Adopted by Our Holy God

In our humanistic society, it is impossible not to keep our focus on our self. We think about #1, sometimes to the exclusion of those whom we should cherish more than our own self.

We forget that Christ laid down His life for us and calls us to lay down our life for others. It is easier for most women to lay down our life, because our genes tend to be hardwired with the codependent nature.

However, there are also men in our society that have this emotional, compassionate nature that makes it easier for them to put others above their self.

The issue here is more about Christ increasing within our spirit and soul as our focus on our self decreases (John 3:30). We consider others as better than our self (Philippians 2:3-4).

This does not mean that we neglect our self - we are people too and we can minister to our needs in the same way that we care for everyone else. In fact, this habit keeps us healthy and more able to help others (Mark 12:31).

Yet, as our flesh decreases, we are new creatures in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:23-24). We are offspring of our holy God and His divine nature infuses every part of our body, spirit and soul - thoughts, choices and feelings (Acts 17:28-29).

In eternity, Christ will even transform our body to mirror His glorious, immortal one (Philippians 3:21).  God's Spirit completely sanctifies us, conforming us to the image and likeness of Christ, God's first born Son (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Prayer:

Father God, You adopted us as individual members of Your Body, and placed Jesus is our head (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:15). Our body is Your temple and as the corporate Body of Christ, we are one with Your Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:17). The world recognizes that You sent us on their behalf, because our life is a testimony of You to them (John 17:21-23).

Jesus gives us the glory, which You gave to Him, so that we can be one with Him, You and with one another (John 17:22). Help us to be patient and diligent as You slowly mature our spiritual growth until we share in the divine nature of Christ (Ephesians 4:13).

Thought for the Day:

We are crucified with Christ, and therefore, we live in this world for the glory of Christ; yet, it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us and through us. - Philippians 1:21; Galatians 2:20

Union with Christ – The Testimony of Enoch

 

Enoch is my favorite character in the Bible. He walked with God; and "he was not, for God took him." I would love to have this intimacy with Christ (Genesis 5:22-24).

Enoch was the father of Methuselah, the oldest man who ever lived; and the great grandfather of Noah. He prophesied the flood and helped his great grandson to prepare for this terrible day of judgement.

Scholars tell us that many of Enoch’s writings had the poetry of the Psalms and the wisdom of Proverbs. Enoch was honorable, he loved mercy and He walked humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

His claim to Biblical fame is that after his son was born, he “walked with God” for about three hundred years. His life with God paints us a panorama of two intimate friends unhindered by the lusts of the flesh and the world around them; and totally immersed in one another’s fellowship (Amos 3:3).

Police statistics estimate that one person disappears per minute around the world. How many of those who disappear, like Enoch, walked with God and God translated them home?

Enoch foresaw the destruction of the wicked and the peaceful dwelling place of the righteous. With his will totally submitted to his Lord, Enoch learned from God.

As a man of faith, Enoch knew it was impossible to please God without trusting Him. So, he pleased God in his thoughts, words and deeds (Hebrews 11:5).

In His foreknowledge, God prepared both a destiny and a destination for the soul of every person before He ever brought us to the earth (Ephesians 2:10). His call for us is to walk in it with Him.

Prayer:

Father God, like Enoch, Adam and Eve enjoyed the cool of the day in the garden walking with You (Genesis 3:8). You also revealed yourself to Moses; and the face of this hesitant deliverer of Your people shone with Your glory after His mountain top experience with You (Exodus 34:35).

Abraham also walked with You (Genesis 24:40). Jesus walked with You and embodied You in person (John 14:7-9). Remind us that You love to walk with all of Your Saints. We are Your Temple and You commune with us every moment of the day by Your indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

Enoch saw Christ as the light of the nations, the hope of troubled hearts, the name by which we are saved, and the one that the righteous lean upon without falling; we too can enjoy this intimacy with Jesus through His Holy Spirit abiding in us.

Loving our Spouse

The joining of two human beings as one is a very difficult prospect (Mark 10:8). The high divorce rate proves that this is often impossible to do. There are basic human needs in each person, some of which were never satisfied in childhood. We carry these needs with us our whole life, trying to find fulfillment for them, even in marriage. 
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs )

When two people marry, they take these needs into this new relationship. If they are incompatible needs or if one person insists on their own needs being met instead of their partner's, there will be conflict in the marriage. However, if the couple is willing to humble themselves and to prefer one another on a daily basis, a happy marriage is possible (Romans 12:10).

Ask your spouse what he/she needs to feel loved. They may not even realize their basic needs, but there is Christian help at the bookstore, counselor's office and online. Words are either power tools of encouragement or lethal weapons of destruction (Proverbs 18:21). It turns out that many people need verbal validation from their spouse to feel loved (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Others need help with daily chores, which often overwhelm them (Galatians 6:2). Receiving a little love note or a simple gift during each day will help many other spouses to feel loved (1 Thessalonians 2:7-12). Having a meaningful, undistracted conversation, often accompanied by snuggle time, will do wonders for some other relationships (Hebrews 10:24).

The easiest tool to use to ensure peace and harmony in a relationship is to never insist on one's own way. Often, one person will have a need or idea they want to fulfill, but their spouse has a different idea of how to respond to this issue. Neither of you can agree with the other person's assessment, so there is an impasse or a violent argument.

As the popular song recommends, "The road is shorter when we meet in the middle." Rather than focusing on your own needs to the exclusion of your mate's needs, look at the issue from a third perspective. Brainstorm together about the problem or need until you find a solution that is agreeable to both of you. Rather than your Plan A, or your spouse's Plan B, agree on a Plan C that you both feel good about.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that You joined us as man and woman for the purpose of serving You together with our lives. Help us to prefer one another and to share with each other what you are teaching us every day. In an impasse, remind us that You have a perfect will for this issue or activity in our life. Rather than insisting on our own way, we need to seek You together in order to find Your solution for the problem. We love You and lift You up as Lord and Savior of our life and our marriage.

Thought for the Day:

Today, there are some great resources to help us to maintain an equitable and successful marriage, starting with The Five Love Languages                      ( http://www.5lovelanguages.com/profile/ ).

A Life of Change

A relationship with Christ changes our whole life. Our nature, desires, friends, spirituality and lifestyle will all change. Sometimes, it even changes our address, family dynamics, church attendance, values, goals and dreams. The biggest change comes in the form of who we are. We are brethren, related to other Believers; and children of the Light, adopted into God's family.

Satan attempts to convince us that we are still sinners. We even call our self "sinners, saved by grace." This cripples our walk with God and keeps us tied to the earthly realm. Our focus is negative, which does not allow us to live in victory over sin. We subconsciously think that we have no recourse but to sin. Satan cripples our walk with this lie (John 10:10).

The devil wants us to believe that we have not changed, that God is not real and that the Christian walk is ridiculous or impossible. However, God is the author of sweeping transformation. He changes us at our very core, and His power has a positive effect on our daily walk, as well as our eternal destination. We can certainly resist sin, because it no longer appeals to us.

God turns us into Saints who walk away from sin and toward Christ. We leave a world that is dark in disobedience and deprivation and walk toward the light of the Lord (Ephesians 5:8). Our spirit, once dead in sin, is now Born Again (Colossians 2:13). We no longer struggle with our identity, because we see our self as a child of God (1 John 3:2). We have value in our relationship with Him.

Prayer:

Father God, when Christ moves into our life, He radically changes our motivation and behavior. Your Spirit gives us the desire and the power to walk in holiness (Philippians 2:12-13). Our character takes on Your divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). The fruit of Your Spirit replaces the negative characteristics of our personality (Galatians 5:22-23). We live and move and have our being in Christ (Acts 17:28).

Thought for the Day:

We build on salvation with sanctified living and we reach for the prize of the high calling of Christ. - Philippians 3:14

Faith Without Doubt

 

After Pentecost, the apostles, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, continued to share Jesus’ teachings. The Word of God multiplied in the hearts of many, and even some of the hard-hearted priests, who schemed to bring about Jesus’ demise, put their faith in His divinity (Acts 6:7). This same thing occurs today through the preaching of God’s Word.

Faith gives us the assurance of what we hope for, and confidence even when we see no way for it to occur (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus’ life gives us the faith to believe that God exists also, because God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him at His right hand in Heaven. This allows us to place our trust and hope in God alone rather than in our own abilities (1 Peter 1:21).

Our faith grows as we exercise it. Faith visualizes the impossible (Matthew 19:26), overcomes the lies of the devil (Revelation 12:9-11), believes in God without proof (Hebrews 11:1), holds us firm during life’s tribulation (Matthew 7:24-27), places our feet on the solid Rock (Psalm 40:2), sees the Creator in nature and clings to God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Faith overcomes temptation from the world, the flesh and the devil without giving them any credence (Galatians 5:16). Even when we do not fully comprehend it, faith helps us to believe the truth of God’s Word (Mark 9:24). Just a little faith allows us to move huge impediments in our life, even those, which are the size of a mountain, because nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 17:20; 19:26).

Prayer:

Father God, many in this world condemn themselves to hell by their unbelief (John 3:18). Their stubbornness and pride cripple their heart and prevent them from trusting in anyone but their own self. Those of us who do believe in You, often have trouble with whole hearted trust. Father, help our unbelief (Mark 9:24). Take our human doubts, which wiggle into our hearts and bind them with Your truth. Your Word proves Your faithfulness to us over and over again. Thank you for all You do for us each moment of every day.

Thought for the Day:

We live by faith, not by sight. - 2 Corinthians 5:7