Reflecting Gods Character

 

As a new born Christian, we look at Biblical mandates and attempt to make a list of all of the requirements to keep in order to please the God who saved us. We want to walk righteously before Him.

Or some people look at the requirements and consider giving up before they start, because the chore of walking in righteousness appears overwhelming.

What we do not yet understand is that the same Spirit that justified us is present within us to sanctify us and to quicken our mortal body in glorification when we see Jesus.

We will have the sanctified mind, eternal spirit and glorified, immortal body of Christ Himself (Philippians 2:12-13). Jesus is both the author and the finisher of our perfection.

We do not need to sprint up the mountain to attain Godliness as quickly as possible; but merely to obey God's call and directives one moment at a time.

The only help He needs from us is that we enter His rest, consult Him before we do or say anything, and then walk in His Spirit each moment of the day (Proverbs 3:5-6; Galatians 5:15-25).

We spend intimate time in His presence, which fill us; in His Word, which instructs us; in His Spirit, which inspires and guides us; and in His fellowship, which completes and fulfills us.

Prayer:

Father God, when we surrender each moment of our day to You, we do not instruct You on how to make our dreams come true. Instead, we accept Your will for our life and draw from the power and strength of Your Spirit within us to fulfill each directive which comes from You.

Give us the power and authority that Paul and Silas enjoyed when they went to the synagogue and spoke in Your name about Jesus. Help us to make a difference in this life for as many people as You bring our way. Your Holy Spirit works in their life and in ours through each divine appointment.

Thought for the Day:

As a mirror, we reflect God's glory and divine nature to the world around us.

Internal Calm

 

Once we go to the Cross of Christ and surrender our sin-filled life, the Spirit brings forth new life through His fruit and He starts to rid us of every obstacle that blocks His flow.

The more we allow sin to rule in our flesh, the more trials we endure. The quicker we relinquish our self-centeredness to God, the less tribulation we encounter.

Our attitude about life changes from earthly to spiritual. When God’s Spirit fills us, we cannot help praising Him. We even wake up with a song flowing through our mind.

Natural issues no longer bother us. We truthfully do not care where we live, what we eat or how many earthly possession we accumulate. In fact, we prefer the simplicity of life over the clutter of possessions and a stress-filled life.

We do not allow life to rob us of our peace, joy and contentment. Christ in us triumphs over sin in us. We are free from the power of sin, because we now live in our true identity in union with Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Prior to salvation, our spirit is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:5). After Salvation, our humanity is dead to sin. We die with Christ through His death and we can no longer live in habitual sin (Romans 6:2, 6:5, 7:4; 2 Corinthians 5:14).

If we keep on living in sin, it is because Christ is not living within us (Romans 6:1-2). Although we are not yet perfect, we press on to attain this goal, because it is possible through Christ’s divinity within us (Philippians 3:12).

Prayer:

Father God, once we realize that we are dead to sin, then we enjoy a fresh new life. We identify with Jesus’ resurrection and walk in union with Him (Romans 6:4-5). In Him all of our needs are met according to Your glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). Your abundant and unconditional love flows over us like a waterfall and we are complete in Jesus (Colossians 2:10).

Thank You for giving life to our mortal bodies through Your Spirit who indwells us (Romans 8:11). Our physical body will tire from exertion, but we have Your supernatural energy in our body, soul and spirit because Christ lives His life in and through us. You give us Your peace so our hearts will not be afraid or anxious in times of trouble (John 14:27).

Thought for the Day:

Even when our soul is troubled, we find hope in God's faithfulness to us and to those in our world all around us. - Psalm 42:11

Dying of Thirst

This modern world is a dry, hot desert and our fellow humans are dying all around us, even though Authentic Christians contain the water that they need to give them life and enable them to live victoriously on this earth.

Yet, we often withhold from them the very information they need in order to find the endless well of God's life-giving water. We fail to tell them about our loving Father and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3).

As we seek to follow God's Spirit each moment of the day, they will see His fruit in us, which is the divine nature of Christ, who lives in us (2 Peter 1:4). The living water in us can also nourish fellow Christians going through a dry spell (1 Corinthians 16:18; 2 Corinthians 7:13).

Our source of water never leaves or forsakes us. He cares for every issue which we cast on His shoulders (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Peter 5:7). As we share the living water within, we never run dry.

Rivers of living water satisfy the longing of our soul (Psalm 107:9) and overflow to those around us who need His special touch in their lives as well. If the flow is a mere dribble, then we have some work to do.

We start by taking our focus off what we want from life and concentrate instead on what God wants from our life. We walk in the Spirit and we do not fulfill the carnal desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

When Jesus walked on the earth, many recognized Him as the boy from Nazareth (John 5:23). Therefore, they did not believe He was the Messiah. They did not know God and did not recognize Jesus for who He truly is (John 5:42-43).

Yet, others recognized His Godly nature and believed in His divine calling in their midst (John 8:19). We too can recognize our need for Christ in our life and allow Him to flow from us into the lives of those all around us (John 5:37-38).

We choose to live in God's will for us - not to seek our own glory, but to seek God's glory instead (John 7:17-18). We willingly share the living water within us with whomever chooses to come and drink from our well.

Prayer:

Father God, You offer for us to come and drink, because You desire that not one person perish in the eternal flames of hell. You provide Your free gift of salvation to the entire world (Matthew 23:37; John 2:16-18); but many are caught up in their own plans or in the devil's lies and are sidetracked from any pursuit to follow You. They use counterfeit methods to attempt to quench their thirsty soul.

Remind us that we are more than our mortal body. We are also a never-dying soul - emotions, thoughts and choices - as well as a spirit (Luke 16:19-31). Help us to take advantage of Your great wisdom, power, goodness, justice, love, peace, joy and holiness. Remind us to feast on Your Word and to drink from Your wellsprings of living water (John 4:14, 6:35). Draw us close to You and never, ever let us go.

Thought for the Day:

The ache in our heart and the thirst in our soul are only filled by coming to Christ for His salvation and fulfillment. 

- John 1:12