Tag: things of the flesh

The Lord is All About Process

John 18:36
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

Ok, where is that “To Do” list? It’s time to get on to today’s tasks. I have to dive into the challenges of this day. Does this sound or feel familiar?

The world is all about results. Everything we are taught by the world directs us toward endless expenditures of our energy and our activities in an effort to produce something deemed valuable by the world itself. We are constantly in motion taking on the demands of the world. In our haste, we are focusing on the wrong kingdom.

Jesus’ royal power and authority have no origin in this world. His standing with the Father is in no way furnished by earthly force, fleshly ordinances, physical energies, material wealth or imperial armies. The dominion of Christ the King springs directly from the throne of Almighty God. Every good thing that comes to us and flows through us is a result of our relationship with One who sits at the right hand of the Father.

The Lord is all about process, not results. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to a process of building an intimacy with Our Savior. From the depths of the relationship that we develop with Jesus, we will produce every good thing that we engage in under His dominion.

Let us adjust our focus now. Let us turn away from focusing on the production of things that our flesh demands and move on to producing for the kingdom of Our Lord while here on earth. Let us become true disciples of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for this day. We thank You for every day that You have given us. We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You here on earth and in heaven for all eternity. We ask for the daily grace to focus on and bear the desired fruit on earth that has value in Your kingdom. We pray that through our relationship with Your Son that our every activity will give You the praise and glory that is Yours alone. We ask all these things in the name of the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

Bringing Richness to Our Daily Walk with Christ

Luke 18:22
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The young ruler, as he is often called, was given the directive to sell what He had and follow Jesus. It was a hard word for the young man to take. He walked away from all that Jesus had offered because he could not give up his earthly treasures in exchange for the treasures that Jesus offered to him.

For most all of us, God’s words do not come to us in such a direct manner as the words spoken to the young man. They do not come in clear audible context. God’s directives come to us in the faint internal whisperings of the Holy Spirit. We receive more of a gentle urging of the spirit rather than an anything audible. Nonetheless, we are challenged just like the young ruler to decide if God is the most important thing in our lives.

Maybe, unlike the young ruler, it is not our treasures that we are holding on to. Maybe we are holding on to a job that keeps us away from our family. Maybe we are holding on to an outside interest that keeps us out of church on Sunday. Maybe we are holding on to a habit that limits our ability to draw closer to God. Maybe it is simply pride that is keeping us from fully surrendering to Our Savior.

Whatever it is, it is clear to Our Lord what we are holding on to. In His loving kindness, He will insure that which we are clinging to is exposed. The Holy Spirit will reveal the things of the flesh that we are clinging to. The Holy Spirit will send us urgings that are designed to test our obedience. If we ignore the urgings, they will become weaker and weaker until they eventually cease. If we are obedient to the urgings, they will become clearer and clearer to us. God’s inspiration will become a greater part of our lives as we begin to seek the urgings of the Holy Spirit in all of our endeavors. Through the process of obedience and surrender, we will learn to walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the things that we are placing above God in our lives. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to show us any areas of lack in our spiritual walk with Christ. Let us submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit so that we may live the abundant life that God has planned for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us to Yourself through the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit. We praise You for providing the ever present Counselor in our daily lives. We pray that our minds and hearts will be receptive to all that the Holy Spirit brings to us. We ask for the strength to release the trappings of our flesh that are keeping us from surrendering fully to Your Son. May our obedience bring richness to our daily walk with Our Savior. We ask all these things in the name of Our Treasure on earth and in heaven, Jesus Christ.

Exchanging Our Earthly Treasures

Luke 18:22
When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

The young ruler, as he is often called, was given the directive to sell what He had and follow Jesus. It was a hard word for the young man to take. He walked away from all that Jesus had offered because he could not give up his earthly treasures in exchange for the treasures that Jesus offered to him.

For most all of us, God’s words do not come to us in such a direct manner as the words spoken to the young man. They do not come in clear audible context. God’s directives come to us in the faint internal whisperings of the Holy Spirit. We receive more of a gentle urging of the spirit rather than an anything audible. Nonetheless, we are challenged just like the young ruler to decide if God is the most important thing in our lives.

Maybe, unlike the young ruler, it is not our treasures that we are holding on to. Maybe we are holding on to a job that keeps us away from our family. Maybe we are holding on to an outside interest that keeps us out of church on Sunday. Maybe we are holding on to a habit that limits our ability to draw closer to God. Maybe it is simply pride that is keeping us from fully surrendering to Our Savior.

Whatever it is, it is clear to Our Lord what we are holding on to. In His loving kindness, He will insure that which we are clinging to is exposed. The Holy Spirit will reveal the things of the flesh that we are clinging to. The Holy Spirit will send us urgings that are designed to test our obedience. If we ignore the urgings, they will become weaker and weaker until they eventually cease. If we are obedient to the urgings, they will become clearer and clearer to us. God’s inspiration will become a greater part of our lives as we begin to seek the urgings of the Holy Spirit in all of our endeavors. Through the process of obedience and surrender, we will learn to walk in the fullness of Jesus Christ.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the things that we are placing above God in our lives. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to show us any areas of lack in our spiritual walk with Christ. Let us submit to the urgings of the Holy Spirit so that we may live the abundant life that God has planned for us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us to Yourself through the gentle urgings of the Holy Spirit. We praise You for providing the ever present Counselor in our daily lives. We pray that our minds and hearts will be receptive to all that the Holy Spirit brings to us. We ask for the strength to release the trappings of our flesh that are keeping us from surrendering fully to Your Son. May our obedience bring richness to our daily walk with Our Savior. We ask all these things in the name of Our Treasure on earth and in heaven, Jesus Christ.