Tag: InChrist

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Opposing Functions

I love spending time with our grandkids. Last night we took Sam, our eight-year-old grandson for his belated birthday dinner.

We had been in Greece on his actual birthday and had Face Timed with him before he went to school that morning, but this was our night out. We went to Wendy’s. His choice.

We were talking with him about the things he likes and what he’s doing in school. He’s in third grade now and he’s learning division. I was impressed. We talked about addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, when he said this, “Those are opposing functions”.

I don’t think I even knew what a function was when I was in 3rd grade but yes, you’re right. They are opposing functions.

That phrase stuck with me the rest of the evening. I knew the Lord was trying to get through to me so, I stayed up after Dave went to bed and listened.

I realized there are several opposing functions in Scripture. We’ve looked at one the last two days, patience and impatience. However, it goes deeper than that.

“Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God.” II Corinthians 5:21 ERV

Now, that’s a mammoth opposing function. Christ took our sin, although He had never done anything contrary to God’s will and gave us His right standing with God, although we had never done anything worthy of righteousness.

“ He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.” Romans 4:21-24 NLT

For a long time, I couldn’t see myself as righteous. That’s a religious word meaning in right standing. Every time I looked at my past, I saw all the ways I didn’t measure up and looking to the future, I had no hope that would change.

It was all about me! And I wasn’t good enough.

I had known verse 8 of Romans 5 from the time I was a little girl, but I remember the first time in my adult life when it rang true in my heart. I was sitting at my kitchen table, in a little rented house in Glendale, AZ. Dave was at work, Kim was at all-day kindergarten and Koy was napping in his room.

I had my Bible open and was praying for God to give me something to live by.

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:6-11 NLT

I cried then and I have tears in my eyes now.

Christ took my sin and made me a friend of God – now that’s an opposing function!

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It’s More Than Grammar

Have you ever thought about the difference between “with” and “in”?

If you have water in a glass and you take it to the table it is “with” you. But you can leave that room and leave the water behind. However, if you drink the water it is “in” you. It gives life to your cells and nourishes your body.

All through the Old Testament we find that God was “with” His people. When Jesus came, one of his names was Emmanuel, God “with” us and wherever Jesus went He took God with Him.

Once we accept Jesus as our Saviour the Scriptures says that we are “in” Him.

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Colossians 2:6-10 KJV

His fullness fills us with His life, His love, His character. Wherever we go we take Christ in us. We bring His nature, His life to every circumstance and person we come in contact with.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.” Ephesians 1:3-6 ERV

There is no need to beg God to be “with us”. We need to be aware, vitally aware, He is always “in us”.

“This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. 27 God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth, which is for all people, is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory. 28 So we continue to tell people about Christ. We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person. We are trying to bring everyone before God as people who have grown to be spiritually mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:26-28 ERV

He lives “in” us so that we can take Him with us to the world! Let the Lord shine in you today.

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Uncontestable

We all learn through repetition. This morning I was reminded of a lesson the Lord has taught me throughout the years and it bears repeating.

Years ago, a movie came out that I watched a number of times, A Knight’s Tale. There was a lesson in that movie that has stuck with me. A knight dies and one of his servants takes his place in the jousting tournaments. He has to produce papers of nobility in order to compete. His papers are forged. As the story goes, this knight begins winning many of the events and advances to the final games. He is discovered as a fraud and about to be beheaded when a man steps from the crowd to validate his standing as a true knight. The man removes his hooded cloak and declares

“I am the king and as such my words are uncontestable.”

Boy, that phrase burned in me like a fire!

As someone who struggled with low self-esteem words like these gave me hope and affirmation. Father God and Jesus Christ, King of Kings, attest to my heritage. What they say about me, trumps anything else. Their word is uncontestable!

“The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, Father.” Romans 8:14-15

“So what should we say about this? If God is for us, no one can stand against us. And God is with us.” Romans 8:31

“But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light.” I Peter 2:9

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new. 18 God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others.

19 What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world. And he has given us the work of sharing his message about peace. 20 We were sent to speak for Christ, and God is begging you to listen to our message. We speak for Christ and sincerely ask you to make peace with God. 21 Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God.” II Corinthians 5:17-21

Satan is referred to as the “accuser of the brethren” in Revelation 12 however what God says about us supersedes any accusations that he may bring.

Walk free from accusation. Walk in who the King says you are – it is without contestation.

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Rooted In Him

Have you ever thought about the difference between “with” and “in”?

If you have a glass of water and you take it to the table, it is “with” you. But you can leave that room and leave the water behind.

However, if you drink the water, it is “in” you. It gives life to your cells and nourishes your body.

The Old Testament tells us that God was “with” his people. When Jesus came, one of his names was Emmanuel, God “with” us. Jesus was and is the presence of God. After we accept Jesus as our Saviour the Scriptures says that we are “in” Him.

“Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on living in him—in simple faith. Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in, becoming more and more sure of the faith as you were taught it, and your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness…9-10 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete expression of himself (within the physical limits that he set himself in Christ). Moreover, your own completeness is only realised in him, who is the authority over all authorities, and the supreme power over all powers.” Colossians 2:6-10 Phillips

His fullness fills us with His life, His love, His character.

Wherever we go, Christ goes in us. We bring His nature, His life to every circumstance and person we come in contact with.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in heaven. 4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves.” Ephesians 1:3-6 ERV

There is no need to beg God to be “with us”. We need to be aware, vitally aware, He is always “in us”.

“This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. 27 God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth, which is for all people, is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory. 28 So we continue to tell people about Christ. We use all wisdom to counsel every person and teach every person. We are trying to bring everyone before God as people who have grown to be spiritually mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:26-28 ERV

Christ lives “in” us so that we can take Him to the world! May the Lord shine through us today.

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Make It Stronger

A few days back Dave asked me to make the coffee stronger. I have used the same number of scoops for years, so his request intrigued me.

We always use the same brand and both of us drink our coffee black. I’m wondering if the coffee company has changed their processing. Maybe it’s just our taste buds. But I complied with his request, and we are enjoying it more.

Make it stronger…as I was drinking my first cup this morning and enjoying the fuller flavor I was reminded of a couple of Scriptures.

When we are young Christians, the Apostle Peter, says we grow by experiencing the milk of Scripture.

“Like newborn babies hungry for milk, you should want the pure teaching that feeds your spirit. With it you can grow up and be saved.” I Peter 2:2 ERV

The writer of Hebrews points out that as we grow, we need a stronger diet of more solid foods.

“But solid food is for people who have grown up. From their experience they have learned to see the difference between good and evil.” Hebrews 5:14 ERV

That is why I love Paul’s writings in the book of Colossians.

There are so many wonderful nuggets of God’s wisdom and provision contained in that small book. I wish we had time to sit and discuss it verse by verse. This book is filled with hope, strength, forgiveness, instruction for daily living. It starts by reminding us of how deeply the Father loves us.

“At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, because the evil you did was against him. 22 But now he has made you his friends again. He did this by the death Christ suffered while he was in his body. He did it so that he could present you to himself as people who are holy, blameless, and without anything that would make you guilty before him. 23 And that is what will happen if you continue to believe in the Good News you heard. You must remain strong and sure in your faith. You must not let anything cause you to give up the hope that became yours when you heard the Good News. That same Good News has been told to everyone on earth, and that’s the work that I, Paul, was given to do.” Colossians 1:21-23 ERV

At one time we were enemies of God the Father. But through Jesus’ sacrifice we have been brought into a right relationship with Him. The Father loves us and sees us as holy, faultless and without blame. All of our sins were placed on Jesus when He died for us.

Christ lives in us and is our power source, our strength and our victory.

In our homes we have electricity. That electricity will light a bulb of 25, 60, or 100 watts. The size of the bulb may change but the power source is the same.

Christ is the same in all our lives and as we grow stronger in Him we learn to appropriate more of what He has provided.

Make us stronger Lord for your glory!

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King of All

As I read through the verses in Ephesians 1 again this morning, I had this memory. It was from a scene in the movie, “Titanic”. Maybe you remember it too. Leonardo DeCaprio stood on the bow and yelled out “I am king of the world”.

That’s how I feel when I read verses throughout the New Testament like our final verses today.

“I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better. 18 I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. 19 I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. 20 It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This same power put Christ at God’s right side in heaven. 21 This place was given to Christ. It is much greater than any king or leader can have. No one else can have this place of honor and power. No one in this world or in the world to come can have such honor and power. 22 God has put all things under Christ’s power and has made Him to be the head leader over all things of the church. 23 The church is the body of Christ. It is filled by Him Who fills all things everywhere with Himself.” Ephesians 1:17-23 NLV

The power of God that we were discussing yesterday is the authority that Christ has in heaven – authority over ALL things. Nothing or no one has preeminence over Christ. He is ruler of this world and the world to come.

Now here’s what Paul wants us to understand. This authority and power that Christ has makes Him the head of the church, not a religious organization, but the church, those who believe in Christ. We become a collective body with Christ as our head.

As His body, He fills us with Himself – with His power and authority!

“I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

We have everything we need because we are complete in Christ!

“May kindness and peace be yours from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Jesus was the first to conquer death, and he is the ruler of all earthly kings. Christ loves us, and by his blood he set us free from our sins.6 He lets us rule as kings and serve God his Father as priests. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6 CEV

The power and authority we have as believers in Christ is not of our own making. It is given to us by God Almighty. Jesus is our example of kingly authority. He never did anything for selfish gain; He never retaliated in anger; He never showed prejudice or favoritism.

He is a just and loving King. “I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him”. I pray that you will know this too; that we all will know by experience the great authority and power that God has for us.

He is King of All!

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I Know…

I know:

  1. the artist of this wonderful landscape
  2. the author of the world’s best seller
  3. the world’s largest cattle rancher
  4. the wisest man in the world
  5. the most compassionate person to have ever walked the earth
  6. Him and I call Him Father

Some times we get so focused on what we don’t know we forget to center in on Who we know.

“I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

When feelings of inadequacy come, and they will, it’s important that we are firmly established in who we are in Christ.

The Apostle Paul writes that we are complete in Christ, having everything we need!

He couldn’t have written this if it weren’t true. That’s the thing about the Bible, every verse is true. God doesn’t allow any exaggeration, half-truth, misrepresentation or bald-faced lie of His word. He pointed these things out everytime someone acted in such a way.

“You have known the Holy Scriptures since you were a child. These Scriptures are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by God. And all Scripture is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching the right way to live. 17 Using the Scriptures, those who serve God will be prepared and will have everything they need to do every good work.” II Timothy 3:15-17 ERV

God’s word provides us with all we need for every situation but there is one catch. Ready? We have to read it to know what’s in it. Simple but true.

“My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me.” Hosea 4:6 NLT

Let’s put it this way. If someone put $10,000 in your checking account but you didn’t know it, you would continue to operate on the balance you thought was available. But once you went on-line to view your account or received your statement in the mail your outlook would be entirely different. You would probably contact the bank to verify that the deposit was actually meant for you and not fradulent but once assured of that you would spend and/or save the money because it is rightfully yours.

God has given us something so much greater than that. He has given us Himself and placed all of who He is in Christ for our benefit! Reading His word gives us that knowledge.

There’s one more thing I feel you should know before I close:

“For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 NLV

And now, you know too!

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Be Focused & Aim High

On a number of occasions Dave and I have gone out to the desert to do some target practice. He is the skilled marksman, I am not. I have heard him say, on several occasions, “Kris, you need to focus and aim higher”.

That’s always good advice!

“You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. 3 Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. 4 Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory.” Colossians 3:1-4 ERV

Focus. Aim High.

When we follow Christ we are given a new life. This life is higher than anything we could acheive on our own. We are empowered by the Spirit of God who lives within us. Our goal is not to look down on ourselves or others; it is to look up to the One who is our example.

In yesterday’s blog we looked at some of the man-made rules of religion, those that are always telling us the things we can’t do. But when we look to Christ, when we raise our aim and focus on Him, we gain a greater perspective.

  • Jesus loved the Father and His neighbor.
  • Jesus was forgiving and kind.
  • Jesus helped those who were in need.
  • Jesus elevated the outcasts and downtrodden.
  • Jesus sacrficed His own comfort to minister to others.
  • Jesus always spoke the truth.
  • Jesus always saw the best in others.

Who better to focus on than the One who gave His all for us!

Do I miss the mark? Absolutely!

There are days when my thoughts, and my actions, are self-serving. Sometimes I repent immediately and there are other times I wallow in my selfishness for a while. It’s then I hear that still small voice in my heart telling me “lift your gaze, look up, you’re missing the mark”.

“But now put these things out of your life: anger, losing your temper, doing or saying things to hurt others, and saying shameful things. 9 Don’t lie to each other. You have taken off those old clothes—the person you once were and the bad things you did then. 10 Now you are wearing a new life, a life that is new every day. You are growing in your understanding of the one who made you. You are becoming more and more like him. 11 In this new life it doesn’t matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, circumcised or not. It doesn’t matter if you speak a different language or even if you are a Scythian. It doesn’t matter if you are a slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and he is in all of you.” Colossians 3:8-11 ERV

Focus. Aim High.

We’ve been given a new life; every day we should become more like Him. Christ is all that matters and He lives in us!

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Don’t Be Fooled!

Have you ever had someone mislead you? Perhaps their actions were an intentional misrepresentation to get a desired end that would benefit them, perhaps not. It’s never a good feeling when you realize you have been duped.

Thoughts of “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” have plagued me. The “what-if’s” and “if only’s” have played out in my thinking more times than I would like to admit.

Why am I telling you this? It’s something the Apostle Paul told the young Christians in Colossae and I wish I had known this teaching all those years ago.

“Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. 9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” Colossians 2:8-10 NLT

Don’t let anyone capture you with philosophies and nonsense that comes from human thinking.

This is sound advice for all of us. I know that Paul was talking about our Christian faith and teachings involving our walk with Christ. But I also believe that it pertains to our everyday lives. There are all sorts of opinions and beliefs that go contrary to the Word of God and we need to be on guard so we aren’t deceived or drawn astray.

Paul repeats a major truth that we all need to completely saturated with, we are complete in Christ!

Just as Christ was complete because of His relationship with the Father, we are complete because of our relationship with the Son. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to lead and guide us. It is imperative that we listen to that still, small, inner voice for direction and peace.

“But when the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into all truth. He will not speak his own words. He will speak only what he hears and will tell you what will happen in the future.” John 16:13 ERV

“Let the peace that Christ gives control your thinking. It is for peace that you were chosen to be together in one body. And always be thankful. 16 Let the teaching of Christ live inside you richly. Use all wisdom to teach and counsel each other. Sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:15-16 ERV

The best way I know to keep from being fooled into wrong thinking and wrong actions is to let the peace of God rule in our hearts! Let it become the final authority. It will either give us a red light or a green light for the things before us.

Have I been perfect in this? Heaven’s no! But I’m a much better listener now to God’s prompting of peace than I have been in the past.

Good advice for daily life is “Don’t be fooled”!

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Formatted Correctly

Just a short time back I shared how God sees us as completely new when we accept the forgiveness that Christ provided for us on the cross. The Bible says that our past is gone, wiped clean, and we are completely new.

That’s a hard concept to grasp because we can remember our past and all of our failures so well.

Hard to imagine, that is, unless you have ever experienced a hard drive crash on your computer or, as I remembered this morning, a time when I had improperly formatted or failed to format a DVD disc.

I had been asked to make dvds of a memorial service. I tested the first two copies to make sure they were formatted correctly and then followed the same process for the others. Imagine my shock when a few days later I received an email telling me that several of the copies were blank.

What?

Our lives are a lot like that DVD when we come to Christ. Old things have passed away and all things have become new.

“You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when he forgave all our sins.14 God wiped out the charges that were against us for disobeying the Law of Moses. He took them away and nailed them to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14 CEV

Our sins were wiped out, removed – the disc is blank!! Here’s the great thing about God, He doesn’t leave us with a blank disc.

“This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord.I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Hebrews 8:10-12 NIV

We have a promise that God, our loving heavenly Father, will write His word in our hearts. It is the leading of the Holy Spirit; giving us direction, encouraging us, correcting us, inspiring us, that makes the Word of God come alive in our lives. God puts the desire in our hearts to know Him and the way we get to know Him is through reading His letter to us. Those words will burn to our disc.

I remember when Dave & I were dating – it was a long distance relationship. I waited anxiously each day for his letters to arrive and when they did I’d read them over and over again. (In fact, I still have those letters and take time to read them occasionally.)

I looked for the parts that said he loved me and that he was coming to see me soon. Those words burned into my very being and I would excitedly tell my friends – “he’s coming, he’s coming”. I had his word on it and his words became life to me.

That’s the way God’s word is to me now. It burns indelibly into my heart!

Circumstances or time can’t steal what the Holy Spirit has written there.

I know that when I press “play” the disc won’t be blank. I pray today that you have God’s word burned onto your heart!

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