2018-04-13
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I was led by the Holy Spirit to anticipate answering the question, what does it mean to me to be alive in Christ? Each of us should answer this question for him or herself, because it may be different for one than another. However, part of that answer is explained in the Scriptures. RO 6: 4, 6, 10-11. “By our baptism, we are buried with Christ and shared His death, in order that, just as He was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, we also might have a new life…And we know that our old being was put to death with Christ on the cross, in order that the power of the sinful self might be destroyed, so that we should no longer be slaves to sin…And so, because He died, sin has no power over Him and now He lives His life in fellowship with God. In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, as far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Jesus Christ.” (See also COL 2: 13).
This is a powerful blessing that Christ has given us! It doesn’t mean that we can’t sin, but it does mean that the Holy Spirit will let us know clearly when we have sinned. It also means that we shouldn’t want to sin. Whether or not we have lives with considerably less sin in them depends on the strength of our faith in Him. It’s hard to avoid temptation and once tempted to refuse to sin, but we who believe all are built to be able to reject sinning. Remember that Christ was tempted as we all are but was perfect in His refusal to sin despite the temptation. No one is as perfect as Christ, in this regard, but we can make important improvements in our lives, resulting from the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. I have often cited COL 3: 1-4, which tell us we should “set our hearts on the things of heaven” and not just on those of earth. We have “died to sin, and our lives are hidden with Christ in God. Our real life is Christ and when He appears, then we too will appear with Him and share His glory!” What comfort this gives us, and what motivation is supplied to reject falling into temptation, if this is understood!
It took me a long time to really understand how this knowledge has penetrated my heart. Instead of trying to rely just on myself or on other people, I now understand that I can rely on the Lord and the wisdom of His word in dealing with the hard places of my life. Those places are when I have a tough decision to make, I must ask God for His direction in sizing up the motives of another person, or managed ragged emotions in the face of a loss or disappointment. Thinking in eternal terms, rather than just earthly ones, has been a help to me in gaining God’s perspective. It is hard to accept the loss of a loved one when it happens without His perspective. By nature, we humans are self-centered, which is why we must consider God’s idea of what is in the loved one’s best eternal interests.
COL 3: 10, “We have put on the new self, which God is constantly renewing in His own image, to bring us to a full knowledge of Himself.” This is God’s way of keeping His promise of the New Covenant. It’s what He is doing for us-something upon which we can rely and on which we can count. Now comes the question each of us must ask: What are we doing and how consistent are we in keeping up our end of this two-way promise?
PRAYER: O Lord, we come before You to ask for Your help in teaching us how to know when we are pleasing You. You have sent our precious Counselor, the Holy Spirit, and we must learn to seek Him and listen to Him. There are times when He tells us to do the unexpected, to take us out of our comfort zones. He will never tell us anything that doesn’t conform to Your teaching. Yet, we often ignore His advice or, worse yet, refuse to seek it. You designed us to be able to avoid temptations, but we don’t always do that. As parents of adult children, who are married and parents themselves, we still want to give unsolicited advice. Please help us not to do that. Even if we are younger parents, we must seek advice on child-rearing that is from godly sources or directly from the Holy Spirit. Children should be raised to be loving and godly individuals. Laziness should be avoided. We must be realistic about a teenager’s capabilities, helping them to get as much schooling as is within this person’s ability to succeed. Not all children are designed to go to college. Always, a son or daughter is better off learning to use the talents You gave him or her. Those that can get a higher education, should be encouraged to excel in their studies. Learning not to gossip or be a backbiter is essential to establishing good and stable relationships. We humbly ask You to help us to be responsible adults, who seek out and follow Your advice. When we are troubled, help us to overcome allowing our emotions to rule the day, and instead, to act in humble dignity, using Your wisdom to guide us. You are a loving God, Who has given us Your Son to be our Paradigm. We thank and praise You, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I am commanded to discuss forgiveness, sin, and Christ’s relationship with angels, authorities, and even Satan. All of this is done in the context of being alive in Christ. Since the question of what being alive in Christ means to us has been raised, I will share a bit of what it means to me personally. I was one of God’s “hard nuts to crack”-stubborn, at times arrogant, at times filled with self-loathing before He entered my life. I questioned things like the value of prayer, if God really exists, and why I should follow rules given to me-even why I was born! My misbehavior in the early part of my life was borne of a dysfunctional upbringing. My human parents loved me but had no idea how to be effective parents. Jealousy, real and imagined, an active imagination, and feeling worthless erupted into destructive angry actions in my teen years. Toward the end of these years in early adulthood, Jesus Christ made His presence known to me. That was when my life and attitudes started to change toward what they are today. I wasn’t the spoiled Jewish queen of my imagination. Instead, I became a servant of the real King. It didn’t happen overnight, but I not only became His servant, but also His friend [RO 5: 9-11; JN 15: 13-15]. IS 46: 9-10, “I alone am God, and there is no one else like Me. From the beginning I predicted the outcome...I said my plans would never fail, that I would do everything I intended to do.” In the most loving and positive way, that is what will happen for every believer. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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