The Divine Nature

God calls each one of us to be holy, because He is holy (1 Peter 1:16). As we face our flesh with each new morning, this appears to be a daunting task. Our temptations and carnal desires sometimes get the best of us.

I hear Christians saying that it is too hard to be holy, and that Jesus had an advantage over us. This is true according to humanistic thinking, but not according to Biblical principles.

Jesus was half God and half man, since God's Spirit conceived Him in Mary's womb (Luke 1:35). He was filled with God's Spirit each moment of the day. When his human flesh was tempted, He had the God half to keep him perfect.

We have the same opportunity to walk in holiness. When we come to Christ, His Spirit moves right in. Our body is His temple and He fills us through all of our being with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Satan's temptations cause us to sin and to live apart from God. The price of sin is degradation and loss. Pleasure for a moment reaps for us shame and often deplorable living conditions.

However, God gives us a way to escape every temptation, which we will ever experience (1 Corinthians 10:13). As we submit to Christ in us, and walk by His Spirit's direction, we will not fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:16).

The entire power of the Godhead, the Trinity, dwells within us (Colossians 2:9). We are free from the power of sin, and we are made to walk in new life through Christ in us (Romans 6:6-8).

Christ in us is our eternal hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Although our body is still perishing due to Adam's sin, God's Spirit in us gives us both life and righteousness (Romans 8:10).

God strengthens us with His power through His Spirit in our soul and spirit (Ephesians 3:16). Our hope in Him is the firm and secure anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You that Christ exchanges His holiness for our sinfulness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Remind us that our witness for You depends on our righteous walk in this world. Non-Christians watch us, even when we do not realize it. Our attitude each day, and even during trials, will speak more to them than all the words we could ever preach to them.

As Your Body, the people who work in children's ministry will impact the children in their sphere of influence; and then, these children will affect the lives of countless people during their lifetime, because of Christ in us. Even as we minister to adults, we help them to grow in their devotion to and knowledge of You. Helps us to be holy, even as You are Holy.

Thought for the Day:

As our soul yearns for God in the night, our spirit within us diligently seeks Him; and when His judgments come upon the earth, all of the inhabitants of the world learn to walk in righteousness. - Isaiah 26:9

God Turns Mourning into Dancing

Read: Psalm 52:8-9

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” – Psalm 13:5

God will turn our mourning into dancing. He will remove our burden and pour out His joy upon us. Although our heart may fail us for fear about the future or grief over the past, as we look to God, our heart will sing joyfully to Him and not be silent, because of all the wondrous things He does for us every day. We will give thanks to our God forever, and in turn help others with the wisdom He imparts to us during this time of recovery (Psalm 30:11-12). However, it often takes planning on our part to open our heart to His healing love.

If we wait until the week before Christmas or some other holiday or anniversary, our negative emotions may overwhelm and debilitate us. It is wise to come up with a plan of action prior to special days and holidays, and not to wait until they trigger our feelings of grief and loss. Plan a party and set a place for your loved one. A friend of mine put a rose on an empty place setting for his deceased mother during his wedding reception. Or you can get together with others who experienced loss in their life and find comfort talking about your loved ones, sharing photos and stories and praying with one another.

God gives rest to those who are weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28). He is our rock and fortress, our deliverer. We can take refuge in Him. He is a shield, which protects us from the darts of depression, and He is our stronghold and salvation (Psalm 18:2). He comforts us in our affliction and revives us when we can barely breathe, or hold our head up or even get out of bed (Psalm 119:50). As we follow a routine of daily Bible reading, devotion and prayer, we can bless our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, for the mercies and comfort they give us during our affliction.

Our confidence in God does not disappoint us, because He pours out His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives within us (Romans 5:5). We rest our faith, knowledge and eternal hope on God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 7:19; Acts 26:6). God knows exactly how we feel and He cares even if people do not. When our soul is sad, downcast and disturbed within us, we can put our hope in God and praise our Lord and Savior, even in the negative circumstances of our life (Psalm 42:11, 43:5). We wait expectantly for our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Messiah (Titus 2:13; Acts 24:15).

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, great is Your mercy and grace. You gave us a new birth with a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You are our future and our inheritance, which can never perish, spoil or fade away (1 Peter 1:3-4). You know and care about what we have lost (2 Corinthians 5:11). We place our faith and hope in You, because You raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory (1 Peter 1:21). We share in His inheritance with all the Saints of God (Romans 8:15-17). Dear God of Hope, fill us with all joy and peace, as we trust in You.

Thought for the Day:

We will overflow with hope by the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us. - Romans 15:13

Eternal Hope

Read: Colossians 1:16-17

"Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." - Philippians 2:9-11

Mankind throughout the ages makes a habit of defaming the name of Jesus Christ. They curse His name, deny His existence and ignore His power. They overlook Him until something goes wrong in their life; and then they freely blame Him for all of their troubles. Yet, when life is sweet and they are prospering, they rarely if ever, give Him the credit or gratitude, which He deserves.

There is also a disturbing trend in the church today. Although God exalted Jesus, we often fail to exalt Him to the highest place in our life. We forget to live the example before the world that He makes a difference in our existence. He is the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and then He sat down at the right hand of our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:2). Yet, we relegate Him to the back seat in our life.

The opinion of a base society or a lukewarm church means little, however, when I compare it to the fact that God already exalted Jesus to the highest place among men for all of eternity. I look forward to the day when every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11). When we believe that Jesus lived before He created all things, and that He holds all things together (Colossians 1:16-17), these facts make a huge difference in our thinking. Then our thoughts influence our actions, which convince the beliefs of other people; and the truth spreads throughout the world.

All things were created by Jesus, both in heaven and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; yet He loves us so much that He takes up residence within our spirit at our request (1 John 4:15). Surrendering our sinful nature to Him and inviting Him to move into our spirit is the first step in experiencing eternal hope. Exalting Jesus to the highest place in our life, our marriage, our family and our church is the second step.

When we fall in love with Jesus, we enter this realm of eternal hope. We fellowship with other believers, give testimony to the lost of His saving grace, study the Bible, pray, and allow His eternal light of hope to shine through us. Loving God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30) is essential in living out this eternal hope, which God gives us through Jesus Christ, our Lord. If we develop this close, personal relationship with Jesus, then everyone will see our good works, that come from our faith in Him, and they will glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, there is so much in life for which to praise You. You give us both our Christian faith and our eternal hope. Drawing closer to Your presence and giving You the honor due to Your name allows our inner light to shine out. Then we can demonstrate to the world that eternal life is possible through faith in Your name, which is above every other name now and forever.

Thought for the Day:

We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
- 2 Thessalonians 1: 12

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