The Faith of the Son of God

How can we live by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20)? First and foremost, we live by the mercy and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and His provision of regeneration and His resurrection life in us (2 John 1:3; Titus 3:5; Philippians 3:11).

Faith has nothing to do with our hopes or claiming God’s Word for things we want. It has everything to do with Christ who abides within us. Faith only comes to us by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).

If we did not have the faith of Christ within us, we could not have faith in Christ and His redemptive work for us on Calvary’s cross (Galatians 2:16; Matthew 1:21; Hebrews 10:1-14). As Christ is formed in us, our humanity decreases.

We live in Christ, just as Christ also lives in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). We also live in God’s righteousness, not by keeping rules and regulations, but by the faith of Christ which gives it all to us (Romans 3:21-22; Philippians 3:7-9).

Christ becomes our whole life (Colossians 3:4). We receive the promises of God by Christ’s faith within us, not by mustering up our faith by human effort (Hebrews 10:5-14; Galatians 3:22-26).

Keeping God’s law through our self-effort is also useless, and Jesus showed us this truth (Romans 10:4). God works the faith of Christ into our life by His Spirit (Ephesians 1:19-20, 2:8-9; Colossians 1:12).

Through Christ in us, we are adopted sons of the living God, heir with Christ and we are given the right to call God our “Abba Father” (Galatians 3:26, 4:4-7). We can come boldly to His throne (Ephesians 3:12).

We receive peace with God through the atonement of Christ on Calvary’s cross (Romans 4:25, 5:1-12, 18). He is the only Mediator between us and God (Ephesians 1:12). The faith of Christ gives us a firm foundation (Acts 3:16).

Salvation gives us the treasure of Christ in our mortal body (Colossians 2:3). Once we recognize that we are truly crucified with Christ, then Christ is fully formed in us and manifests through our mortal body (2 Corinthians 4:7; Galatians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, as You form Christ in us, His faith rests in us as well. The more we come to know Him, the more we walk in His faith (John 17:3). As we come to know Christ more, we also come to know Your ways and purpose for our life.

The faith of Christ in us is the evidence of the things we hope for, but which we cannot yet see (Hebrews 11:1). Abiding in Christ is the only way we walk in Your power (John 16:24). Remind us not to “name it and claim it” for our own carnal purposes; but to ask and seek only for Your Kingdom.

Thought for the Day:

We live in the faith of the Son of God, which Jesus both conceives and brings to fruitfulness in us. 

– Hebrews 12:2

Don't Swim, Just Float

 

A friend told me to stop swimming through life, and just float. She meant that God designed His life in us to propel us through life without any effort on our part. She meant that we relinquish our need to work for God and to please Him with our efforts. She also reminded me that dying to self is not an action on our part, but an acceptance of the fact that we are already dead and hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

This allows us not to fret about tomorrow, but to live each moment in the center of God’s will for us. We trust Him to give us the desire, to lead us, and to work through us in every situation (Philippians 2:12-13). We are the vessel for Him to use for His purposes. The pot never moves. It just rests in the Potter’s hand, willing to serve at the Potter’s will (Romans 9:20-21). We are God’s temple; His holy, resting place upon this earth (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

When we seek Him, we find Him, if we search for Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). God does not honor half-hearted devotion. He laid down His life for us and wants nothing less from us. As we serve in His Kingdom, He supplies all of our needs (Matthew 6:33). As we trust in His promises, His divine nature replaces our carnal nature (2 Peter 1:4). Our self-life is dead, and Christ lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

To acquire salvation, we repent and surrender (1 Peter 1:15). To enter God’s rest, we cease from our human striving (Hebrews 4:10). To walk in the Spirit, we refrain from walking in the flesh (Galatians 5:16, 25). We are His gloves; and He is the hand fitting firmly within us. We cooperate as He uses our body, soul and spirit for His service. We rest in the Vine as He produces fruit through us as His branches (John 15:5).

We become partakers of His Divine Nature by fleeing from covetousness by His grace, peace and freedom. We exercise our faith, which helps us to develop virtue, excellence, perseverance and knowledge, which lead to patience, endurance and godliness and Christian love. These qualities increasingly abound in us to keep us from idle unfruitfulness (2 Peter 1:2-9). We live by the faith of the Son of God in us (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:

Father God, You inspire and direct our thoughts, words and actions by Your Spirit within us. We enter into Your rest by ceasing from our own efforts, and we allow Christ to walk, talk and act through us. This is more than Him using us, but Him actually working through us to accomplish Your will in the earth around us. We freely receive from Him. Please, use our body, soul and spirit to freely give to those in need around us (Matthew 10:8).

Thought for the Day:

We can do all things only when Christ lives within us. – Philippians 4:13

The Human Beings - Part One

I love being a Human Being!  Ever since I learned that some tribes of Native American Indians refer to themselves as, "The Human Beings," I have been enthralled with the depth of what it really means to be a Human Being. Recently, while reading in Colossians, I saw a series of things God wants from us as Human Be-ings. 

I.   BE-ING  FRUITFUL

Everything that God requires us to do, leads us to function from a place of rest and peace. So often we try to be Human DO-ings.  We are so caught up in living life that we forget to just BE alive. Our goal as Human Be-ings is to be fully pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:10).  How do we accomplish this goal?  By "being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Colossians 1:10). The Holy Spirit, the third aspect of God as the Trinity, comes to dwell in us at Salvation, bringing with Him all the fullness of God. His fruit are part of the benefit we receive as Christians (Galatians 5:22-23). 

II.  BE-ING STRENGTHENED

Before we can walk in this fruitfulness that pleases God, we need to be strengthened by God’s Spirit (Colossians 1:11). God works in us, giving us both the desire and the power to work out our own salvation according to His good purpose (Philippians 2:12-13). I can guarantee that if you are not in a trial right now, or if you are not just coming out of one, then you will be going into one in the very near future!!! We cannot reach the mountaintop without first going through the valley. But God promises to strengthen us with peace, patience, and joy no matter what circumstance currently occupies our time.

III. BE-ING THANKFUL

The Bible instructs us to give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18; Colossians 1:12). It exhorts us "not to be anxious about any trial we experience, but in everything, through prayer and with thanksgiving, to present our requests to God (Philippians 4:6). The Bible calls it a cheerful heart.  But have you ever tried to be cheerful without first being grateful? An attitude of GRATITUDE is the key to the Christian walk. God calls us to give thanks in every circumstance regardless of how bad it is.

The next time you are in the pit of despair: count your blessings. Start with the letter "A" of the alphabet.  Think of a word that starts with "A" for which you can be thankful. Then go to "B" and thank God for bananas, or boats, or balloons. Be thankful right through the alphabet until you either fall asleep (a trick which Satan often uses when he thinks we are giving God too much of our attention), or until you reach the letter "Z." (To Be Continued)

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, teach us to rest in you and to wait on Your Spirit’s direction for each new day. Help us to realize that our human effort is just that…effort; yet, when we live the unique plan You prepared for us we succeed in every way. Help us to be grateful to You for what you give us each day and to trust that You will fill our tomorrows with every good and perfect gift as well.

Thought for the Day:

Be the person God created you to be, rather than a copy of someone else.

Bearing More Fruit

Read: John 12:42-43 

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).

A friend told me she did not want to accept Christ in her life, because she was afraid of losing too many of her friends. I reminded her that she would gain even more and truer friends, but she was too fearful to give it a try. Another friend was afraid that God would require that he give up his self-important lifestyle and his excessive carnal desires.

All of our gifts and abilities come from God’s work in our life. He even prunes us, so that we can bear more fruit. God uses our trials to build into us the character of Christ (Romans 8:29). Our motivation in service to King Jesus comes from our love for God and not prompted by the praises of man or driven by our measure of success. God deserves all of the praise for who we are (Ephesians 2:10). When people praise our fruitfulness, we can thank them for their encouragement and give the glory to God.

Thought for the Day:

No criticism makes me less, just as no praise makes me more.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help us to keep You as our focus as we bear fruit for You and as You prune us to bear even more fruit.