No Longer a Sinner - Divinity of Christ in Us

The Bible is full of symbolism. For instance, water baptism is a symbol of our death, burial and resurrection in Christ. We raise to walk in a new life with Him.

We do not die physically in baptism, but our flesh dies spiritually, and is now able to disregard the lure of sin in this world. Sin no longer tempts us as it used to, and we are free from its bondage.

We relate to Christ's new life in us to a greater degree than we connect to this world. We died together with Him; and it is Him, not us, that now lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

We are one with Christ; and through His divine nature within us, we die to the desire to sin. God adopts us into His family. We share in His benefits in His Kingdom of God as co-heirs with Jesus.

In Christ, we gradually become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our focus in life, our habits and the people we hang around with all change. Our life is spiritual now, rather than carnal and fleshly.

Our vital union with Jesus, puts us in right standing before God, our Father (John 15:1-11; Romans 6:3-11; Ephesians 5:30). He births our spirit, and we live a life which is pleasing to God. We are one with Christ and members of His Body.

Our old, carnal flesh - our intellect, emotions and will - is crucified with Christ and we died to sin (John 15:4; Romans 6:6, 8:11; Colossians 3:3, 9; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 4:22). We are filled with the fruit of God's Spirit, which is the divine nature of Christ in us (Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that the fruit of Your Spirit grows in us only as we abide in Christ and follow Your will for our life (John 15:4). Our living union with the Trinity allows us to fellowship with You every moment of our day and results in our eternal security (John 10:27-30).

Create in us a clean heart, and use us as a living testimony for Your glory (Psalm 51:10). Thank You for loving us unconditionally and changing us from the inside out. We look forward to You continuing to change our relationship with You by Your Spirit, until our human nature is altered to one that reflects Your goodness to a lost and dying world.

Thought for the Day:

As a Christian, we are transformed by God's Spirit from one stage of glory to another until we reflect to the world the exact image of Christ in us. - 2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 1:3

Christ - Who is Our Life

Even though we are now strangers and pilgrims on this earth, it is through our relationship with Christ that He empowers us to live the Christian life (1 Peter 2:11).

When Christ, who is our life (Colossians 3:4), comes to dwell within us, He wants to live life for us and through us. We follow the Proverbs 3:5-6 principle and seek God's guidance for each moment of the day.

As authentic, Born Again Believers, our life is an extension of and inseparable from the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:5). Every choice we make comes as the result of prayer and the leading of God’s Holy Spirit (Colossians 3:1; Galatians 5:16, 25).

The reality of our union with Christ is that we are already dead to the bondage of worldly influence, to the lure of sinful pleasures and to the lofty ambitions of our old life.

We yield to the Spirit’s direction throughout the day as we submit to Him, and He transforms us and renews our mind (Ephesians 4:30; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18). God replaces our old nature with His new life.

Christ in us will actually direct our preparation and then teach the class, preach the sermon, write the article, witness to our lost co-worker, deal with that rude person, supervise in the workplace, take our tests, clean the house, care for the children and overcome any situation in our life (Colossians 3:17).

We cast our crowns and our burdens at His feet and follow His Holy Spirit's direction through every moment of every day (Proverbs 3:5-6). Where He leads us, we will follow.

As we live as He leads, God gives us His abundant life, eternal in the heavenlies, with more peace and joy than we can ever imagine (John 10:10; Ephesians 2:6).

Prayer:

Father God, seeking You is the passion of our life. We desire above everything else to walk in Your ways and to be an expression of You in the earth (1 John 3:1-3, 9). Our life is hidden in You in the same way that a seed is hidden in the earth.

We too will bear much fruit as we live life totally empty of our self and in surrender to Your Lordship within us. We are transformed by renewing our mind, rather than by allowing the world to conform us into its mold. Then, we will be able to test and discern what Your good, pleasing and perfect will is for us each moment of every day (Romans 12:2).

Thought for the Day:

The abundant beauty and holiness of Christ dwells within us. He captivates our attention and removes from us all distraction in our life.