Author: Charlie Brignac

Throughout our Christian lives, we will experience “moments” in the presence of God.  The moments may come in different forms.  In some cases, they may be in the dramatic form of an audible voice, a dream or a visitation.  In most cases, they will be in the form of gentle urgings from the Holy Spirit into our spirits.

Each moment is meant to lift us up from day-to-day living into a kingdom experience.  Each moment can be very exciting and pleasing.  But God does not intend for us to stay in the moment.   Nor does He want us to seek continued residence there.  He simply uses the moment to show us a path, to build us up, to strengthen us and, most importantly, to prepare us to be with Him for all eternity.

God’s Holy Word tells us that we should rejoice in our trials because they are character builders in our lives.  The trials that we go through certainly do build character if we turn to the Lord for our strength during the trials.

Beyond the character building process, we gain more – much more.  We gain life experiences that we are able to share with others who find themselves going through similar trials.  God prepares us to be comforters for others in their times of need. 

When we reach heaven, having shed our earthly bodies, we will be fully submitted to Jesus.  We will have released every single remaining carnal desire that we carried on earth.

Jesus is the only man that ever achieved absolute abandonment to the Father while on earth.   He is looking for disciples that are willing to engage in the constant shedding of their carnal desires while still in their earthly bodies.  The Holy Spirit is provided to guide and strengthen each disciple in this process until the time when they find their place in heaven with their Master, Jesus Christ.    

Every logical consideration of receiving Jesus Christ as a personal Savior without the influence of the Holy Spirit will end up in a decision of “no” or “not now”.  Without the influence of the Holy Spirit, man will follow the callings of his flesh which is never ready to be laid down in submission at the feet of Jesus.  

Praise God.   In His endless mercy, knowing our eternally fatal weakness, He gives us the Holy Spirit to provide us with the faith that we need to receive Jesus as Our Savior.

Jesus Christ is the essence of perfect love and forgiveness.  He is the standard to which He is calling all people.  

The principle of love and forgiveness is so important in God’s kingdom that Jesus teaches us that we should go to reconcile our grievances with others before we come to His altar with our offerings.  If we are the offender, we should go and ask for forgiveness for our act and be willing to make retribution for the wrong.  If we are the offended, we should forgive the one that has wronged us.  In both cases, we should waive our own, perceived rights and obey the Lord’s call to pour out His love that is in us to the other party. 

Love God with your all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself.  Jesus called these the two greatest commandments.  He taught that these are the things that we must do to inherit eternal life in heaven.  

But clearly these things are beyond human capability.  That which is demanded of us is impossible without supernatural intervention.  Thus, Our Heavenly Father through his endless grace and mercy provided the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to provide the supernatural assistance that we all need to fulfill our requirements for entry into heaven.

So it is with God’s calling on our lives.  God does not ask us to do that which is possible for us naturally.   He asks us to do that which we are perfectly fitted for through His grace.

There is but one Cross, one atonement for our sins.  Our time on earth is meant as a reconciling of ourselves to the Cross.  Nothing that we do in our lives has value with the Lord unless it has been put in proper order.

The Heavenly Father must be the first consideration of every conscious moment in our lives.  If there is anything or any person that comes before the Father, He will ask us to give up our improper disposition.  This will be a continuous process in our lives until we have released our last wayward conviction and have only the Cross left to cling to. 

Praise God for His mercy.  Praise God for providing His Son to allow us to reconcile our lives with the Father.

Jesus lived His entire time on earth focused on doing the will of the Father.  He did not care if He preached to one or to ten thousand.  He was not interested in seeking the recognition of man for the good that He did.  He only sought to do the things that would please the Father.

Jesus faithfully followed God’s plan for His life.   He was the obedient son of Joseph and Mary.  He was a skilled carpenter in His home town.  He was a great teacher.  He was a miracle worker.  He died on the Cross to be Our Savior.  In every season of His life, He did exactly what God called Him to do.

Jesus is our role model.  We should do as He did.  We should seek and be obedient to the will of the Father for each of the seasons in our lives.     

In every religion other than Christianity, the final goal is to have done enough in life to satisfy a god who rewards the deserving individual for all eternity.  For the non-Christian believer, their god is a task master.

For Christians, servitude to the Master is totally different.  The Master took care of everything required for the servant to receive his or her eternal reward.

As Christians, we serve a loving God who demands nothing but for us to have a living relationship with Our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.  Jesus stands before the Father on our behalf testifying to our worthiness to receive our eternal destiny in heaven.  His Holy Spirit dwells within us perfecting us for that glorious day.

Christ Jesus dwelling in us is our blessed hope for glory and the revelation of God’s creative purpose for our lives – to glorify Him.  As we submit to Christ’s reign in our lives, we learn to overcome all the challenges and obstacles that the enemy sends our way to keep us from glorifying Our Heavenly Father.

We were all created to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.  Through Jesus’ constant presence with us, we are led into our earthly calling.  We are provided the gifts of the Holy Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These gifts prepare us to serve and glorify God here on earth and in the heaven for all eternity.