for our life. God’s goals unfold before us as we completely relinquish our will to His will. By examining the apostle Paul’s life, we gain a clear picture of just how exciting life can be when we live for God.

Paul lived a completely surrendered life. All through his epistles to the various churches which he started, Paul gives testimony to God’s provision. Whether he was preaching a sermon on Mars Hill, shipwrecked, beaten or under house arrest, he realized that God was working everything out for his good (Romans 8:28). His goal in life was to exalt Christ whether he lived or died (Philippians 1:20) and he was very successful at it.

Even when life took a turn for the worse, and all hope ebbed from Paul’s heart, he realized that everything he did, even when chained to Roman guards in prison, was for the glory of God (Philippians 1:13). His attitude spoke volumes to the guards and many listened to his message of the Gospel of Christ as he shared courageously and fearlessly with his captors (Philippians 1:14). Paul learned contentment in every situation he found himself in, because he loved living as a vessel for God to work through (Philippians 4:11-12).

Paul lived with an eternal focus (2 Corinthians 4:18). The circumstances in his life had no depressive effect on him, because his joy was always in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). We too are transformed into the image of Christ through the things that we suffer in this life (2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 2:10). Plans that we make for our life bear little fruit, but when we walk in the Spirit we accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16, 25). As we come to know Him, love Him, worship Him and live for Him, our life contains more joy than we can ever even imagine.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, allow Your light to shine within us so much, that people will see You in us (Matthew 5:16). Help us to be a beacon on a hill (Matthew 5:14-16) and to share the gospel story with everyone who will listen. Enlighten their eyes to see and their ears to hear so that they can join us in Your Kingdom for eternity. Help us to walk in Your will for our life and to be a reflection of You to the world.

Thought for the Day:

Believers greet each new morning with expectancy of what God has in store for us, as well as faith that He will give us everything we need to accomplish His plans in our life.







Thank you, Susan Holsinger, for the use of your photo.