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.

Inner Light

It is possible to know about the Lord and to walk in obedience to His precepts; yet still walk in darkness, because you are not Born Again by His Spirit (Isaiah 50:10). We can live with a mental understanding of God, without a personal relationship with Him. Even those who walk victoriously in God’s presence may lose their faith from time to time, especially if God suddenly interrupts His blessings as He did with Job. We think that God is mad at us or not sovereign after all.

When we gauge our spiritual connection by our outward circumstances, we often grow disheartened. This leads to wallowing in the darkness of depression and discouragement. However, this will only happen if we depend more upon the provision than the Provider. When we seek God’s supply rather than His presence. Actually, God’s blessings do not depend on our position with Him, because they come to the unjust as well as to the just (Matthew 5:44-45; Psalm 37).

However, only those who persevere to the end will receive the prize of the high calling of God (Matthew 24:13; Philippians 3:14). This has nothing to do with material blessings and everything to do with enjoying God’s presence in our life moment by moment throughout the day. We can live in a den of squalor or in a state of homelessness, and still have the full blessings of God on our life. Worldly success is no indication of God’s favor; even the vilest of human beings often live in the lap of luxury.

God’s blessings are spiritual and often overflow into the physical realm; however, earthly treasure is not an automatic outcome of living for Christ. Believers in third world countries are no less blessed than Americans living in the lap of luxury. In fact, they live the blessing of a much simpler life, unencumbered by the cares of this world. They need not toil or sweat to keep up with their neighbor or to have the best and the most, which money can buy.

Once we call out to God in our sinful state and completely surrender our life into His protection and provision, we can know without a doubt that He will supply all of our needs according to His abundant riches (Philippians 4:19). The next time God pulls the rug out from under you, and you land in an unbecoming pose, remember that you are always sheltered in the everlasting arms of God. There is no calamity, which can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39).

 

Prayer:
Father God, You give us both the desire and the strength to work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12-13). You comfort and direct us through Your Spirit within and Your Word without. Your joy is our strength and You give us hope by Your presence in our life, even in the most discouraging of experiences. Help us to persevere until the end of our days, so that we can receive the crown of life (James 1:12).

Thought for the Day:
God leads us through the darkness by His inner Light within us. - John 8:12

 

Assume the Position

God made sure to provide us with many Biblical examples to follow. Jesus came down from heaven, not to do His own will or to seek His own glory, but to follow only our Father’s will for His life (John 6:38; 8:50). He did not do or speak anything by His own effort, but only as our Father instructed Him (John 8:28-29). He willingly laid down His human will and lived to please our Father. God wants us to adopt the same mindset as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:1-11). He laid down His glory and came to serve at our Father’s pleasure, even to the point of death (Philippians 2:5-8).

Another instance is our dear brother, Job. He lost every one and every thing that was dear to his heart. He ended up in an ash heap with boils and ill health, but he would not curse the Lord and die (Job 2:9). In His graciousness, God gave Job abundantly more than he ever had before his trials began (Job 42:10). Just like Jesus, Job reaped the blessings of God in return for submission to God’s will, and so will we (Philippians 2:9).

Stephen, a man full of God’s grace, wisdom and power performed many signs and wonders during his service to God (Acts 6:8,10). During his trial, his face shone like an angel with the peace of God (Acts 6:15). Even while threatened with death, Stephen preached his finest sermon. As he kept his focus on Jesus, the heavens opened up before Him and He viewed the scene in Heaven as he slipped from his earthly existence into eternity (Acts 7:1-60).

Paul lived his life dedicated to the Jewish religion, rising to the top with his self-efforts. He persecuted the followers of Christ with a vengeance. Then, he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and formed a union that gave him courage to face future deprivation and persecution with joy (Acts 9:4; Philippians 4:4). He surrendered everything to gain a deeper walk with Christ (Philippians 3:8). James must have had this same experience, because He advised us to count it all joy when we experience negative circumstances in our life (James 1:2).

Life is not about you! It is not about me either. Life is all about the will of our compassionate Father for each of us. In our stubborn, self-centered efforts to live our life, God allows us to go our own way, waiting patiently for us to exhaust our resources and fail in devastation. This is when, like Stephen, we finally look up from our pit of doom into His glorious face. Once we completely surrender to Christ in us, God shows us great and mighty things (Jeremiah 33:3) and fills us with His peace and joy (Romans 15:13).

We are all called us to assume the position of a helpless child, living in the nurture and with the direction of our benevolent Father (Matthew 18:3). Pursuing our earthly dreams and goals will never bring us true happiness. A surrendered life brings contentment to the inner core of our soul and to the depths of our heart, regardless of the circumstances in our life (1 Timothy 6:6, 8; 2 Corinthians 4:17). As we follow the will of God moment by moment throughout our day, He fills us with His peace and His Spirit until we glow with the face of an angel like Stephen, we enjoy material blessings like Job, we have an effective ministry like Paul and we live in the anointing of Jesus.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You lived a surrendered life to the will of our Father, giving us Your example to follow. Help us to shed the burdens of this world and to walk in Your freedom now and in eternity. Use us as instruments to shed Your peace abroad in the earth as we share Your gospel with those humble enough to receive You into their hearts.

Thought for the Day:

Constant denial of God’s call on our life will harden our heart and cause us to walk away from His Truth.

 

Thank you, Michael D. Perkins, for the use of your photo.