Showing posts with label IN Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IN Christ. Show all posts

Saturday, October 11, 2014

The Mystery of the Gospel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapters_and_verses_of_the_Bible 

"None of us likes pain. All of us wish at times we did not need to 'go through all this stuff.' Let us settle it once and for all: we cannot know Christ and the power of His resurrection without the fellowship of His suffering."
-Elisabeth Elliot, "Quest for Love," 40
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus [the new Man] and put no confidence in the flesh [the old man] — though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  
-Philippians 3:3-11
"Self is a tight lock. I see many decent sinners who are in spiritual prison because their self is on the throne of their hearts, and Jesus is on the cross. What liberation comes when Jesus cleanses their hearts with His blood and comes to throne, and self goes on the cross!"
-Corrie ten Boom, "Each New Day," 69
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.  -Romans 6:3-11 Cross reference: Colossians 2:9-14
 And He said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  -Luke 9:23
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  -Galatians 2:20 
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self [the old man] with its practices and have put on the new self [the new Man], which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  -Colossians 3:1-14 (underline mine)  Cross reference: Romans 13:14
Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
-Romans 16:24-27 

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

"I Have No Good Apart From You"

     Last night I was reading through Psalm 16.  I think this one is becoming a favorite.  I love the verses, and as I read God brings to mind other verses.  It's really cool how there is SO much life in each individual verse in Scripture and yet it all fits together like one big puzzle!
Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;    I have no good apart from You.”  Psalm 16:1-2  ESV
     I can go to so many other things to try and take refuge from the storms of life.  But only God is a true refuge in times of trouble.  Praying verse one really helps me to remember to go only to Him.  There are so many other verses in Psalms that correspond with this one.  Psalm 27:1 and 118:6 are favorites (you should take a minute to grab your Bible and read them, even though you're probably familiar with them).  I also like meditating through Psalm 18.
     "LORD" when in all caps in the English Bible means "YHWH," often pronounced, "Yahweh."  The proper translation is "He is" (third person).  I love it whenever I read this because "He is" holds so much meaning.  You could say, "He is . . . what?  He is love?  He is forgiving?  He is the same yesterday, today, and forever?  He is forever-present?"  Well, yes . . . but He is so much MORE than that!  He . . . is.  He just is.  He is more than my words will ever say.  ♥
     Last of all, "I have no good apart from You" is a really strong statement.  Often my Christian life doesn't reflect this.  There are things in this world I can feel like I can't live without.  But the truth is that apart from Christ I have nothing good!  This also acknowledges that I cannot bring myself good.  I do not . . . cannot bring good bring good to anyone, including myself.  I am not good.  There is nothing good in me.  This brings to mind a passage from John 15:
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  John 15:4-5
     Perhaps the God's spiritual giants never become less weak or less dependent on God.  Perhaps spiritual giants are those who are most aware of their own weakness and dependency on God.  For God's power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

Monday, May 19, 2014

"Egkrateia"

Egkrateia:  Translated often in the Bible as "temperance" or "self-control;" meaning "to have control of oneself."  Context in the Bible is not implying that I have control over myself, rather that there something or someone has a conquering type of control over my body and sin nature.  Small but important distinction.

"The Egkrateian Growl" is a a good sermon explaining the Biblical truths surrounding this topic.  Even the definition given above is not fully accurate, but perhaps it will help when I reference the word.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Satisfied

 . . . My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, saith the LORD.  Jeremiah 31:14 ESV
Cross references: Psalm 119:68; 107:9 
     Last night I was reading a few verses from Jeremiah 31, and the verse above especially stood out to me.  I love to meditate on the goodness of the Lord!  There's something about the Lord's goodness that is just so pure, so wonderful, and so satisfying.

     These past few weeks God has been really challenging me in the area of trust.  Proverbs 3:5 says to trust in the Lord with all my heart.  Keyword: All.  It is so easy to just trust in the Lord partially, still holding worry and doubts.  Yet God has challenged me, "I promise that I am working all things for good in your life (Rom. 8:28), and whether you trust Me or not, I will accomplish My purpose (Isaiah 14:24; 2 Tim. 2:13).  But will you do as I have commanded, and trust in Me with all of your heart (Prov. 3:5), or will you continue to live a life of worry and doubt (James 1:6, 8)?"

     I've chosen trust.  Yet even so, being the sinful creature that I am I do not have the ability to trust in God fully.  ". . .For without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).  Nothing.  Apart from Jesus I can do nothing.  That's a pretty strong statement and yet it's true.  Only Christ can enable me to trust in God with ALL of my heart.

     It's been really interesting these past few weeks.  I mean it's been a good kind of interesting.  Not good because of circumstances, but good because God is good.  ♥
     God is good.
     Oh, I love that truth!
     No matter what my circumstances are, He is good .
     He is my Solid Rock, with no variation, or shadow due to change.

     These past few weeks have been challenging in ways I'm not used to (serious, last-minute things coming up).  In other ways life has been "normal" but I've found myself wanting to doubt His faithfulness in the tiniest areas of my life.  Even when I am faithless He remains faithful (2 Tim. 2:13).  Praise Him for that!

     As I have been abiding in Christ, I have seen amazing fruit.  I have been able to take my eyes off my forever-changing circumstances and instead fix them on my never-changing God (Js. 1:17; Heb. 13:8).  At times when it would have been so easy for me to worry or be nervous due to unforeseen circumstances, I was at peace.  I could just rejoice because I am content, or in another word, satisfied with God's goodness.
For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:9  ESV