Never Grow Up!

 

Do you ever get tired of adult responsibilities? In Christ, we never “grow up”. You are His child, totally dependent upon our Father God’s divine power for everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). This is not an ethereal metaphor, but a simple, sensible and sincere relationship. As God’s children, we fully realize in spirit, body and soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions – that only He can sustain our life. He calls us to share in His glory and virtue.

God does not remove our free will, but simply loves us so much that we joyfully submit to His desires. We soon realize that we are totally incapable of supplying what we truly want and need from life. In total surrender to His will and ways, we find complete fulfillment that transcends anything this world, the devil or the flesh have to offer. We shed our molting skin of flesh and walk in newness of life by God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25).

We can fully trust our Father God. We serve the God of nations, and there is no one like Him (Psalm 33:12; Jeremiah 10:6; 1 Samuel 2:2). He is greater than every one else (2 Chronicles 2:5). He is the God of angel armies (Malachi 2:16). He gives us rest all around us (2 Chronicles 20:30; Joshua 21:44; 2 Samuel 7:1). History proves the words of scripture, which diagram God’s hand in the lives of mankind throughout the ages. There is not one reason for us to distrust Him.

When we come into union with our Father God through salvation, His will becomes our will, His choices become our choices, and the objects of His love become the objects of our love. We exhibit His divine nature in us, as our old human nature diminishes, because it is dead and buried with Christ in God. Jesus Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:3-4). This union through Christ inseparably binds us together in union with our Father and His.

Prayer:
Father God, we will rejoice in You, even if life throws at us one catastrophe after another (Habakkuk 3:17). You give Your angels charge over us, to protect us wherever we are and to keep us from harm (Psalm 91:11-12). If darkness dares to surround us, You come as our Light (Micah 7:8). Whenever we fall, You are right there to pick us up again (Psalm 37:24; Proverbs 24:16). No one can ever separate us from Your love (Romans 8:35). We praise You and give You all of the honor and glory due Your name (Psalm 29:2, 96:8).

Thought for the Day:
Our Father God may put us flat on our back, but it is only so that we will finally look up into His loving face.

 

 

Our Place in God's Kingdom

 

God walked with Adam in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). They had unbroken fellowship with one another. However, with Adam’s sin, this fellowship was broken. Then during the days of the tabernacle in the wilderness, God took up residence in the Holiest of Holies, also called the Most Holy Place. God fellowshipped with the High Priests (Leviticus 16:2,15). He also spoke to His prophets and used them to communicate His words to His people (Hebrews 1:1). He filled with His Spirit each of His anointed people throughout history so they could accomplish His work for them during their lifetime.

Then, with the ascension of Christ, God restored His original, daily communion with each of His children. The Holy Spirit moves into our spirit at salvation and He never leaves. We can quench the Spirit by our thoughts, choices and emotions (1 Thessalonians 5:19); but restoration comes with true repentance. With our new identity in Christ, we have access to the Holy of Holies and we may enter His presence with boldness (Hebrews 10:19). He gives us a new heart upon which He writes His commandments (Hebrews 8:10, 10:16).

God also calls us to cease from our labors and to enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:9-10). He gives us a special place in God’s Kingdom. Here is a list of a few of them. We are:

Acceptable in His Beloved (Ephesians 1:6)

Apple of God’s Eye (Zechariah 2:8)
Branch of the Vine of Christ (John 15:5)
Children of God (1 John 3:1-2, 10; John 1:12)
Chosen ones, dearly loved (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Peter 2:9).
Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:7)
Citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
Complete in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10)
Forgiven (Colossians 1:13-14)
Free from sin’s hold and condemnation (Romans 6:23, 8:1)
Friend of Jesus (John 15:15)
Fruit bearer (John 15:16)
God’s possession (Titus 2:14; 2 Peter 2:9)
God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
Holy, blameless, irreproachable (Colossians 1:22)
Indwelt by God’s Spirit (Ephesians 3:17)
Justified (Romans 5:1)
Kings, reigning through Christ (1 Peter 2:9; Romans 5:17)
Members of God’s Household (Ephesians 2:19)
New creation (2 Corinth, 5:17; Galatians 6:15; Ephes. 4:24; Coloss. 3:10)
New Israel of God (Galatians 6:16; Romans 9:6)
One with Christ in Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17)
People of God (1 Peter 2:10)
Perfected in the Spirit (Philippians 3:15; Hebrews 12:23)
Priests (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6)
Reconciled (Romans 5:10-11)
Redeemed (Colossians 1:13-14)
Righteous (Ephesians 4:24; Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
Saints (Romans 8:27; Ephesians 1:18, 4:12)
Sons of God through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:26)

Prayer:

Father God, Jesus is standing outside of the door of our heart, asking to come inside. If anyone hears His voice and opens the door, He promises to come in and fellowship with us, giving us access to Your Most Holy Place (Revelation 3:20; Hebrews 10:19). In addition to all of this, we enjoy newness of life forevermore (Romans 6:4). Thank You for our daily bread, for forgiving all of our sins and for all of Your blessings. We look forward to living and reigning with Christ during the Millennium and to living in Your presence throughout eternity.

Though for the Day:

Because Christ shed His blood for the remission of our sins, God now has a personal relationship with every Born Again Believer. - Hebrews 9:12

Imitators of Christ

 

 

As authentic Believers in Jesus Christ, we lay our sinful, carnal, earthly life at Jesus’ feet and identify with His crucifixion and resurrection (Philippians 3:8). We find our righteousness by faith in Christ, rather than in self-effort (Philippians 3:9; Galatians 3:1-3). Over the weeks and years of our walk with Him, we stop travailing over our sinful state and realize that we are already dead in Christ and raised to walk in newness of a life in Him (Romans 6:4).

 

We are united in mind, character, creativity and vision with our Father, just as Jesus is one with us and with our Father (Ephesians 3:19). We walk, talk, think and pursue a totally different lifestyle now. We are imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1), who is our life (Colossians 3:4). We exalt Him with our thoughts, words and deeds (Ephesians 4:1). Jesus gives us His power and authority over sin and the world, because He dwells within us with all the power of the triune God (1 John 4:15; Colossians 2:9).

 

In the current age of technology, sin is easier to access than ever before. If we have the slightest inclination toward sinfulness, we will certainly find a multitude of outlets for it. However, technology also gives us a wealth of Biblical resources at our fingertips. Out ability to grow in the knowledge and wisdom of God exponentially increases with technology. We also have the opportunity to fellowship with other Christians from around the world from the comfort of our own home, and to share our walk with Christ.

 

God removes the very presence of sin from our life, because we are His Temple. He cannot dwell in the presence of sin (Psalm 5:4; 1 John 5:18). We will reign with Him as priests of God during the Millennium (Revelations 20:6). Entertaining sin in our life or cowering in the corner of our house without using our talents for God will reap for us God’s displeasure (Matthew 25:14-30). God will take our talents and give them to those who are more faithful to His call on their life.

 

Prayer:

Father God, walking down the wrong path in life will affect our place in eternity. We may taste of the spiritual aspects of life, which You provide for us; and then walk away as if they have no value to us. We may sell our birthright as Your children in exchange for the lusts of the flesh. Then, we will walk as apostates for the rest of our life on earth. Hell holds a special place for those who turn their back on You. However, we desire to live only for You, because You live within us (John 14:19).

 

Thought for the Day:

Follow the wisdom from above, cling to that which is good, do not live in hypocrisy and cleanse your ways according to God’s Word (James 3:17; Psalm 199:9).

 

 

 

 

The Hope of Glory

The fact that Christ actually lives in us by His Spirit gives us hope of living with Him in glory (Colossians 1:27). When we see carnality in our life, we should confess it as sin, but then rejoice that the Spirit is exchanging His fruit, through the sanctification process, for our errant attitudes and character traits (Galatians 2: 22-23; 1 Corinthians 6:11). The more we submit our life to God, the more we die to sin and the less Satan is able to hassle us. We start to reflect the glory of our Heavenly Father a little more each day, because Christ lives in and through us.

One of God’s mysteries is that Christ can actually dwell in our hearts by His Spirit (Colossians 1:26-27). When we choose to die to our self - to lay down our own dreams, goals and desires for our life - we embrace God’s will for us instead. We live by the faith of Jesus who loves us and gave Himself for us (Hebrews 1:3; Galatians 2:20). This does not mean that we live in destitution and unfulfillment. It actually guarantees that we find even more blessings in God’s service, than we did when we controlled our own life (Romans 8:5-8). Living in union with Christ becomes 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. 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).

When we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day we are sure to succeed in everything we do (Deuteronomy 28:13). We cannot live with one foot in the world and one foot in the things of the Spirit. This is impossible because the flesh lusts against the Spirit (Matthew 6:24). God’s goal for us is that we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-17, 25; Romans 8:9-14). Christ buried us with Him in His death by baptism and raised us up from dead works by the glory of our Father. Now we can walk in newness of life forevermore (Romans 6:4).

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). Jesus gives us great power, which comes from God and not from our self (2 Corinthians 4:7). We set our mind on things above, not on things on the earth, and our treasure in not from this earth (Colossians 3:2; Philippians 2:5, 4:8). We are now the sons of God, led by the Spirit of God as we take the time to submit our life to Christ one moment at a time (1 John 3:2).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for raising us up as You raised up the Lord Jesus. Thank You also for bringing us into Your presence for eternity. Our inner man is renewed day by day, and this encourages us, even though our body is getting older. The trials we experience are not devastating to us any more. 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.

Thought for the Day:

When God sees us, He sees us in union with Christ, perfected and cloaked in His righteousness. 



Thank you, Kelly Bradley Davidson, for allowing me to use your photo.