Our Patched​ Humanity

Through a lifetime of fighting the circumstances, which life deals out to us, we are so encumbered by bandages that it is hard to function. Our body and soul often end up bruised, broken, patched up and in the hospital - on crutches, just to traverse our day. Our spirit is already dead in sin, and no help to us at all (Ephesians 2:1).

Once we come to Christ through salvation, He heals us from the inside out. Our works of righteousness have no influence over God's love for us or our eternal standing; but they are very necessary for our wedding garment as the Bride to our Savior, King Jesus (Revelation 19:8).

We start to focus more on the spiritual, eternal aspects of life rather than the humanistic, temporal issues. Life is no longer about us; but Christ is now our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4).

Even when our faith wanes, He helps our unbelief (Mark 9:24). Our spirit is perfect; but our soul - our thoughts, choices and feelings - is still in the process of healing and maturing in His faith within us (Galatians 2:20).

God elevates us as His adopted children and we no longer depend on our self (Ephesians 1:5). We turn our faith toward Christ and we live by the direction of His Spirit. His peace floods our soul and our pent-up anger dissolves (Isaiah 26:3).

God's Spirit conforms us to the mind of Christ and transforms our nature to Christ's divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). He exchanges our human weaknesses with God's strength; so we can do all things through Christ's presence within us (2 Corinthians 13:4; Philippians 4:13).

Prayer:

Father God, often when we pray, our mind is full of what we did and did not say or do. We cannot get in touch with our true needs, because we are not listening to our own soul. We are not listening to Your Spirit either, who wants to pray and function through us.

Yet, as we spend our time in complete and anxious-free prayers of praise, we learn to live unencumbered by things of this earth. We enter into a life of praising and worshipping our living Lord. As we trust in You alone, You make all things work together for our good (Romans 8:28). Our faith is built and strengthened as we see Your faithfulness in our life.

Thought for the Day:
Journaling our thoughts, feelings and prayers allows us to empty our soul from its load of cares and concerns; when we look back over what we wrote and the prayers of our year, we see God's hand, working in the details our life.

No Longer a Sinner - Missing the Mark

When we sin, we miss the mark of perfection modeled by Jesus and His sinless life. As unbelievers we have no choice but to walk in sin, because Satan is our father and he is the father of lies (John 8:44).

However, once we come to Christ for forgiveness of our sins and for His redemption of our life as a sinner, we no longer live in habitual sin. We may miss the mark now and then and sin; but it is no longer our lifestyle.

If we continue to live in habitual sin, we are still dead in sin and do not have the Holy Spirit within us (Romans 8:9). We are not Born Again by the Spirit of God, but we continue to live as slaves of unrighteousness and we reap its destruction (Romans 6:15-23).

Maybe we were convicted and we called out to God for salvation; yet we were never converted. Salvation is a two-sided coin: The prayer of faith on one side, but the repentance of sin is on the other side (Mark 1:14-15).

If we are Born Again, we are embodied by God's Spirit and we are no longer a sinner. We are a Saint. At first this is only true positionally in our eternal standing with God, because we are still in need of sanctification in our soul.

As we pray without ceasing, allow God's Spirit to do His sanctifying work in our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions - and walk according to the Spirit's direction for each moment of our day, we are literally free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

We grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ and our flesh decreases as He increases within us (2 Peter 3:18; John 3:30). He fills us through all of our being with all the fullness of God. We have the richest measure of His presence and we are a body wholly filled with God (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:4), and we live to do His will with each moment of our day. We enjoy our times alone with God - even the silent moments when He is just enjoying our company. We walk in His truth and spread His peace every place we go.

We are amazed at the divine appointments that God sets up for us along the way. People are encouraged and blessed by the presence of Christ in us, and we are blessed to watch Him work in and through us.

Prayer:

Father God, let there be peace in the world, and let it begin with Your Saints. Remind us that we are free from the law of sin and death by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1-2). We no longer live a lifestyle of sin, although we do miss the mark of Your perfection once in a while.

As long as we humble our self, admit our failings and desire to live Godly in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:12), we remain in Your Spirit and follow His guidance to live in Your will each moment of our day. Thank You for empowering us by Your Spirit to live as Your ambassadors while we remain on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

God wants to use us for His Kingdom: He may lead us to fill a physical need for someone in the name of Jesus; a tear-filled face gives us the opportunity to share the compassion of Christ; a blank stare or faraway look in someone's eye allows us to infuse His love and joy into a frustrating or perplexing situation - be ready, willing and able to serve in Jesus' name. - Matthew 10:41

Is God Against You?

Read: Romans 9:11-26

“Even if our father and mother should leave us, the Lord will take us in.” - Psalm 27:10

Have you ever felt like everyone was against you? Nothing ever works out in your favor. Friends let you down. Your boss overlooks you for that coveted promotion that you feel you earned. Does it sometimes even feel like God is against you?

One of the most questioned verses in the Bible refers to the birth of the twin boys, Jacob and Esau. Before they were ever born or had a chance to “do” any action - good or bad, God said, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I hated." (Romans 9:13) This verse makes it sound like God unjustly chose His favorite without giving each one of the twins a chance to earn that privilege. But God knew the intents and purposes of their hearts. Jacob had a heart after God and Esau was totally carnal and worldly. It is interesting to me, though, that even so, God ended up blessing Esau all of his life, as well as He blessed Jacob (Genesis 33:9), because of His promise to Abraham (Genesis 12: 2-3).

We all spend our childhood exerting energy in trying to please our earthly father and mother. We try to make them proud of us. We endeavor to earn acceptance and affirmation from them. Even after a lifetime of trying to gain parental approval, many people never do.

We transfer this same self-effort in trying to earn God’s love. There is good news, however. This is the same God that told Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Romans 9:15). Our eternal standing with God has nothing at all to do with our efforts, but everything to do with God's mercy (Romans 9:11-16).

Therefore, we can separate our earthly father and our Heavenly Fathers in our mind. Whether or not our earthly parents ever showered us with unconditional love, we are fully acceptable to God the moment we repent of our sins and accept Jesus’ blood sacrifice for us (Ephesians 1:6). We are as loved by God as anyone else in the universe from that moment forward. 

Our parents, regardless of their efforts, motives and motivation are imperfect in love, imperfect at parenting, and imperfect in every other area of life. They do their best, but they are human. They are as flawed as you and I are. God, on the other hand, gives us a picture of the perfect Father, incapable of error on any level.

As His imperfect children, we can accept His perfect love at any time during our life. Once we surrender our life to Him, we are acceptable in the beloved of God (Ephesians 1:6). As believers we are spiritual children, adopted into God’s family as His sons (Romans 11:17). We are joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17). God never turns us away, He never stops loving us, and He never gives up on us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. 

God said to Jacob: "And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go … for I will not leave until I have done what I have promised you" (Genesis 28:15). This is His promise to us as well. Even if our parents should leave us, the Lord will take us in (Psalm 27:10).

Prayer:

Oh Lord God, how bounteous is Your love! How endless is Your striving with mankind to woo us to Your bleeding heart! How glorious is the covering of Your feathers (Psalm 91:4) and Your high tower in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9).

Thought for the Day:

God only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. - Psalm 62:2