I usually sleep all the night
through. But once in a while, I wake up in the middle of the night.
Somewhere I learned that when you do, fellowship with the Lord. At times
there are insights that come or perhaps even reminders.
A wonderful reminder came to me in
the night, thinking about Christ. We all certainly do not want to ever
have an image of Christ that is our own version. We want to know the true
Christ according to the Scriptures, and of course according to the ONE He is.
Jesus Christ is alive, raised from
the dead, seated at the Right Hand of the Father (Majesty) on High. Just
this thought alone is wonderful. Jesus, alive forevermore.
So I began to think about what do
the Scriptures show us of Christ. And what came to mind is the fact that
first of all, when we received Him, His glorious Spirit came to live in our
hearts. He quickened, made alive our human spirits. They were dead,
dead, dead. Can't say this enough.
Once a spirit is quickened, made
alive there is a true knowledge to obtain. But as I've shared before, so
much of my younger years were not about this knowledge. Yet I remember in
my twenties starting to search for truth about the Christian life and walk.
And, after all these years, the
astounding words of Paul concerning how the Christian life is lived is what
hallmarks my life and heart today. It made sense to my heart that if
Christ came in, He made me right with God, a daughter, a child of God. He
did it.
Therefore no amount of anything on
my part could make this so - it was all by receiving in faith the Risen Son of
God who HIMSELF bore ALL the degradation of humanity through Adam's
transgression.
And of course this is why He
came. This is the other thing I thought about in the middle of the
night. What part of New Creation do I yet not understand OR that Christ
is the New Man?
As I look at Romans 5 and 6, we are
to realize over and over again how Adam's act brought sin and death to all men,
BUT Christ brought the New Man. He is referred to as the Last Adam.
Ephesians really brings this out how
that the cross crucified the old creation and Christ Himself is the New Man -
we are in HIM - all part of this new creation. "If ANY man be in
Christ he is a new creature/creation." We are simply in
HIM, but again it is Jesus who did the work at the cross. We simply claim
by faith that we were in Him (because we were part of the old) and are in Him
(because we are now part of the new).
This is where I believe the Holy
Spirit wants to cause our minds to think so that our premise for living the
Christian life is based on walking out who God made us to be in His Son.
Not religion - not fleshly efforts (like we see in Galatians) but the FAITH OF
THE SON OF GOD. Galatians 2:20.
We all have experienced
"trying" to do something to improve our flesh. Flesh is to be
reckoned dead, crucified with Christ. Spirit is to confess that we are
alive in Christ and that through His indwelling, we live out, walk out growth
in Him, fruitfulness, and are led by His Spirit in all things.
All this denotes to my heart is back
to fellowship and communion with the Living Lord - the Head of His body.
Satan so defies all of this. He wants everyone to get off track all the
time - he is a snake - the serpent - that wiggles and twists his way in
somewhere, in the mind especially and most of all.
But our Lord Jesus is the Man
Glorified, He STANDS, SITS tall in heaven for us. There is no twisting
with Him - and by the authority of God's Word we are to declare we HAVE the
mind of Christ BECAUSE we HAVE HIM. We are admonished to be strong only
in HIM and in the power of His might - to learn of HIM, to be rooted and in
grounded in HIM.
I think the number one thing
Christians need to do and to me is the probably one of the major problems in
the body of Christ is to shake off ALL condemnation and RUN to Jesus - RUN as
fast as you can to HIM and grab a hold of HIS High Priestly garment - for we
are welcomed into the Most Holy Place by and through HIM and His precious
blood. (Hebrews is the most awesome letter).
It's in that Most Holy Place with
the Father and the Son that we can be "mysteriously"
transformed. I say mysteriously, because if we have and live by faith of
the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8), and His life is working in us, we
have no place to boast - none.
We only rejoice in the Power of His
Resurrection Life dwelling in our hearts through and by God's Holy
Spirit. This is ALL in His Word. God's Word is LIFE to us,
certainly not religion. We are to learn of HIM.
Today may we think upon the TRUE
things - and no lie of the enemy. May the Lord's Church arise in
truth, unfathomable riches of Christ, not of our own making, by all by His
glorious Spirit leading WHO is the Spirit of the Father and of the Son.
Romans 6 simply says, "YIELD" to Him by faith - daily faith.
He is WHO I want more than anything
in this life. We want to know HIM and HIM alone - and He promises to
guide us into ALL Truth. May our hearts and our minds be subject to Him
so that we can know HIS Truth and HIS Truth sets us all free.
"Jesus, Lord of all, You're
listening, aren't You!?"
Rejoicing in Christ alone,
Sue
Gaither
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