2018-08-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit commands me to continue writing about supporting Scriptures to the concepts already discussed in the book of Colossians. EPH 1: 19b-23 is a passage which fits this category. “This power at work in us, who believe in Christ, is the same as the mighty strength which the Father used when He raised Christ from death and seated Him at His right side in heavenly world. Christ rules there above all heavenly rulers, authorities, powers, and lords; He has a title superior to all titles of authority in this world and in the next. God put all things under Christ’s feet and gave Him the church as supreme Lord over all [PS 110: 1 and DN 7: 13-14 are thus true]. The church is Christ’s body, the completion of Him Who completes all.” It’s hard for me to fully express just how much these notions mean to me personally. When a Jewish person comes to accept Christ as his personal Savior, he is considered a Messianic or “completed Jew.” This means his beliefs (assuming he practices them) will allow him to be saved, justified, and eternally forgiven. In all believers, it is this amazing power, which enables them to enjoy these eternal blessings. Nothing else from no other source will give him this power-only Christ can do it. As for Christ’s supremacy over all other powers and authorities, it is seen in His power to bring people, who were heretofore on a one-way trip to spiritual death, to where they gain eternal life. We are told we will be reunited with all those good people (believers) who went before us in heaven upon our glorification [being raised to heaven by the Father for eternal life]. RO 11: 25 tells us that the hardness of the Jewish attitude toward Christ is only temporary. This gives me the hope that I will see my ancestors in heaven, just as Gentile believers will. Very recently, I have unlocked the secrets of my family genealogy with the help of DNA testing and the My Heritage website. For the first time, I am learning about the names, places, dates, and even some of the careers of ancestors going back as far as 1660, so far. It blows my mind to think that I will one day meet them in heaven, for they were all good people. Their migrations have been due to the persecution that anti-Semitism has caused, and I suspect they are not only of strong character, but that they were a very courageous lot.
Another passage that supports Colossians is HE 2: 14-15. “Since the children (as Christ calls us) are of flesh and blood, He became like us, sharing in our human nature. He did this so in His death He might destroy the devil, who has power over death; and in doing this set us free from slavery to fear of death.” Yet another verse that mutually supports the notions here is HE 4: 15-16, “…We have a High Priest who feels sympathy for our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way we are, but He did not sin. Let us have confidence, then, and approach God’s throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it.” As we peer into Christ’s character, the character of the Father, and that of the Holy Spirit, we can begin to better understand the relationship with our Deity that we can have.
We can compare all of this with EPH 2: 6, “In our union with Christ Jesus, He raised us up with Him to rule with Him in the heavenly world.” This is part of being “alive in Christ.” What a blessed notion this is. God created us to be able to believe in and have a close relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit. The Father, by doing this, prepares us to rule with Christ in heaven. My daughter, who is a devout believer in Christ, brought it to my attention that there is a tremendous difference between the reactions to a death in the family of non-believers and believers. She was an emergency room nurse for many years. The non-believers were inconsolable and felt hopeless; the believers took the news of the loss of their loved one calmly, citing that the deceased were in a better place and at peace with our Lord Jesus. It is Christ’s Atonement on the cross that destroyed the devil’s power and made all of us as believers victorious over the fear of death and over evil [2 COR 2: 14; 1 COR 15: 54-58].
PRAYER: O Lord, at some time in our past, we stood by the door marked “Faith.” Belief in Christ with all its blessings was on the other side. It was the love of the Holy Spirit that made us knock on that door, and Christ’s obedience to the Father that made Him answer. MT 7: 7-8, “Ask, and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock.” We can see the kindness and love of Christ’s heart in REV 3: 20, “Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if any hear My voice and open the door, I will come into their house and eat with them, and they will eat with me.” As believers, we make our Lord a permanent Resident in our homes. He shares our table, and He speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. We have access to His understanding of the treasure of Your wisdom and knowledge, for Christ Himself is Your Secret, which has been given to us [COL 2: 2-3]. Dearest Father, we are ever grateful and offer You praise and thanks for these unmatched blessings. Your love for us is evident in all You are and all You do. We stand in awe of Your remarkable love for Your human creation. Our faith in Your Son is the holiest and most precious blessing we have. We bow before Your throne adoring You and making You First in every part of our lives. We will honor You by using the talents You gave us in Your service. These things we say in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In a continuation of lending support to the notions found in Colossians, next week’s devotion will begin with 1 PET 3: 17-22. In elaborating on all these blessings that come from our faith in Christ, I can’t, in all honesty, say that our lives will be easy. In fact, they are quite the opposite. That’s because everyone, even those people who seem to have their lives in order, has his own set of challenges. Does this mean that there are gaps in the Father’s love for us? Certainly not! What it does mean is that the Father allows a measured amount of evil in our lives, evil in the form of illness, losses, disappointments, foolishness, challenges, etc., through which we must work. He stretches out His arm to help us and even might carry us, if the problem is bad enough that we can’t solve it by ourselves. We must learn to obey His teaching to help ourselves as much as possible through these dark times. There is no need for us to fear death, because our faith in Christ combined with His Atonement prevent us from suffering spiritual death. We are encouraged to have a close relationship with our Father, through Christ and the Holy Spirit. When we do this, we maximize the inner peace and contentment we can have in our lives. We can bear RO 8: 38-39 in mind, which tell us that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.” 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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