Tag: redemption

Are We Willing for God to Make Holiness as Real in Us as It Is in His Son?

1 Corinthians 1:30
God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.

Without Jesus Christ in our lives, we are depraved and corrupt. With the regenerating grace of God through His Son, Jesus, we are benefactors of the redemptive process. We are freed from sin and made pure and holy in the eyes of Almighty God. Through this salvation process, we receive all the fullness of the treasures of heaven so that we are fit for the service to which we have been eternally called.

Are we willing for God to make holiness as real in us as it is in His Son, Jesus? The sanctification process begins at the instant that we humbly receive Jesus Christ as Our Redeemer. The sanctification process flourishes as we deny ourselves and rely entirely on Jesus to release His holiness in our lives. The sanctification process is a continuous journey until the day we stand before the Lord in the fullness of our completed holiness.

Sanctification is impossible in our flesh alone. It is only possible with the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit in full operation in our lives. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we access all the perfection and holiness that is Jesus Christ. As long as we remain surrendered to Our Savior and seek the ongoing work of His Holy Spirit in our lives, we will live a life of holiness on this earth. It will not be uninterrupted holiness like we will experience in our glorified bodies, but it will be steady and it will be pleasing to the One who is calling us to our eternal place of glory.

Let us strive to be holy as Our Savior is holy. Let us learn to rely entirely on the indwelling Holy Spirit as we battle our tormenting flesh and the attacks of the enemy. Let us show the world around us our freedom from sin that they may be drawn to Our Redeemer.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for taking us from the corruption of our old man into a condition of holiness in our new man in Christ. We worship You and bless Your name from the fount of holiness that Our Savior has created within us. We pray that we will receive the grace that we need to remain steadfast on our journey of sanctification. We seek to have our journey become a living testimony to those who you have placed in our lives. We pray for the wisdom and the courage to share our sanctification story with the flock that you have given us. We ask all these things in the name of the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ.

The Beatitudes Are Not a “To Do” List

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount have become known as The Beatitudes. To many, The Beatitudes offer rewards that do not appear reachable because they require behavior that seems out of touch with what the world has to offer. The promises of the Beatitudes become much clearer and more attainable when we realize that The Beatitudes are not meant to be a “To Do” list of required behaviors. They are intended to point out the need for our relationship with Jesus Christ and how that relationship will impact our lives.

It becomes even easier to understand The Beatitudes when we recognize that the first four Beatitudes specifically address our relationship with Jesus.

  • “Blessed are the poor in spirit” speaks to how far we fall short of the glory of God without His Son’s redemption.
  • “Blessed are those that mourn” speaks to our need to express our sorrow for our sinful ways.
  • “Blessed are the meek” speaks to our need to humble ourselves before Our Savior and accept the salvation that He offers us.
  • “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” speaks to our need to become new men and women in Christ.

The remainder of the Beatitudes address how our lives will change when we accept Our Savior. With Christ indwelling in us, we are able to be merciful, be pure of heart and be peacemakers. As a result, we will receive the rewards of this earth as promised by Jesus, but we will also be persecuted for our righteousness in Christ. When all these things have happened to us and for us, we can rejoice and be glad for our reward will be great in the kingdom of God.

Let us humble ourselves before the throne of Almighty God as we express our hunger for an intimate relationship with His Son. Let us surrender to the sanctification process that our indwelling Redeemer brings into our lives. Let us rejoice in our changed and blessed lives in Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for revealing to us our great need for Your Son in our lives. We exalt the name of Jesus for it is through Him that we are given the kingdom of heaven. We pray, Lord, for the humility to recognize our filthy and condemned nature without the saving grace of the Cross. We ask that Your Holy Spirit will come along side of us and help us so that we will allow the power of the presence of Your Son in our lives to change how we serve You. We pray that we receive the fullness of the blessings that are promised in the Beatitudes. We ask all these things in the name of Our Rewarder, Jesus Christ.

Let Us Allow the Love of Jesus to Spill Out from Us Into the World

Romans 1:14
I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish.

Paul was inspired by his view that Jesus Christ was his spiritual creditor. He was constantly driven to impart all that he had received from Jesus to the world around him. It was impossible for him to contain what he had been given through grace. So it should be with us.

Redeemed by the blood, and converted by the grace of the Lord Jesus, we are altogether His. For His sake we are debtors to all men. To serve all men is our duty. We should readily impart to others what God has trusted to us. We should rejoice to make others joyful. We should take pleasure in communing with those who believe the same things with us. We should be ready to serve those who are not yet believers.

Let us be careful not to contain what has been poured out upon us. Let us prepare ourselves to be founts of living water. Let us allow the love of Our Savior to spill out from us to the world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You providing Your Son, Jesus, to cleanse us of our sin debt for all eternity. Inspire us, Lord, to understand that through the gift of salvation we have become debtors to all men. Show us how to repay that debt through the services that You call us to do. Teach us how to impart the joy that You have given us. Equip us to share the good news with those who You bring into our lives. We pray that it may all be done for the honor and glory of the Blessed Trinity. We ask all these things in the name of Our Glorious Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Smallest of Sins is Great Enough to Separate Us from God

Matthew 5:26
Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.

In Matthew’s gospel, we are taught that when we have a debt that needs to be paid that we should try to reconcile with the one to whom we owe the debt. We will always end up suffering the consequences of the unresolved debt if we do not try to come to terms with our creditor. We should try to come to terms with the creditor prior to going before the judge. This passage is generally regarded as a teaching about how to handle conflict concerning civil matters.

The same perspective can very easily be applied to sin in our lives. It was necessary for Jesus to redeem us from our sin debt for there is not a space in heaven where the slightest sin is allowed. While our entire sin debt has been paid by Our Savior, it remains our responsibility to come to terms with and repent of all the sin in our lives. We must confess and ask forgiveness for every act for which we deserve to be accused and judged before the Throne of God.

As new Christians, we likely found it relatively easy to identify and turn away from the obvious and grievous sin in our lives. It is probable, however, that as we matured in Christ that the Holy Spirit began revealing to us undetected areas in our lives that held the last parcels of sin debt. These may seem to be the smallest of sins, but they are certainly great enough to separate us from Almighty God. Thus, the Holy Spirit is relentless in bringing to light sins that may have been lingering below the surface in the form of such things as anger, jealousy, gossip, greed, etc.

Be certain that this painful revealing process will continue with us until we breath our last breath. Thank God that He has provided His Holy Spirit to bring us to complete repentance for the sin debt that Our Savior has paid in full for us.

Let us call on the Holy Spirit to inspect us, to enlighten us of any speck of iniquity which remains in us. Let us turn away from all that the Holy Spirit reveals that is dark in our lives. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome the continuing solicitations of the world and the attacks of the enemy. Let us seek to remove the last parcels of sin from our lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son to spare us from our sin debt. We thank You for Your mercy as You see us struggle against sin in our lives. We thank You for Your grace as You provide Your Holy Spirit to aid us in departing from our errant ways. May Your countenance shine upon as we turn away from our old lives and learn to live according to Your kingdom principles here on earth. We ask all these things in the name of Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

The Only Path That Fulfills God’s Plan for Our Salvation

Mark 14:34
And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.”

Through Jesus, we receive the exchanged life of joy for the old life of sin and its miserable consequences. Jesus paid a great price for our redemption. He suffered physically, mentally and emotionally to go to the Cross for us. He knew in advance the bodily torments, the agonizing death and the inconceivable burden of the weight of the sins of all men that He would suffer. To secure our redemption, He chose the only path that fulfilled God’s plan for our salvation.

As Jesus approached His time of great suffering, He was very sorrowful. He was feeling the full agony of knowing that He would be taking on the burden of all sin. His suffering was so great that He took Peter, James and John with Him to stand by Him in prayer as He prayed for strength in His most awful time of distress. Three times He left the apostles to pray. Each time He asked them to remain and watch. Each time He found them asleep when He returned. The apostles in their weakness were not able to provide Jesus with the support that He requested as He prepared to take on His Cross. But even though the apostles left Jesus to take on the Cross alone, Jesus was given the strength that He needed by the Holy Spirit.

Ultimately, we must choose to take up the Cross of Jesus Christ. We must choose the way of Christ or the way of sin. This is an impossible decision for us to make on our own. Just like the apostles, our flesh is too weak. But like Jesus, we have the power and the strength that we need to overcome sin because the Holy Spirit stands by us and prepares our hearts to take our victory over sin.

Let us strive to live the joyous life of holiness. Let us be watchful and persistent in fending off the oppressive life of sin. Let us seek the Holy Spirit to stand by us and strengthen us as we walk on our paths of sanctification.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. We praise the name of Jesus who chose to take all the sorrow and grief that He endured on our behalf. We thank You for the Holy Spirit who guided us in choosing to accept Jesus as Our Savior, so that we might overcome the sin in our lives that separates us from You. We pray for wisdom to always seek the strength and the counsel available to us through the Holy Spirit that stands on watch against sin with us. We ask all these things in the name of the Slain Lamb, Jesus Christ.

The Grace of Salvation is Available to All

Titus 2:11
For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all the people.

Every one of us on this earth is burdened by a sin debt that we cannot pay. It is a debt the carries the most severe of all debt penalties – eternal damnation. Our Divine Creator through His perfect love and forgiveness offers each of us a payment plan that allows us to remove the onerous debt. He is a most merciful creditor.

The debt clearing offer of Our Heavenly Father is not based on our good deeds, nor on the basis of our performance of any type. The redeeming offer that He makes to us is made to us as a free gift. It is called His grace. It is revealed to us by the inspiration of His Holy Spirit. All we have to do is accept it in the name of His Son Jesus.

To add to the sweetness of His offer, He extends His grace to us by providing His Holy Spirit to in-dwell in us to guide, counsel and comfort us as we go through the debt period of our lives. Let us remember that we have not earned, nor do we deserve the grace of salvation. We are most unworthy, sin-burdened servants. It is by God’s grace and the shed blood of His Son that our salvation is possible.

Let us now live righteous and godly lives that correspond to the glorious debt free condition that we will hold when we stand before the Lord. Let us humbly recognize that we cannot do it on our own, but we can through the grace of Almighty God and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the riches of Your grace that are extended to us through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. We pray that through Your grace we will lead sober, righteous and godly lives. May those who You have placed in our lives be drawn to accept Your salvation offer that is available to all of them through Your precious grace. We ask all these things in the name of the One who is the fount of all of Your grace, Jesus Christ.

Extending Our Prayers Beyond Our Comfort Zone

Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

While intercessory prayer is very rewarding and plays a powerful role in deepening our relationship with Our Heavenly Father, it can sometimes lead us down paths that are challenging, perhaps even frustrating. The Holy Spirit has been placed along side of us to insure that we are not deterred by our frustrations. There are several important areas where the Holy Spirit supports us in our weakness.

First, the Holy Spirit is our perfecter in praying for the true needs of others. We are generally very comfortable seeking the hand of God for protection and provision for ourselves, our families and those close to us. It is natural and easy for us to pray for those that we love. At times, however, we may be at a loss to know what the will of God is in the lives of those that we are praying for. We can be comforted and confident in knowing that our prayers will be perfected before the Father by the Holy Spirit.

Second, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes and softens our hearts toward all mankind. It is not our nature to pray for those we do not feel close to or perhaps even dislike because of their behavior toward us or others. In His ministry, Jesus often argued with the apostles because He wanted to be among those in the most need of His redemptive work, not those that were more socially acceptable. Jesus wants us to intercede for the world around us, whether we feel drawn or repulsed by the ones that we pray for. As we mature in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help build up our sensitivity to and our desire to pray for the needs of all mankind.

Finally, the Holy Spirit has been sent to strengthen us when we are personally overpowered by the things that the world has brought against us. When we are so broken that we do not even know what to pray for, the Holy Spirit is beside us to silence our fears and help us through our discouragements. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit stands with us to make intercession for us before the Father so that the enemy cannot prevail against us.

Let our hearts be softened so that we may extend our intercessory prayers beyond our comfort zone. Let us rely on the Holy Spirit to direct us, strengthen us and support us in our prayers.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You have provided Your Holy Spirit to help us pray in accordance with Your will for our lives and the lives of others. We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit will perfect our prayers before You. We pray, Lord, that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts to be intercessors for all of mankind. Be they far or near, be they friend or foe, Father, teach us how to pray for their needs. When we are too weak to pray properly, or even pray at all, may Your Holy Spirit strengthen us and intercede for us. We pray all these things in the name of the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ.

Believing in the Fullness of Our Redemption

Luke 4:18
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,”

The words in Luke 4:18 were spoken by Jesus himself in the synagogue. He was confirming all the things that the Scripture said that He was anointed to do on earth. Later, before He left them, Jesus told the disciples that they would be able to do and should do more than He did. He let them know that where they were weak in the flesh that He would send the Holy Spirit to perfect His strength in their weaknesses. As Jesus instructed His disciples, He was also instructing us. All these things have been set aside for us as well.

How shortsighted we are when we accept Our Savior’s invitation for salvation, but do not believe in the fullness of our redemption. Not only did Our Lord come to redeem us from our sins, but He also came in His power and grace to free us from all the bondages of this world. Though we may currently suffer in the flesh, He released us into the world with freedom and joy in the spirit so that the world may know Him through our living testimonies.

The fullness of our redemption is not just for our own benefit. We have each been anointed in different ways to do all the things that Jesus Himself was called to do as the Son of Man.

Let us boldly seek the Holy Spirit to guide us in joining Jesus in carrying out His work for the Father. Let us experience the fullness of our redemption. Let us allow the world see the love and power of Jesus through our daily lives.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for anointing us to do Your good work. We bless the name of Jesus who made it possible for us to receive our anointing. We rejoice in knowing that the Holy Spirit dwells within us to insure that where we are weak in our flesh, we will be made strong in Christ. We pray, Lord, that You show us how to take claim of the fullness of our redemption. Whatever our current situation may be, may we take on the joy and comfort of Your completed promises. May we find peace knowing that Your power is working in us. May the world see the anointing that is upon us because Our Savior is within us. We pray all these things in the name of our Blessed Hope and Assurance, Jesus Christ.

Understanding How God Intends to Rule and Reign in Our Lives

Luke 24:21
But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

For the two men on the road to Emmaus, dejection had set in. They had heard the reports that Jesus had risen from the grave and was alive, but they were perplexed as to why Israel had not been redeemed. Their expectation was of a redemption of a temporal kind – a redemption that would free Israel from bondage to Rome. Jesus reproved them for the weakness in their faith and their lack of understanding of the prophetic Scripture.

For all of us that have grown up in an era where instant gratification has become the norm, waiting on the Lord to answer our prayers is one of the most difficult challenges that we face. We often feel dejected, perhaps even feel rejected, when we have not seen our prayers answered quickly or in a manner that we wished for. We suffer the same weakness as the men on the road to Emmaus. We are weak in our faith and we lack understanding of how God intends to rule and reign in our lives. We tend to seek things from the hand of God without fully seeking the presence of God in our lives.

Let us learn from the men on the way to Emmaus. Let us refuse to have our hopes dashed because God’s work in our lives does not meet our expectations of immediate gratification. Let us separate ourselves from our old ways of living in the flesh and not in the spirit. Let us learn to move away from dealing with the issues of our day through our own strength alone. Let us move to higher ground where we rely on Almighty God to settle our issues. Let us graduate to the highest ground where we seek the continual presence and impact of Our Savior in our lives and we experience the anointing of living in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to live among us so that we could learn about who You are. We praise the name of Jesus for making it possible for us to enter into Your presence here on earth and forever in Your eternal kingdom. We pray, Father, that You open our eyes so that we can see You in all the commonplace things that surround us. We call upon Your Holy Spirit to give us the strength to overcome the depression and oppression that we find in our world. May we always be mindful of all that is promised to us because of the price that was paid by Your Son, Jesus. May the world see our joy as we live in Your constant presence. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord and Our King, Jesus Christ.

Sharing the Power of the Cross

1 Corinthians 1:17
For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Paul served the emerging church in a number of ways, but he understood that God had called him and equipped him specifically to preach the Good News through the power of the Cross. Paul teaches us that, as we serve our churches and communities, it is important that we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us to find out what God is specifically calling us to do in service to His Kingdom. We need to discover how we can share the power of the Cross in the world around us.

As we discover our role in God’s kingdom on earth, we should be aware of several important aspects of our calling.

  • No role is too big, nor is any role too small, when we are doing what Our Creator called us to do.
  • When we find our calling, we will recognize it because we will have the same passion for our calling that Paul had for his calling.
  • The fruit that we bear in our calling will be the result of the supernatural work of God released through the Cross. The fruit will not be attributable to us.

Paul made it clear to his audience that the redemptive power of the Cross did not rely on anything that he did, nor would it rely on anything that they did or said. We learn from Paul that it is not our enticing words or the strength of our presentation that wins hearts. We are simply vessels of the divine truth of God’s mercy on all of us. We should never consider ourselves to be the reason that a soul came to Christ. The redemptive process is totally reliant on the supernatural work of Jesus Christ on the Cross.

Let us serve from the foot of the Cross. Let us guard against taking any credit for the salvation of another. Let us rejoice in the power of the supernatural, redemptive work of the Cross. Let us give all the glory to God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that You equip us to do Your work. We praise You for allowing us to participate in the work of redemption made possible by the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus. We pray, Lord, that You will open our eyes so that we can see the unique ways that You have endowed us to serve You. We pray that Your Holy Spirit will prepare our hearts so that we may serve You as humble vessels of Your divine, redemptive power. We pray all these things in the name of Our Lord of the Cross, Jesus Christ.