Spirit Filled Disciples

Matthew 5:40
And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.

Jesus’ instructions to His disciples was simple enough. It just does not make sense to us and it probably did not make sense to them. It is not natural for us to bear an injury for the sake of peace. In the flesh, it is difficult for us to meet this standard.

As we become disciples of Jesus Christ, we learn to commit our concerns to the Lord. We learn to avoid the disputes that our flesh would demand. We come to recognize through the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit that our flesh and blood will not inherit the kingdom of God. Only our spirit will find its resting place with the Father. And it will be our spirit that will find supernatural peace and comfort on this earth when we follow the principles that Our Lord teaches.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ cannot be carried out in the flesh. God does not start with our natural ability and build on it. He only asks that we rely on His grace and submit to the presence and the supernatural work of the One that dwells within us. And as He promises, His grace is sufficient.

Let us relinquish all the power that we think we have in the flesh in exchange for the supernatural power that we receive in the spirit through Jesus Christ. Let us strive to be spirit-filled, fully empowered disciples of Our Lord, Our Master and Our King.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the all-sufficient grace that You provide that allows us to live as disciples of Your Son, Jesus. We humbly acknowledge, Father, that You do not see us as who we are today or who we have been. We rejoice in knowing that You see us as who we are in Christ. We pray, Lord Jesus, that You will walk by our side and lead us to the way of peace. We ask that You show us how to draw the world to You through our living testimony as Your disciples. We ask all these things in the name of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.

Perfect Customer Service

Luke 11:9
And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

In this passage, we find a solemn declaration and promise made by Jesus Himself. The declaration rests on His authority. He makes the statement with the boldness of knowing it is true. He opens the way for us to ask for food for the body and nourishment for our souls. He promises that for those that act in accordance with His counsel that they shall find their requests satisfied.

When we knock at Jesus’ door, seeking Him, our lives are changed forever. Once we have accepted Him as Our Savior, we are new men and women in Christ. We are new people who are faced with the eye-opening need to let our old selves die, so that our new selves are properly prepared to be in the presence of Our Lord.

Once we establish our relationship with Him, we will be in a place that is greater than anything we have ever experienced before. We will never want to leave that relationship. To stay there, we will find that we are forever humbled by our need to cleanse ourselves. We will find that the experience of first meeting Him is the beginning of our preparation for being in His presence for all eternity.

Let us knock on the door of heaven and let Jesus know that we desire to have an intimate relationship with Him. Let us humbly accept being yoked to Him. Let us learn to surrender to the fullness of living in His presence each day. Let us joyfully anticipate the eternal resting place that He is preparing for us in His Father’s house.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we humbly bow before You. We thank You that we are allowed to approach Your throne because Your Son, Jesus, has prepared the way for us. Make us forever mindful of His sacrifice which washed away our sins for all eternity. Open our eyes to see the sins that remain in our lives so that we may ask forgiveness of them and repent of them. May Your Holy Spirit guide us in continuously seeking the presence of Your Son in our lives. May we find all we need in Him. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord God Omnipotent, Jesus Christ.