Totally Accepted and Approved

 

Our dependence on other people, our accomplishments, the size of our bank account or the amount of worldly goods we accumulate will overwhelm us with bondage to the earthly realm of life.

Our motivation for our choices and activities usually revolves around temporal considerations rather than eternal factors. What we fail to realize is that we are already crucified with Christ and filled with His Spirit (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:16-19).

The Lover of our soul is poised to lead us through each moment of our life; yet, we often ignore Him and tend to go to Him only in moments of crisis.

We forget that we are totally approved, accepted and unconditionally loved our Creator and King (2 Timothy 2:15). He loves us from the inside out.

God chose us before He formed the world and has a fulfilling plan for our life (Ephesians 1:4). We do not deserve His love and constant attention, but He freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32).

We find our security, peace of mind and needs met only in Him, regardless of circumstances. We do not earn it, because it is a free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Therefore, we never need to fear that we may do or say something to lose this personal connection to our Almighty God. It is ours forevermore. Once we express genuine sorrow over our sins and choose to follow God instead, we are eternally secure in Him (Romans 5:8).

Prayer:

Father God, You will never change Your mind about us and divorce us from Your family. You love us in spite of our foibles and idiosyncrasies, regardless of our behavior and without us having to earn Your unconditional favor. You are the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Thank You for Your overwhelming love, which sent Jesus to die for our redemption, for adopting us into Your family and making us co-heirs with Christ of everything pertaining to Your Kingdom both now and for eternity (Romans 8:17). Strengthen us in our inner being by Your Spirit and help us to walk in Your ways.

Thought for the Day:

There is nothing we could ever think, do or say that could ever separate us from the love of God. - Romans 8:38-39

Our Only Passion

By God’s grace, Jesus Christ brought salvation to the whole world. He dwells within us and inspires us to abandon all unrighteousness and carnal desires.

Living in union with Christ becomes our only passion. We live, move and have our being only in Him. He is our life, our motivation and our inspiration (Acts 17:8; Colossians 3:4)

He redeems us from sinful behavior and purifies us as a people who belong to Him. His Spirit within us allows us to live a self-controlled, holy and upright life in this world.

As we wait for our blessed hope, which is the reappearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, we cheerfully and zealously follow His Spirit’s direction (Titus 2:11-14).

Since we are in union with Christ, the kingdom of God is now within us, and God blesses us with all spiritual blessings from His throne (Luke 17:21; Ephesians 1:3).

We set our mind on things above, not on things on the earth, and our treasure in not from this world (Colossians 3:2; Philippians 2:5, 4:8). Jesus gives us great power, which comes from God and not from our self (2 Corinthians 4:7).  

The more we submit our life to God, the more we die to sin and the less Satan is able to hassle us. We live by the faith of Jesus who loves us and gave Himself for us (Hebrews 1:3; Galatians 2:20).

As we walk in the Spirit, we are assured that everything happening to us is the will of God for us. We may feel unhappy, stressed, anxious or fearful; but as we keep our mind on God, He gives us His peace (Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27).

God's Spirit enables us to change our focus about the negative issues in our life. We no longer see an empty cupboard, but room for more of God's blessings. He is always faithful to provide for all of our needs (Philippians 4:19).

Prayer:

Father God, the trials we experience are not as devastating to us as they used to be. They are only light and momentary affliction now, because we no longer focus on the things we see in this transient realm of life, but only on the eternal weight of glory You are preparing for us.

We look forward to this glory, which far exceeds anything we have ever seen or experienced on this earth (2 Corinthians 4:13-18). As we share the gospel of Jesus with others, Your grace extends to more and more people, which increases our thanksgiving to You (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Thought for the Day:

Everything we ever accomplished in our flesh is minimized by what we gain in Christ; being found in Him through faith in Him increases our passion for knowing Him in His exceptional greatness. 
- Philippians 3:7-9

No Longer a Sinner - Christ Formed in Us

As we study the life of Christ, we can see how the Spirit of God is transforming us into His likeness with each passing day, changing us from one stage of Jesus' glory to the next (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Since Christ abides in us, the Spirit in Jesus fills us to overflowing too. The glory of the Lord shines in us and on us and through us. His nature and character possess our entire being as we yield our self to Him.

He conforms us into a life filled with Christ in us and uses us for His purpose to draw people to Himself. He frees us from contentment with the flesh and gives us a hunger for the eternal.

The living Christ manifests Himself through us more each day. As we decrease by dying to our old, carnal self, He increases (John 3:30). His thoughts become our thoughts and His glory is revealed in and through us.

The more we focus on Jesus' life, attributes, power and holiness, and submit our will to the Holy Spirit within us, the quicker we become like Him and the more we exhibit His presence on the earth.

His love pervades every portion of our spirit and soul, and keeps our body in health and well-being. Even in times of trial and affliction, His abiding presence preserves us in His peace and fills us with His love.

God won our heart by His love and we entirely belong to Him as a servant to fulfill His will for our life (Ephesians 2:10). His joy is our strength and His love is our motivation to serve Him through all the days of our life (Nehemiah 8:10).

Prayer:

Father God, we bow before You in adoration and contrition, making our requests known to You through continual prayer throughout the day. Fill us with Your presence and manifest Yourself through us to the world around us. Use us for Your purpose and glory each moment of the day.

Thank You for becoming a human being through Christ, for filling us with Your Spirit and for giving Yourself to us in such a practical way. We look forward to living in Your Kingdom for eternity as joint heirs with Jesus of all that You have given Him (Romans 8:17).

Thought for the Day:

It is God's purpose to manifest the image of Christ in and through us, as we contemplate the glory of Christ and follow the guidance of His Holy Spirit through every moment of our day. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

An Empty Vessel

God cleanses us at Salvation and creates an empty vessel to fill with Himself. As our flesh decreases, Christ is able to increase in us (John 3:30). He brings with Him all the attributes of the Trinity to abide within us.

We welcome every trial and look for the hand of God in both the negative and positive aspects of life - knowing that it is all part of His pre-arranged will for us and that He works out everything for our ultimate good (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:28).

We have confidence in the fact that nothing in heaven, on earth or in hell can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). We trust in His divine will and draw from His power within us to obey His Spirit each moment of the day.

We delight in working according to His good pleasure (Psalm 40:8). He fills us with all peace and makes us pleasing in His sight (Romans 15:13; Hebrews 13:21). We start as an empty vessel at salvation and He fills us to the brim with Himself (Ephesians 3:16-19).

Our weakness makes room for His strength, His will is our sole motivation and His ways are the only desires of our heart. We find glory in our short-comings, idiosyncrasies and infirmities, because through them, He is glorified.

Our peculiarities are God's sign of ownership. Do you have issues with the way you talk, look, the balance of your bank account, the profession in which you work?

God uses these peculiarities to keep us humble and dependent on Christ in us rather than our own special human abilities. As we submit to His will, He can accomplish His will on the earth.

If we are still full of our self, we leave no room for God to fill us with His presence and purpose for our life. The more we empty our self of our self, the more of us He can use.

Prayer:

Father God, we bow before You in humble adoration and praise. We depend on You for the very air we breathe. Your almighty power is at work within us, in nature all around us, and in the lives with which we come into contact every day. We totally surrender to Your perfect will for every moment of our life.

We trust in You to use us as You will and to work out everything in our life - even the negative aspects - for our good (Romans 8:28). You work mightily within us by Your power and we lift up Your majesty on high. We give You Your way in our life and trust You to use us now and to take us home to glory with You when we complete our mission for You here on this earth.

Thought for the Day:

In the solace of surrender and faith, we find the deepest measure of God's love and presence.