No Longer a Sinner - In Union with Christ

Jesus calls us to enter into His Body, to fellowship with Him minute by minute of every day and to enjoy eternity with Him in the new heaven and the new earth (Romans 8:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:14).

We relinquish our human personality and surrender our individuality until we become more like Christ every day. We live in union with our risen Lord and Savior who justifies, sanctifies and will ultimately glorify us.

The Father is in the Son, and the Son is in us by the Spirit of God. We live in union with the Trinity through every moment of our life, listening to the Spirit's direction and not being conformed to the expectations of this world.

Filled with God's Spirit and controlled and guided by Him, we reach spiritual heights we never thought possible. We experience Him working in and through us as He conforms us to the image of Christ.

We press toward the goal of the high calling of God until we reach the measure of the full stature of Christ in us (Ephesians 4:13). We do not stop maturing and growing in Christ until we reach perfection, controlled and guided by the Spirit of God (Matthew 5:48; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3; Ephesians 3:19).

When Christ resurrects the dead in Christ and raptures the church remaining on the earth, we will gain the same immortal body that Christ enjoys right now. We enter the glorious realm of the risen Lord.

We will not age, experience corruption and sickness, or feel emotional and mental distress and anxiety any longer. Even death is swallowed up in the victory of the cross of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Prayer:

Father God, awaken our apathetic soul and raise us from spiritual death (John 3:16-18). Remind us that Christ lives as a light within us (2 Corinthians 4:6). Help us to pay attention to how we live, so that we use Your wisdom in all that we say and do. Remind us to make the most of the time You give us and not to foolishly use it for our own selfish gains.

Show us Your will for our life and help us to walk in it (Ephesians 5:14-17). Help us to hear the way in which we should walk and to lift up our soul to You alone (Psalm 143:8). Keep us in step with Your Spirit through every trial and blessing we experience (Ephesians 5:14-17).

Thought for the Day:

Live life in full awareness of the immense potential available to us though our union with Christ.

A Balanced Christian Life

The Gospels of the Bible give us a play-by-play account of who Jesus was while He lived on the earth. The Epistles denote the power which Jesus now exercises from within His Body of authentic Believers.

We walk this earthly realm in the flesh, but through the dealings of God's Spirit within us, we crucify the flesh and the lusts thereof (2 Corinthians 10:3; Galatians 5:24). We no longer live in the flesh (Romans 8:5).

As we walk in the Spirit (Romans 8:9), the life of Christ is manifested through our physical existence (2 Corinthians 4:10-11). We live in the world, but we are not part of it (John 17:16).

Christ performs His work through us, which God prepared for us before the world ever began (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus moves into our spirit and we walk with His direction for each moment of the day (Galatians 5:16, 25).

We are controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit, who fills us (Ephesians 5:18). This is accomplished by the particular fruit and gifts of the Spirit, which He provides for each one of us individually (Ephesians 4:8-16; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 27-31).

We submit our negative thoughts to the Lordship of Jesus Christ for healing. We even lay down our positive thoughts and adopt His thoughts as our own (Philippians 2:5).

We have the abiding love and peace of God resident within us (Romans 5:5; Ephesians 2:14). Desiring to live Godly lives, we have everything we need to achieve this through Christ Jesus within (2 Timothy 3:13; 2 Peter 1:3).

Prayer:

Father God, as we surrender our will to Your will, we soon realize that You fill us completely. You lead us to give the fruit of our labors to our local church and to missionaries doing Your work, rather than to spend our time, energy and resources on frivolous amusements and earthly treasures. The earthly is here today, but gone tomorrow; yet Your work lasts into eternity (1 Corinthians 1:9, 6:17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:3-14, 4:32, 5:22-33; Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 15:28).

We want to do only Your will with our life. Following the leading of Your Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day results in physical productivity, a healthy mental and emotional life, spiritual advantages and material blessings which we cannot even begin to imagine until we walk in Your ways!

Thought for the Day:

When Christ is foremost in our thoughts and we pray about His order for our day, even cleaning the house, tending the children, working in the secular world, ministering at church, preparing meals and spending time with our family is the result of a spirit-filled life.