Unified with the Trinity

As Authentic Born Again Christians, we are individual members of Christ’s Body, and Jesus is our head (1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 4:15). God fashions us as new creatures in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:23-24).

We are the offspring of God and His divine nature infuses every part of our body, soul and spirit (Acts 17:28-19). As our focus on our self decreases, Christ increases within us (John 3:30).

We are crucified with Christ; and therefore, we live in this world for the glory of Christ (Philippians 1:21). Yet, it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in us and through us (Galatians 2:20).

We no longer strive in this world to provide for the needs of our body and soul. We focus on our maturing spirit and God's will for our life in order to accomplish the works which He preordained for us to do (Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 2:10).

God completely sanctifies us by His Spirit, conforming us to the image and likeness of Christ, His Son (1 Thessalonians 5:23); and we live as the temple of the Holy Spirit - unified with the Spirit of the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:17).

Jesus gives us the glory, which the Father gave to Him, so that we can be one with Him and with one another (John 17:22). We slowly mature until we completely share in the divine nature of Christ within us (Ephesians 4:13).

In eternity, Christ will even transform our body to mirror His glorious, immortal one (Philippians 3:21). We will live and reign with Him in the new heaven and earth, and serve Him with everlasting joy in our hearts.  

Prayer:

Father God, You want us to quit struggling, stressing and striving to be more spiritual (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). You want us to cease from our efforts, so we will enter into Your rest (Hebrews 4:10). You have our life and character in Your hands to mold us into the image of Christ (Philippians 2:13).

We are no longer a separate entity from Jesus. We are one with You by faith in Your Son (John 17:21-23). Thank you that Your Spirit transforms our nature through sanctification until we share in Your divine nature (2 Peter 1:4; 1 Corinthians 6:17).

Thought for the Day:

Christ became one of us, so that we could become one with Him.

Wondrous Mysteries

Prior to salvation, no person on earth can conceive of the enormous abundance, which God prepared for everyone that loves Him. If the people, who lived on earth with Jesus, understood God’s love, they never would have crucified Him. Even now, however, the unsaved, modern population has no concept of the glorious wisdom of God, because it is foolishness to them. Only spiritual people can discern spiritual concepts (1 Corinthians 2:7-15).

God gave us His Word and His Spirit to reveal these wondrous mysteries to anyone who will humble their self in order to receive His salvation. When salvation brings us into union with Christ, we no longer have a life apart from God. We willingly lay down our old life, as well as all of our intentions to live a detached or self-governing life. We surrender our independence at the foot of the cross (Romans 12:1). Christ fully envelops our spirit, saturates every cell in our body, and influences every choice, thought and emotion of our soul (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Before Adam sinned, human beings were created in the image of the Trinity (Genesis 1:27). After his sin, our spirit is dead when we are born. Since Jesus paid the price for our sin and eradicated it from our life, Born Again Believers return to living in the image of the God with a body, soul and living spirit. As the Holy Spirit transforms our life from one stage of holiness to the next, we slowly take on the mind and nature of Christ, who is the exact image of our Father (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We function more each day from the reality of the indwelling divinity of Jesus Christ within us (Galatians 2:20).

Without the full recognition of what it means for Christ to dwell within us, bringing with Him all the divinity of the triune God, we are powerless to accomplish God’s entire will in our life. As long as this earth makes up the sum total of our life, we are confined to the natural realm. Conversely, with our spirit, body and soul – our mind, will and emotions – focused on the Kingdom of God and sensitive to the leading of God’s Spirit, we open our self up to unlimited possibilities for our life.

Within our body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, abides all of the power of the entire triune Godhead, which is ready to change our world from the inside out. We limit this power by our lack of understanding, our doubts and our fears. Only when we comprehend that we are in a spiritual union with God through Christ, and that our humanity is already dead (Colossians 3:3), do we have more trust in the Spirit’s direction moment by moment throughout our day. With faith and obedience, we achieve what seems impossible to the analytical, human mind.

Prayer:

Father God, the amazing reality of the concept of Christ living within us reveals the truth that we no longer need to “make time” in our schedule to spend with You, but that we dwell in our union with You through each of the 1440 minutes of our day. You are always present in our life, regardless of what we say, do or experience. Your Spirit dwells in our spirit and You live out Your will through our body and soul. I want to experience more of the divinity of the entire Godhead in my life now, which is possible because Christ, Your treasure, lives in our earthen vessels (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Thought for the Day:

We do not have to wait until heaven to live the divine life, because the divine Christ is our whole life now.  - Colossians 3:4

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).

 

 

 

 

Divinity Within Us

God dwells in His children by the new birth we receive from Christ through Salvation (John 1:12). He rejoices as we grow in the knowledge of our salvation (1 John 3:2), but He waits for our realization that we are also temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Once we begin to submit to the Spirit for sanctification of our flesh, then He teaches us about the divinity of Christ, which dwells within us (Galatians 2:20).

We are not separate from Christ, obeying Him in our own power. He permanently dwells in us and expresses Himself through us (Colossians 3:3). We are children of His death, but we are also children of His resurrection (Luke 20:36). We are transformed into Christ’s image in ever-increasing increments of glory, which come from the Lord’s Spirit. Then, as unveiled mirrors, we reflect to the world the glory of the Lord within us (2 Corinthians 3:18). In our daily life, as His Spirit molds us into His image, we experience and express all of the attributes of God just as He is within us, (Romans 8:29).

Jesus gives us the glory that God gave Him, so that we will be one with our triune God, just as they are one (John 17:22). If we do not recognize this divine power within us, then we will never live up to our full potential as Christians. Jesus’ sacrifice enables us to share in His divine nature and to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil human desires (2 Peter 1:4). As we mature, we attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ who dwells within us. We put on our new self, shaped by the Spirit to be like God with all of His virtues and holiness within us (Ephesians 4:13,24).

We often limit our understanding of life to what we perceive through our five senses. We also rely heavily only on what our human mind envisions. Yet, we ignore the supernatural and the eternal aspects of Christ within us. Therefore, we hinder the expression of God’s power in and through us. With Christ in us, it does not matter where we live, with whom we live or even if we live alone. Christ’s presence within us rises above the limitations of the natural realm and the circumstances in it. God imparts His Spirit to us in order to allow the glorious nature of Christ in us the freedom of expression through us (Colossians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 12:27).

As we grasp this fact, we realize who we really are in Christ. Then, we live by faith in the eternal, and no longer by sight in the temporal realm of life (2 Corinthians 5:7). It is not I, but Christ living in me (Galatians 2:20). When trials and tribulation afflict my life, I no longer have to overcome them. They are simply another adventure in Christ; an opportunity for Him to show His divine nature through us. Nothing, which comes into our life, is a surprise to God. He saw it all before the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4).

Jesus completed the work of redeeming, sanctifying and perfecting us on the cross (Hebrews 10:14). Now, He is working through us to perform His purpose in each situation in our life as it occurs. We have His joy in our tribulation, because we know that God has a divine purpose for us in it. God allowed Job to experience devastating loss in his life; but He used Job for His glory in each one of them. In the end, God gave Job much more than he ever lost (Job 42:12). We enjoy God’s presence in our life now, and we look forward to dwelling with Him where righteousness reigns, in the new heaven and new earth (2 Peter 3:13).

Prayer:

Father God, when we forget that we are simply aliens and pilgrims in this world, we take life too seriously. We put all of our effort into attaining success in this world. There is no reason for us to doubt Your Word; it is true because all of its prophecies are true. Help us to believe Your Word and to allow it to transform our life as we live by the direction of Your Spirit through each moment of every day, until You decide to take us home to live with You in glory.

Thought for the Day:

As we continue to live in Christ, we walk in His holiness. When He returns for His bride, we will face him with confidence and unashamed (1 John 2:28).

 

Greater Works Through the Spirit

 

Jesus did great works that proved He was God. These miracles bore witness to His relationship with His Father. Jesus said that those who believe in Him would do greater works than He did (John 14:12). How is that possible? Jesus was God who came to earth in the flesh. How can we do greater works than He did? Jesus secured our salvation for us. He paid the debt we owed because of our sin. The death and resurrection of Jesus makes these greater works possible. Now, the Holy Spirit infuses us, sanctifies us and anoints us to do these greater works.

Jesus preached to the multitudes; yet, when He died only 120 people gathered in the upper room. This was the sum total of lives that dedicated themselves to Him after His three years of ministry. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit could not come, if Jesus did not go to the Father. Therefore, when Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within the 120 Believers gathered in that upper room (Acts 2). We call this the day of Pentecost. Therefore, when Peter preached his very first sermon, 3000 people got saved from hearing that one sermon (Acts 2:41).

How did Peter do this greater work? The Holy Spirit, which Jesus sent, gave power to Peter and the other apostles and disciples, which anointed their ministries. Their mission was to spread the gospel of Jesus into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). God anointed the apostles by His Spirit; and the Spirit is still touching lives in powerful ways today. He enables Believers, who live all over the world and throughout these last centuries of time, to do greater works.

After Jesus death, the apostles and disciples continued doing God’s will for their lives. They did not accomplish works greater in quality than Jesus. Jesus was speaking about the greater quantity of work that His entire Body can accomplish with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Each of us is the Temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He accomplishes these greater works in us and through us. No human being is exalted or lifted up higher than Christ. Instead, our works point people to Christ.

Christ is the “express image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3). Jesus’ death opened up the possibility that He could dwell in the hearts of saved mankind by His Spirit. He brings us to salvation, which was not possible before the cross. Jesus paid the penalty of our sin and opened up the way for us to do greater works than He did. Jesus said that the ultimate work of God is that we believe in Jesus, who was sent by God to bring salvation to a lost and dying world (John 6:28-29).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, there is no greater work than what You did by laying down Your life in payment for our sins. You opened the way of salvation to the whole world and then You went to prepare a place for us in Heaven. You did not leave us on this earth helpless and abandoned, but with comfort and hope. You gave us Your Spirit to teach, guide and comfort us from within (John 16:7,13). We have access to the Father in Your Name, because you paved the way on Calvary’s cross (Ephesians 2:18). Now, we can come boldly to Your throne of grace in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Thought for the Day:

We do greater works by taking the gospel of Christ to the whole world.
- Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Timothy 1:8; 1 Peter 1:5