2018-07-13
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Today’s discussion is designed to help us all appreciate what Christ has done for us when we came to genuine faith in Him and professed it. We learn, in COL 2: 3, that when we are in union with Christ, He opens access to us to the wisdom and knowledge of God. We are given a full life that is not based on human-crafted ideas. COL 2: 12-13 reminds us that we are “buried with Christ in baptism and raised to eternal life with Him.” That life is totally different and better than our former lives without faith in Christ. As far as our sins are concerned, we are eternally forgiven, as “Christ nails our sins to the cross and we are freed from the power of spiritual powers and authorities” [COL 2: 14-15]. We have no desire to engage in false humility or worship angels. We are instead set free from the ruling spirits of the universe, from wanting to be judgmental and foolish, when in union with Christ [COL 2: 20-23]. RO 6 also has a number of these points, e.g. shedding its light on the fact that “we are no longer slaves to sin” [RO 6: 4, 6].
Now that we’ve looked at places in the NT where these notions are delineated, the question needs to be asked: How does this apply to my individual life? I’ll use my own life as an example, since each of you must answer this question for himself. At the time of my own baptism, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I just knew that my faith in the Lord Jesus had gotten intense enough that it would not be denied, or that I didn’t want to put making this commitment off any longer. (I had studied, as an adult at age 25, in preparation for this event for the previous four years). My baptism was by total immersion, and I understood that I was committing to my faith in Christ as my personal Messiah. That was my outward signal to others of the inward metamorphosis that had taken place at the hand of the Holy Spirit. By then, I realized that God had kept me in His sights for my whole life. And yes, that understanding came as a shock to me! Previously, I had thought that God took care of others, but not me; the devout practice of religion was not for me. (We mortals can certainly waste time refusing to see the truth)! That was my send-off as a Messianic Jew and not a traditional one.
When I looked at what eternal life meant, it was clear I would have to look at the big picture and not just at my earthly life. When one’s views thoughts, decisions, actions, and his legacy left behind after his physical death are eternally considered, one must think entirely differently, changing his way of looking at things. At a crossroads, a believer in Christ has Biblical teaching to help him do and live rightly with God. Moreover, he begins to think about how to influence people for God and leave behind blessings for others who are younger, that make him fondly remembered. Mature adults are willing to take responsibility for their own thoughts and behavior. Living in union with Christ isn’t always easy, because we must make decisions and take actions that are right with God and serve Him. After all the chaos of being reared in a dysfunctional family, losing my father early in my life, and having to learn how to find others who set good examples for me to be friends, I was sick and tired of all the self-loathing and feelings of worthlessness that had been with me. My Lord Jesus loves me enough to have ended them. I was becoming spiritual and emotionally mature. For the first time in my life, I felt inner-peace. In my years before Christ entered my life, I was having an awful time finding an appropriate direction, a career that was right for me, and the wherewithal to connect with like-minded people also right with God. Once Christ made His presence known to me, I followed my propensity for studying. This led to me leaving a church that wasn’t right for me and finding one that was. By the time I was 39 and had both taught high school and university science classes, as well as becoming a family counselor, and Christ called me to the ministry. Another shock to me! At last, my life and career had God-driven direction! Fast forward to my present age of 74. Now, I can look back upon a life that has been satisfying and meaningful to me serving God. Moreover, I have the feeling that when I physically pass away, I will leave behind a legacy of people blessed by my part in their lives and future generations who will remember me fondly. I am madly in love the God, Who blesses me with the opportunity to live in sweet fellowship with Him for eternity!
PRAYER: O Lord, my sins no longer define my life. I serve others while I serve You. Inner peace and not the chaos and feelings of self-worthlessness of my past dominate my life now. I am still capable of sinning, but because of Your presence in my life, I have no will to sin. I am far from perfect as Your Son, Jesus Christ is. However, I now have the will to be the best that I can be. This is only possible, because of Your presence in my life. It is with this state in mind that I dedicate my life to serving You. It is my responsibility to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others and thus, fulfill the promises that were given to the ancient Jews who were my ancestors in the Abrahamic covenant of GN 12: 2-3. “I [God] will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation [Israel]. I will bless you and make you name famous, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse those who curse you. And through you, I will bless all the nations.” While I am not famous, it is my prayer that I will be known for my strong faith, willingness to serve You. Through my profession of the Gospel, I will bless others. Your word is indeed “a lamp unto my feet and a light for my path” [PS 119: 105]. I love Your word, which I believe pleases You. It motivates me to share it with others and to understand its implications in our lives. Therefore, I thank and praise You for blessing my life as You do. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, I dedicate this prayer. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit prompts me to discuss transgression, which means sinning. I’ve been commanded to begin this discussion with the definition and origin of terms. Then, I am to continue with Scriptures that support this subject from the Bible. Every human believer in Christ is also a sinner. So, these concepts apply to all of us. I am reminded that we are “sheep in God’s flock.” He has appealed, through Peter in 1 PET 5: 2-4, to us to be “shepherds of the flock that God gave you and to take care of it willingly, as God wants you to, and not unwillingly. Do your work, not for mere pay, but from a real desire to serve. Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care but be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd [our Lord Jesus] appears, you will receive the glorious crown which will never lose its brightness.” All of us must remember “God resists the proud but shows favor to the humble. Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that He will lift you up in His own good time. Leave all your worries with Him, because He cares for you” (5b-7). We are to be alert to the actions of the evil one, to know that he “roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour…and that other believers in the world are going through the same kind of sufferings” (8-9). This should give us God’s perspective and His empathy for the plight of others. Therefore, we can spend our time thanking and praising God for all our many blessings. Thanks and praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2018. All Rights Reserved.
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