2017-06-02
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I am writing this devotion during a busy but spiritually satisfying Holy Week. As promised, I am led to continue writing about the impact of God’s mystery [COL 1: 26-27; COL 2: 2-3] on our lives as believers in Jesus Christ. Before human time began, God determined that we who believe in His Son would know what is means to have Christ in us, to be alive in Christ, and to be able to tap into God’s great wisdom. The Lord Jesus shared that with us, not holding any of it back that He had learned from the Father [JN 15: 13-15]. Our faith in Christ leads us to eventual glory and saves us for an eternity of friendship with the Father [COL 3: 3-4]. IS 64: 4, “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God beside You, who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.” IS 65: 17-18, “Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice, however, in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy…” These words in Isaiah give rise to a more complete contemplation of just what a tremendous impact Christ’s sacrifice on the cross has on the lives of believers.
We can read about how the new Jerusalem will appear in REV 21-22. These “former things that will not be remembered” are surely sins, hurts, losses, and those who make sinning their way of life. However, we must return to our present lives, which for believers is preparation for that blissful eternity. 1 COR 2: 11-12, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except through the Spirit of God? We have not received the spirit of the world, but instead the Spirit Who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.” I’m reminded of RO 5: 9-11, which tells us that it is through faith in Christ that He has reconciled us with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—all three personalities of our one God. In other words, we have become God’s friends. Moreover, we can ideate, make godly decisions, and take righteous actions because of the influence over us that the Holy Spirit has. If one is actively participating in his sanctification, i.e. exposing sins (even the subtle ones), genuinely confessing them, and professing faith in Christ, then Christ is in him, and he has been given the Holy Spirit to take leadership over his life. We all have temptations to sin, so this takes refusal to give in to these temptations. It also takes yielding control of our lives to the Holy Spirit. I love to think of Avery T. Willis’ metaphor in his “MasterLife” course of a heart that opens at the top for the Holy Spirit to pour in His goodness and righteousness. And, it allows escape at the bottom for sin to drain away. Little by little the Holy Spirit gains greater influence, as the believer matures. In connection to what I’ve been writing here, the Holy Spirit is able to clarify a person’s understanding of God’s mystery. The Holy Spirit expresses spiritual truths in spiritual words, not the words taught us by humans [1 COR 2: 13]. As we mature in our faith, we can distinguish truth from lies more easily. We gain insight given us by the Holy Spirit. JN 1: 14, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have see His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” PS 19: 8, “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.” Let me testify from my own personal life that these verses are true and real.
PRAYER: O Lord, You have sent Your Son to the cross for many reasons, not the least of which is to give those who will listen to the truth the chance to confess their sins and profess faith in Him. As You promise, in MT 25: 32, there will be a separation of sheep (the righteous) from the goats (the unrighteous). We are grateful for Your willingness to give us the truth through Your Spirit and to enable us to understand what we must think and do to live righteously. You didn’t hold back Your Son from the cross, nor did You hold back the truth from us. Yes, there are times when You test our faith, but You never give us a test that is so hard that we will lose our resolve to remain faithful to Christ [1 COR 10: 13]. We ask You to direct us and to examine our hearts, so that You can move us forward on our path to spiritual maturation. We eagerly look forward to our glorification and life eternal in heaven. Yet, we will be patient for Your perfect time and way for this to happen. In the meanwhile, Your wisdom is so profound as to cause that of humans to be dwarfed. We express our love and devotion to You by learning and remembering the precepts of history and what Your Son has done for us. Every aspect of our lives is blessed when we obey His teaching with loving hearts and prayerful consideration. We also will try to think in terms of eternity and learn from what our history has to teach us. We offer You praise and thanks for Who You are and what You do for us. In Christ’s holy/mighty name we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Today’s devotion is written in terms of individuals and corporately as congregations. Next week, we will recall why Paul had so many concerns about the false teaching of his time, including Gnosticism. There was real competition for the minds and spirits of people going on, and the whole church could have been diluted or even destroyed by it. Jesus Himself was so concerned about false teaching that in His last words on earth before ascending into to heaven, He took up this subject and urged believers to preach the truth, thus spreading it [MK 16: 15-16].
I was God’s “hard nut to crack.” It was necessary to completely change my destructive anger and disappointment to inner peace and willingness to believe in the power of prayer. He first had to awaken me to His very existence, and then to completely work on my mind, heart, and hands. It took the Lord long years (in human terms) to bring me to where I am now. And still, I’m far from perfect. His love and patience for me deserves my response in kind. I hope and pray I do show Him my loyalty, willingness to serve, and the love of Christ. Learning to go against the natural desires of the body, to gain enough discernment to know the truth, and to have self-discipline in all I do is very necessary. These are continuing goals in my life, so that I can be the blessing to others that a Jewish person should be, according to the Abrahamic Covenant [GN 12: 2-3]. Only through the Holy Spirit can I or anyone fulfill these goals, making himself/herself fit for eventual eternal life in heaven. And what bliss that will be! Praise be to God!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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