2020-09-25
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, we learned how Christ exhibited the gifts of the Holy Spirit throughout His earthly life and now, in his fellowship with the Father in heaven. We also know that he sent the Holy Spirit to be our Counselor—a help to us in better knowing the Father’s will, in knowing His teaching, in making decisions when we are at a crossroads, and in showing us how to live the crucified life. EPH 2: 20-22, “You, too, are built upon a foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the Cornerstone being Christ Jesus Himself. He is the One Who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord. In unison with Him you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through His Spirit.” This is an expression of God’s big picture. It shows why each person who comes to profess belief in Jesus Christ matters so much to Him.
Having seen the big picture, we need to look at what constitutes the “crucified life.” This is what allows us to focus the microscope on the more specific matters that apply to the lifestyle our Father wants for us. We need to see the traits of the crucified life: 1) MT 22: 14, “Many are called, and few are chosen.” This means that God wants as many people as possible to proclaim belief in Christ, but out of that number, relatively few agree to take on the responsibilities of a life committed to His teaching. 2) It’s necessary to abandon your own agenda/will and embrace that of the Lord. PS 143: 10, “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” When we become a party to the Covenant of Grace [the New Covenant], God promises His grace given, and we promise to find and confess our sins before Him. EPH 2: 8-10, “For it is through God’s grace that you have been saved by 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 union with Christ Jesus He has created for us a life of good deeds, which He has already prepared for us to do.” Grace is undeserved favor. God’s friends become ours; God’s enemies become ours. 3) Out of all the people around you, few will be real spiritual companions. Membership in a healthy, emotionally balanced congregation really helps to increase that number. Faith-building friendships help us grow spiritually. ECCL 4: 9-10, “Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it is just too bad, because there is no one to help him.” 4) Times of intense aloneness with God are really necessary. 1THESS 5: 16-18 expresses God’s will. “Be joyful always, pray at all times. Be thankful in all circumstances. This is the will of God for your life in union with Christ Jesus.” These are reasons prayer and fasting are so powerful and important. 5) We are all sinners and in need of finding and confessing our sins. 1 PET 5: 5b-6 [PR 3: 34], “God resists the proud and shows favor to the humble.” 6) We must, at times, go “outside the camp,” i.e. accept God’s discipline. PS 101: 11, “The Lord is like a Father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.” 7) There will be times when your dignity is forfeited. 1 PET 3: 16, “However, if you suffer because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed of it, but thank God that you bear Christ’s name.” Let insults be opportunities to demonstrate our faith. 8) There are times when we must forego our rights for the sake of our faith. 2 COR 12: 7-9, Paul speaking, “But to keep me from being puffed up with pride because of the many wonderful things I saw, I was given a painful physical ailment, which is Satan’s way to beat me and keep me from being proud. Three times I prayed to the Lord to ask Him to take it away, but His answer was, ‘My grace is sufficient, for My power is greatest when you are weak.’ So, I am happiest when I can be proud of my weaknesses, for I can feel the power of Christ’s protection over me.” 9) We must accept that we will experience physical death, which is painful, but that Christ has won power over spiritual death for us. 1 COR 15: 54b-57, “’Death is destroyed; victory is complete!’ [IS 25: 8]. ‘Where death is your victory? Where death is your sting?’ [HO 13: 14]. Death gets its power to hurt from sin, and sin gets its power from the law. But thanks be to the God Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” 10) Because Christ was forsaken, we will never be. Christ’s Atonement on the cross brings us salvation [JN 3: 16], justification [RO 4: 3], and eternal forgiveness [1 JN 1: 9]. We must offer the Lord our thanks and praise for all He is and all He does!
PRAYER: O Lord, our lives are not complete without You! We undergo many changes for the better when we allow Christ to enter our lives. Misery and lack of direction are replaced with happiness, peace, and discovery of the Lord’s will for our lives. You teach us to communicate effectively, to recognize the devil’s work when we encounter it, and to seek His wisdom. The latter saves us from unnecessary trials in our careers and relationships. Living the “crucified life” becomes a goal for eternity. We learn how to think in eternal terms, rather than just earthly ones. As we experience Your grace, our outlook on our lives is completely transformed to an ever-thirst for obeying His will. There are times when our efforts are clumsy and filled with misunderstanding Your will, due to our limited perspective in comparison to Yours. But we become Your children and must accept Your direction. There are times when the mankind You love so much must be reprimanded or punished for our pathetic sinning. But You are our Covenant Partner and have the power to destroy us. You love us so much that You will forgive us and teach us righteous ways. So many undeserved blessings! We can’t count them but should watch You with rapt attention, as You deliver them. In Christ’s holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: When Paul went on his first mission, there were many concepts from God’s wisdom for him to learn. We will look at some of them next week. The wasted years of my own life-the years before Christ entered it-delayed me discovering my true skill set, my faith in Him, and finding His will for my life. I’m an ordinary person with strong faith in Him and a true desire to serve Him in a way which pleases. He has taught me that this is the way to true happiness, something I wish for each of my readers. As time goes on, I am becoming acutely aware of not only my responsibility to serve Him but of my need to encourage non-believers to come to saving faith in Him. It is not the easiest way of life, but it is the most satisfying. It is why I write these devotions and love Him as much as I do. It is my greatest hope that all the arms of the ministry He has given me are making me His instrument in doing His work as long as I can. Offering Him the praise and thanks He so richly deserves is something all of us should do! Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2020. All Rights Reserved.
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