2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
Yesterday, I began writing about our position in Christ. We must think of it as a command to stand firm in our faith, or as the Greek translation puts it, “to hold a watch post.” When we do this, we can come to an understanding about our position in Christ that God has given us in the Scriptures. 1) We were selected by God, chosen by Him to be His children [RO 8: 14-16; EPH 1: 4]. 2) Christ saved us, breaking Satan’s power of death over us [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 24-25; EPH 1: 7; HE 2: 14]. 3) The Holy Spirit saved us. We must remember that our God is a God in three persons. Christ is His second person, the “visible likeness of an invisible God,” as it says in COL 1: 15. The Holy Spirit, perhaps the least well understood person of God, is He who is indwelt in believers and imparts to them an understanding of God’s wisdom. JN 16: 8, 13, & 15, “And when He [the Holy Spirit] comes, He will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgement…When, however, the Spirit comes, Who reveals the truth about God, He will lead you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own authority, but He will speak of what he hears and will tell you of things to come…All that My Father has is mine; that is why I said that the Spirit will take what I [Christ] give Him and tell it to you.”
When we understand the content of these last citations, we can better appreciate what we learn about the Spirit in EPH 1: 13 and 4: 30. “And you also became God’s people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put His stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit He had promised…And do not make the Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God’s mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free.” We must know that Satan wants to demoralize us and cause us to question our position with Christ. The Holy Spirit works against this by reminding us that God has a plan for us. PHIL 1: 6, “And so I am sure that God, Who began this good work in you will carry it on until it is finished on the Day of Christ Jesus.” What is our part in this? We must refuse to let the devil get away with what he is trying to do. We must recognize when he is attacking us and rely on faith well grounded in daily study of the God’s word to thwart his attempts. The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to do that. It is He, obeying God’s command, Who led us to faith in Christ in the first place. Thus, the Holy Spirit has a big part in our very salvation.
4) We have a special, God-assigned place with Jesus Christ. EPH 2: 6 tells us what it is. “In our union with Christ Jesus He raised us up with Him to rule with Him in the heavenly world.” RO 8: 29 helps us to see how this is possible. “Those whom God had already chosen He also set apart to become like His Son, so that the Son would be the first among many brothers.” This particular citation has given me great comfort over the years and still does. It says that if we endure in our faith no matter what arrows Satan directs at us, we will also be resurrected as Christ was to be joint-heirs with Him to His Kingdom. We will not be His slaves, but will be His co-rulers, anointed by God to share that honor. That blows me away! That’s how much love and trust that God places in us! This is not for us to get a swelled head about either. The idea is that if we obey God’s commands enduring in our faith, we will always remain humble toward each other and toward our Abba Who shows so much love for us. We will also remain obedient to God. As for Christ, He is the Best Friend we will ever have. If we question whether we are qualified to receive this enormous blessing and to take on such a responsibility, we can gain illumination from God’s words through Paul in EPH 2: 8-10. “For it is by God’s grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift so that no one can boast about it. God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.” Yes, Dear Ones, He has created us for our position in Christ which fits perfectly into His plan. Any boasting to be done must be about God’s accomplishments and great attributes, not our own.
PRAYER: O Lord, You grant us life, not just life on earth, but eternal life. That life is eternal protection from torment in the lake of fire and sulfur. While we can’t imagine the extent of that punishment, You, through the Holy Spirit, convince us that it should be avoided. This should be done even if it means that we must endure what seems like horrific suffering to us at Satan’s hand here on earth. Through Paul in RO 8: 18, You give us the perspective we need on this suffering. “I consider that what we suffer at this present time cannot be compared at all with the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” You have given us glimpses of heaven in Ezekiel and Revelation, just enough to convince us that we must endure in our faith. Dearest Abba, You show Your love for us in so many ways. David expressed it in PS 34: 15-18, “The Lord watches over the righteous and listens to their cries. But, He opposes those who do evil, so that when they die, they are soon forgotten. The righteous call to the Lord, and He listens: He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who are discouraged; He saves those who have lost all hope.” Your goodness is unparalleled. PS 50: 6 & 23 reveals to us Who You are. “The heavens proclaim that God is righteous, that He Himself is Judge…Giving thanks is the sacrifice that honors Me, and I will surely save all who obey Me.” We do offer You thanksgiving for Who You are and what You do for us. You deserve nothing less that our adoration and worship. PS 64: 10 expresses the truth we know. “All righteous people will rejoice because of what the Lord has done. They will find safety in Him; all good people praise Him.” We humbly confess our sins, Lord, and offer You the praise You richly deserve. Our trust is in You; we rely on You. We pledge to obey You, be loyal and diligent, and to offer You glory and honor. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen
In tomorrow’s message, I am led to write more about our position in Christ. Did you realize how loved you are by Him? If not, be sure to read it. The more I delve into this timely subject of spiritual warfare, the more manifestations of God’s love for us that I find. It’s an exciting spiritual journey upon which He is taking us. The Holy Spirit Who is leading us is taking us where we never through we could go. That’s His nature. We are so much more when we live “in Christ” than we could ever be without Him. God’s love is like a warm glow that goes with the believer wherever he goes. That’s one reason why we need never fear abandonment or loneliness even when Satan is doing his best to make us miserable. God’s love is all around us. Peter and I send you our love too.
race Be With You Always,
Lynn