ALIVE IN CHRIST

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. - Romans 6:11

After the fall, sin had a hold on mankind. In fact, sin resulted in spiritual and physical death to all men. Spiritual death is the separation of man from God. No longer was man able to fellowship directly with God as Adam and Eve once had in the garden. But now, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, sin has been defeated. Those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God no longer have to fear death, for death brings us into the presence of the One who loves us. Meditate today on the incredible gift of eternal life with God through Christ and give thanks to Him that you no longer have to fear death.

Tuesday 5-15-01

CREATED IN CHRIST

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works . . . Ephesians 2:10

Wednesday 5-16-01

RIGHTEOUS IN CHRIST

You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God ... Romans 6:22

What good news! In Romans 6 Paul tells us when we were enslaved to sin we used our bodies to promote wickedness. Simply put, he is saying we were concerned with our own interests and not the interests of God. In fact, he says we could not be concerned with the things of God even if we wanted because as slaves of sin, righteousness had no control over us. Thankfully the Righteous One who is Christ, does rule over all. Once He broke the control sin had over us, we became slaves of righteousness. Now, we use our bodies to promote righteousness, the benefits of which are holiness and eternal life. Think back to your life in the era of BC (Before Christ). Did you think you were a good person? Were you able to see the sin in your life? Thank God for opening your eyes to the truth about who you once were without Him and who you are now, redeemed by Him. Thank God that you have been made truly righteous in Christ.

For further study: Galatians 4:4-7

Thursday 5-17-01

MADE LIKE CHRIST

But we know that when he appears we shall be made like him...1 John 3:2

We shall be made like Him. We shall be made like Him especially in His righteousness. As John says, righteousness is doing right (vs 7). One of the ways we know we have passed from death to life is that we turn away from our sin. After all, no one who lives in him keeps on sinning (vs 6). But you might say, I do continue to sin, because I'm sinful, I'm not perfect. I am not yet glorified. But there will be a day, when we see Jesus that we will be glorified, and we will no longer sin. Meanwhile, we continue to turn away from sin and temptation in our lives, seek holiness and look forward to that day when we are made perfectly righteous in Christ. Give thanks for your future in Christ and the reality that though you are still a sinner, that God only sees the righteousness of Christ in you.

For further study: Zechariah 3:3-4

Friday 5-18-01

PRESERVED IN CHRIST

No one who is born of God continues to sin, because God's seed remains in him . . .1 John 3:9

John uses the picture of human reproduction to explain the way that God preserves His people from sin. It is not that we no longer sin, but John is saying that our nature has been changed. Once we were oblivious to our sin, now we fully recognize it and want to change it. God's seed in us, deposited by the Holy Spirit, imparts the character of Christ to us. Once God's seed of regeneration has been planted within the human soul, nothing can steal it away. God's seed will preserve us until the day of Christ Jesus. Give thanks today, that though you may have your ups and downs, God will preserve you in the faith.

For further study: 1 John 5:18-20

THE ASSURANCE OF SALVATION

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. - 1 John 3:14

In 1 John 3, John gives us two indicators of our salvation. The first is that we no longer continue to live a life of sin; the second is that we love our brothers. This letter of John's was specifically written to believers and much of the content concerns the relationship believers are to have with one another. No longer are we to feel envy, jealousy, or hatred towards our brothers. These are things that we were familiar with when we belonged to the world. Now we belong to a family of believers, which is represented in the church. We all have the same Father and elder Brother and we are to come together in love for each other. John goes on to explain that this love for fellow Christians is demonstrated through our actions. Within the church, we are to give generously to those in need - that is the evidence that we belong to the truth. Pray today that you would consider those in the church just as you do your own family - be willing to share your material possessions with those who are in need.

Tuesday 5-22-01

JESUS PRAYS FOR THE CHURCH

"I pray also for those who will believe in me . . ." - John 17:20

Wednesday 5-23-01

JESUS PRAYS FOR UNITY

"May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me." - John 17:21

Jesus made an analogy between the Church and His relationship with the Father. "My prayer is . . .that they may be one as we are one." Jesus and His Father are in perfect harmony. They are rightly related in every way. There are no conflicts, discrepancies or differences between them. Jesus delights to do His Father's will and His Father delights in Him. The heartbeat of Jesus' prayer was that Christians would be united in the same way, through Christ and with one another, delighting to do the will of their heavenly Father. When the church unifies to do God's work, the world will no longer be able to deny the divinity of Christ. Pray today for unity in your church body, for like-mindedness amongst the members and for a delight to do God's work.

For further study: Jeremiah 32:39, John 10:38

Thursday 5-24-01

THE LONGING OF CHRIST

"I want those you have given me to be with me . . ." - John 17:24

Do you know what it is like to long for a loved one during a season of separation? A child longs for his father when he is away on a business trip. A wife longs for her husband when they are separated for a time. Good friends long to see one another face to face again. Jesus, that last night before the crucifixion, shared His grieving heart with His Father. He knew that His work on earth would be completed soon and that He would be returning to His heavenly home. Yes, He was glad to be reunited with His Father, but now there was a special love in His life. The very one for whom He was laying His life down in order that one day their relationship would be consummated, was the one He prayed to the father for. Jesus longs for the day when He will finally be united with His bride, the church. When things are difficult for you in this world and you find yourself longing for your heavenly home, remember, the one who purchased you with His very own blood, longs for you as well.

For further study: John 14:2-3

Friday 5-25-01

THE GLORY OF CHRIST

"I want those you have given me . . .to see my glory. . ." - John 17:24

The glory of Jesus was hidden from the eyes of those He came to save. Jesus left His glory behind when He came to earth and was born of a virgin. Sure there were glimpses of His glory along the way, like when John baptized Jesus and heaven opened. His Father spoke and the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove. Or how about when Jesus took Peter, James and John up on top of the mountain and they witnessed the transfiguration - His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light (Matthew 17:2). As Jesus is contemplating His death and resurrection, He shares the desires of His heart with His heavenly Father. His apostles and disciples and other followers, though many had come to have faith in Christ as the Son of God, still did not fully grasp who He was. They did not fully understand yet that the Word had been made flesh and had lived among them for a time. Now Jesus wants those who are so very dear to His heart and who have come to love Him to see Him as He really is, in all His glory. Pray that you would see more of the glory of Christ as you read the word of God.

For further study: Matthew 17:1-8

For further study: John 5:24, Galatians 5:14

What a comfort it is to know that Jesus prayed for the Church. Prayer comes because there is a burden and Jesus surely had a burden. His prayer in John 17 is one of the last prayers He prayed before laying down His life for His church. The work He came to do, the work of sacrificing His life for His bride the church, was drawing nigh. He prayed for every person who would be called by His name. He prayed for the ones He loved so much that He was willing to take on a cloak of humanity, a garment of humility and a shroud of death. Jesus bore a great burden for His people, a burden that lead Him to lay down His life for each and every one of them. Thank God today for His amazing and sacrificial love.

For further study: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 12: 27

ACTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." --Matthew 6:1

What exactly are acts of righteousness? In the negative sense, they are the things we do, thinking we can earn our way into heaven (a fruitless and impossible task indeed). In the positive sense, they are the fruit born on the tree of our love and devotion for Jesus Christ. They are the things we do because we love Jesus and our lives are devoted to serving Him. But even having the right motivation for doing good deeds does not safeguard us completely from seeking personal recognition for the things we do. Nor does it protect us from putting our identity in the things we do rather than in who we are in Christ. Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, is trying to make us more aware of the condition of our hearts. It is not intrinsically wrong to talk about the good deeds that you do; it all boils down to your motivation. The next time you perform an act of righteousness, guard it with your heart. If you do feel the need to share it with others ask yourself "Why do I want to share this information about myself? What will I get out of it? Am I feeding my ego? How do I want others to think about me as a result of my sharing this information?" Now evaluate how you felt about not telling anyone. Often times we are not aware of our underlying motivations until we put them to a test. Continue to pray that God would purify your heart and that you would find your self worth in Him and Him alone.

Tuesday 5-29-01

THE SNARES OF CORPORATE PRAYER

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." --Matthew 6:7

Wednesday 5-30-01

FORGIVENESS IS CRUCIAL

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."-- Matthew 6:14

But, you say, "I thought I was forgiven by Jesus unconditionally?! I thought saved by grace means that when I was saved I was forgiven of my sins without having to forgive anyone, without having to do any "works"?"

Forgiveness is not something we can accomplish on our own. It is the fruit of the gratitude we have for being forgiven ourselves. If you are in Christ, God forgave you of all your sins because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. But, because you have been forgiven, you no longer have the right to hold unforgiveness against any body else. What God gave to you freely, you are now to give to others freely. Just as you hurt God when you sinned against Him, the hurt others have perpetrated against you must also be forgiven. Often we do not understand this concept because we do not have a sense about how offensive our sins against God and others have been. If you are having trouble forgiving someone, ask the Lord to show you how offensive your own sins have been. Ask Him for the grace, power and willingness to forgive.

For further study: Matthew 18:21-35

Thursday 5-31-01

PUTTING OUR IDENTITY IN OUR THINGS

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."--Matthew 6:21

Jesus tells us not to store up for ourselves treasures on earth, instead He tells us to store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Treasures that are lasting and will still be in tack when we get to our heavenly home. The evidence of what is truly important in our hearts will be the things that we put our hearts into: How we spend our time, energy and money.

If you find yourself investing a significant amount of your resources in things other than heavenly treasure, ask yourself "What am I covering up? What would people think of me if I did not do or have these things?" Often we try to create a veil of deception about ourselves. We become fearful that if the veil is ever torn away, people would see our real identity, turn and run away. Take this baggage you have been carrying and hand it over to the Lord. Ask Him to impress upon your heart the truth of who you are in Him and to destroy the lies you believe about yourself. Choose to invest your time, energy and other resources in Jesus and resolve today to trust in Him and Him alone for your self-worth.

For further study: 1 Peter 3:3-5

Friday 6-1-01

DO NOT WORRY

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear."-- Matthew 6:25

For some, worrying is like their national pastime. Worry is especially prevalent in the church amongst women. We worry about how we look, our clothes, our weight, our image and the list goes on. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ commands us not to worry! Worry is an indication that we have put our faith in something other than in our heavenly Father. Worrying about how I look or what other people think about me is a statement that in essence says "I trust in these things and not my heavenly Father for my self-worth." But Jesus says, "if you put your faith in me and seek me first, you can trust that all these things will be provided for you by your heavenly Father." "Give to the Winds Your Fears" is a hymn by Paul Gerhardt, translated by John Wesley, which reminds us to give it all to God. "O put your trust in God; . . . Walk in his strength with faith and hope, . . . Leave to his sov'reign sway to choose and to command; So you shall, faithful, seek his way-How wise, how strong his hand, how wise, how strong his hand!" If you are a worrier, confess your lack of faith, and then ask for an increased measure and a greater understanding of His sovereignty. Be willing to commit all your cares to His wise and strong hands today.

For further study: Philippians 4:6-8