Philippians 3:8
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (NAS)
Life without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is a life without purpose or meaning. The Bible declares that in order for you to have that relationship it is worth losing everything else. When values are measured it is possible to place a worth on your relationship with Christ. That value is the highest value known to mankind and to you.
Losing everything in order to know Jesus means that no possession, no person, no power, nor position brings as great a purpose to your life as knowing Jesus.
Seeking to know Christ becomes your ultimate purpose for living. Even near the end of his life the Apostle Paul was still saying.
Philippians 3:10
10 that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. (NAS)
Purpose for you today is to know Jesus, nothing else is more important than that.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Enjoy Your Freedom #21
What happened on the cross and at the resurrection? Of course Jesus died and rose from the dead, but what about you? When you place your faith in Christ’s death and resurrection you are changed. It is not a mind game of convincing yourself that you are different, nor an act of prayer, or of just believing something to be true. It is true. You are as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “a new creation, old things are passed away and all things are new.” The word reconciliation means ‘change.’ You have received the reconciliation.
Romans 5:11 “we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” You are a brand new person. You have gone from sinner to saint, lost to saved, old to new, and death to life.
You are free! Free from the power and penalty of your sin. Free from the demands of the law. Free to live in victory. You are free from the guilt and shame of the past. You are free from loneliness. You are free from inferiority and insecurity. You are free from performance. You are free from the fear of failure and lack of approval. YOU ARE IN CHRIST.
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ has set you free.” Rejoice in your freedom.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
Romans 5:11 “we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” You are a brand new person. You have gone from sinner to saint, lost to saved, old to new, and death to life.
You are free! Free from the power and penalty of your sin. Free from the demands of the law. Free to live in victory. You are free from the guilt and shame of the past. You are free from loneliness. You are free from inferiority and insecurity. You are free from performance. You are free from the fear of failure and lack of approval. YOU ARE IN CHRIST.
Galatians 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ has set you free.” Rejoice in your freedom.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
God Is Soverign #20
“There is an appointed time and season for everything that happens to you, a time and purpose for everything under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1 (my paraphrase)
My grasp of the sovereignty of God increases each day of my life. I hope in your spiritual life that you are growing in your understanding that God is neither surprised nor panicked by your life’s happenings. He does not wring his hands when gasoline costs four dollars a gallon, nor when you experience the struggles of suffering. There is a time for everything in life. Ecclesiastes, written by the preacher, uses the word ‘time’ thirty-one times in the third chapter. He declares there is a time for everything and that everything has a purpose.
Let me encourage you to read that third chapter and contemplate your personal experience at this time. What is the time in life you are ‘in’ right now? What is happening in your life, your family, your church, your job that is appointed for your spiritual growth and well-being?
Remember today that God is in charge. He is the Sovereign Lord. Rejoice in His watch-care, protection and provision for your every need.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
My grasp of the sovereignty of God increases each day of my life. I hope in your spiritual life that you are growing in your understanding that God is neither surprised nor panicked by your life’s happenings. He does not wring his hands when gasoline costs four dollars a gallon, nor when you experience the struggles of suffering. There is a time for everything in life. Ecclesiastes, written by the preacher, uses the word ‘time’ thirty-one times in the third chapter. He declares there is a time for everything and that everything has a purpose.
Let me encourage you to read that third chapter and contemplate your personal experience at this time. What is the time in life you are ‘in’ right now? What is happening in your life, your family, your church, your job that is appointed for your spiritual growth and well-being?
Remember today that God is in charge. He is the Sovereign Lord. Rejoice in His watch-care, protection and provision for your every need.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Are You Facing Changes #19
Throughout the Bible God asked His people to make changes in their lives. Most of them found it difficult as you probably do also. And yet God’s plans were always the best. Jacob found God calling him to Egypt. It was certainly not his first choice, but along with the call came the promise.
Genesis 46:3-4
3 And He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.
4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; (NAS)
God will never call you or ask you to make a change that He will not also provide. Change is difficult because of the fear of the unknown; you are out of your comfort zone; it interrupts your routine and is sometimes painful. For a believer change is embraced through the exercise of your faith. Take God at His word and follow even if it requires major change.
Are you facing some changes? Maybe it is job related; maybe it is a relationship, or a ministry that God is calling you to make a change. The answer to God’s direction in your life is obedience. Remember God is always with you. Make the change in confidence and faith, and praise God for the outcome.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
Genesis 46:3-4
3 And He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.
4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; (NAS)
God will never call you or ask you to make a change that He will not also provide. Change is difficult because of the fear of the unknown; you are out of your comfort zone; it interrupts your routine and is sometimes painful. For a believer change is embraced through the exercise of your faith. Take God at His word and follow even if it requires major change.
Are you facing some changes? Maybe it is job related; maybe it is a relationship, or a ministry that God is calling you to make a change. The answer to God’s direction in your life is obedience. Remember God is always with you. Make the change in confidence and faith, and praise God for the outcome.
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Free! Free! Free! #18
Romans 8:1-2
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the
power of the life-giving Spirit as freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of
sin that leads to death.” (NLT)
Happy Fourth of July! As we celebrate our freedoms as Americans we also can celebrate our freedom in Jesus. “It was for freedom that Christ has set you free.” Galatians 5:1 (my paraphrase)
Romans 8 encourages you with at least four kinds of freedom.
1. You are free from condemnation, guilt, and punishment. One commentator calls it freedom from “penal servitude” or in other words continuing in penal servitude as if you had never been set free from sin’s penalty. It means as a believer you are no longer doing penance or some action or punishment in order to receive forgiveness and make up for your sins.
2. You are free to belong. One of your greatest needs is belonging, feeling a part of something or someone. You are connected to Jesus. You belong to Him.
3. You are free to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and not by the law. Your power to live freely and with power does not come from keeping rules but by the fruit of God’s Spirit within you.
4. You are free from the power of sin which leads to death. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NAS) Sin was dealt a death blow on the cross and by God’s grace you have been forgiven and set free to live in victory.
Celebrate the freedom of the great country of America, but don’t forget to celebrate your FREEDOM IN CHRIST!!
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the
power of the life-giving Spirit as freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of
sin that leads to death.” (NLT)
Happy Fourth of July! As we celebrate our freedoms as Americans we also can celebrate our freedom in Jesus. “It was for freedom that Christ has set you free.” Galatians 5:1 (my paraphrase)
Romans 8 encourages you with at least four kinds of freedom.
1. You are free from condemnation, guilt, and punishment. One commentator calls it freedom from “penal servitude” or in other words continuing in penal servitude as if you had never been set free from sin’s penalty. It means as a believer you are no longer doing penance or some action or punishment in order to receive forgiveness and make up for your sins.
2. You are free to belong. One of your greatest needs is belonging, feeling a part of something or someone. You are connected to Jesus. You belong to Him.
3. You are free to live by the power of the Holy Spirit and not by the law. Your power to live freely and with power does not come from keeping rules but by the fruit of God’s Spirit within you.
4. You are free from the power of sin which leads to death. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NAS) Sin was dealt a death blow on the cross and by God’s grace you have been forgiven and set free to live in victory.
Celebrate the freedom of the great country of America, but don’t forget to celebrate your FREEDOM IN CHRIST!!
I hope you find purpose for your life today as you grow in Christ. May God bless you as your spiritual life prospers in Jesus.
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