Category: lenten blog

I am united with Jesus in Spirit.

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united in SpiritBecause I believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am united with Jesus in Spirit.  1 Corinthians 6:17 “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.”   Jesus spoke of His Spirit that was to come in John 15 and told us that His Spirit  would comfort, guide and reveal the truth of the Father to us.   John 7:38-39  “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  His spirit bears witness to our spirit and is living within us. Romans 8:11 clarifies and defines this spirit we received from Jesus by faith. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”  His Spirit is life giving and eternal.  It is faith in Jesus that brings His Spirit to live within us and unites us to Him.  Romans 8:9 in the New Living Translation states it plainly,  if you know Christ, His Spirit lives in you, if you don’t  He doesn’t.  “But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)  This uniting with the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live for Christ and reject our sinful nature, reject temptations and focus on living for Christ.

So what about you?  Are you living a Spirit controlled life with serving and glorifying God your main goals?  Are you serving and worshiping God but want things your own way and want to tell God what is best?  Are you unaware of the Spirit in askyour life?  Lent is a time of self-reflection and prayer.  Take a close look at your goals and motives and see where you place God.  If He is not at the center, ask Him to reveal to you what you need to do.  Pray as we are directed in  Matthew 7:7-8  “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Being united to Jesus is a joy,

Linda

5th Sunday of Lent

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Today I want to direct our thoughts to Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 2: 19-23.  Daniel had asked the Lord to reveal the meaning of the mysterious dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. all knowing GodThis prayer record Daniel’s praise to God for His revelation and for His great mercy towards Daniel.  May the words wash over you today and fill you with praise.

 19 That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. 20 He said,

“Praise the name of God forever and ever,
    for he has all wisdom and power.
21 He controls the course of world events;
    he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the scholars.
22 He reveals deep and mysterious things
    and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
    though he is surrounded by light.
23 I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
    for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
    and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

This week we have seen marvelous things from God’s Word.  As a believer in Jesus, I can claim that I am:  a friend of God (3/12), chosen by God (3/13), chosen by God to bear fruit (3/14, a joint heir with Christ (3/15), holy and I share in God’s heavenly calling (3/16), and I am sustained by Christ (3/17).

daniel 2 22Blessings as you worship the magnificent all knowing God like Daniel.

Linda

I am sustained by Christ.

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Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am sustained by Christ. This assurance of faith is one of my favorite promises stated in Philippians 4:19.  “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  God knows what I need and Jesus reminded us that He will provide for us in even greater measure than the sparrows. Luke 12:6-7 “Are not five sparrows sold for two phil 4 19pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God.  Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”   We are valued by God and He will take care of our needs.  Jesus said this in Matthew 6:28-30 “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

So it would seem that God will take care of us because he loves and values us.  Why do we worry over our needs?  Being human it is difficult to set aside worry and replace it with trust in God.  God desires to take care of us and He loves us.  1 Peter 5:7 says loves and cares“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  Jesus said in John 16:27 “for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.”   How will you show your trust in Jesus today?  Prayerfully present your needs to God and then leave them with Him.   Let Him do the heavy lifting and care for you.  Be encouraged today- He will provide!

Learning to trust in Jesus more and more each day,

Linda

I am holy and I share in God’s heavenly calling.

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Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am holy and I share in God’s heavenly calling.   This claim of faith comes from Hebrews 3:1 “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.”   Our holiness and our heavenly calling both come from and through Jesus.  Scripture teaches that our holiness, purity, cleanness comes through Jesus and His death on the cross.  Romans 3:22 in the Amplified Bible makes it very clear, “This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those [Jew or Gentile] who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s Son]. There is no distinction,”   God is impartial and He desires that all receive His righteous through faith in Jesus.  Our heavenly calling comes through faith in Jesus.  In the gospel’s Jesus’ invitation to follow Him was referred to as a calling.  Matthew 9:9 “The Calling of Matthew : 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”  Paul, in speaking to the Ephesians, wrote in 4:1 “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”   Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”  

holinessSo what does this mean that you are holy and called by Jesus?  The state of being holy before God is life changing.  Because of our imputed holiness, we are spared the wrath of God because of our sin.  When God looks at us He sees the blood of Christ covering us, forgiving us of our sins.  The call to faith that we accepted when we made Christ our Savior and Lord is a life long journey with Jesus.  He transforms us in body and mind to be more and more like Him through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit.  That heavenly calling sets a path towards eternity with Him.   Are you feeling holy?  Perhaps you need to spend time in prayer and confession for those sins of omission and commission we commit each day.  Are you feeling called?  If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, YOU ARE CALLED.  Spend some time in prayer and Bible study to see what it is that God Jesus lovewants you to do as you follow Him.  We know for sure we are to tell others of Jesus and show Him to the world by our love.   Remember the author of Hebrews tells us to “fix our thoughts on Jesus”.  He is the source of our power and hope transforming our lives.

JesusFixing my thoughts on Jesus,

Linda

I am a joint heir with Christ.

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Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead, I am a joint heir with Christ.  This is an amazing truth that is laid out for us in scripture.  we-are-co-heirs-with-christ-in-his-suffering-and-glory-grace-sabarusRomans 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,  and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  Being a child of God means we share in the good and the ‘bad’ or suffering just as Christ did.   This is a truth of family life we see in our own lives.  We reap the benefits of being in our earthly family- the love, care and companionship, but we also have the hard times, struggles and strains caused by living here on sin-filled earth.  However, being a child of God, we have His indwelling Holy Spirit to give us power to endure and overcome evil with good as we struggle to live for Him.  We know the love and companionship of the Holy Spirit within our lives as His Spirit bears witness with our spirit.  Praise God, we can know and feel His power and guidance in our lives.  Someday we will see Him in all His glory and share in the joy of His presence.  That is a true inheritance worth waiting and working for!

As a believer, are you feeling His power in your life?  If not, turn to Him and ask Him to reveal Himself to you, and then listen and feel the Spirit within you recognize His heir bnbvoice.  If you do not know Jesus, call on Him and He will reveal himself to you.  Many verses tell us how simple it is to do this: 1 John 1:9 “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”   Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”  Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”  What is keeping you from knowing Jesus today? In the face of an eternity without Him, whatever is stopping you is unimportant.  Turn to Jesus today.

Loving being an Heir,

Linda

 

I am chosen by God to bear fruit.

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Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am chosen by God to bear fruit.  Yesterday we saw that, as believers, we are chosen by God.  That is an amazing and humbling thought.  Why did God choose us?  Scripture tells us that God created us to glorify and commune with Him. The way we glorify God is through obedience and displaying the knowledge of Christ to others.   As we mature as believers, we are to grow more and more like Jesus so we can act with compassion and love towards others.  Jesus commanded us in Matthew 28:19-20 “ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”   Telling others is an act of obedience and Jesus calls it bearing good fruit.  John 15:16 “ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.  Sharing the good news of Jesus with others is doing God’s work Romans 7-4and His work will always bear fruit.  Paul talked about the good fruit and says good fruit is the result of knowing Jesus.   Romans 7:4 “So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  Jesus said that bearing good fruit is what we are to do, and we must use His power to accomplish it.  John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

apart from meWhat about you?  Are you a believer that is experiencing good fruit in Jesus?  If not, are you trying to accomplish His work in our own power?  Jesus says “apart from Him we can do nothing.”  Good work for Jesus is what we are made to do but only in and through the power of Christ indwelling us.  Then the work brings glory to God and not us!  God desires that we live fruit-filled lives that bring glory to Him.  He wants us in communion with Him and working to spread the good news of Christ to a hurting world.

Desiring to be fruit bearing for Christ,

Linda

I am chosen by God.

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Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am chosen by God.  What does it mean to you to be chosen by God?  Can you even wrap your head around the fact that God loved you enough to choose you through His Son Jesus?  He has chosen us for all eternity to be His and to live with Him.  There are many verses that speak of God choosing us- here are a few for you to meditate on.

chosen“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,”  Colossians 3:12a

For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.  1 Samuel 12:22

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9

The theme of these verses is that God chose us because it pleased Him to do so, because He wants to make something out of us that will bring Him glory and so that we can tell others about His great salvation.  What a privileged place it is to be- chosen by God to love Him, worship Him and be one of His own.   Take time today to relish the place you have in God’s love and as a member of God’s people.  He could have chosen anybody but He chose you!

abandonPraising God for being His and knowing He will not let me go,

Linda

 

 

 

I am a friend of God.

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Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am a friend of God.  Being called Jesus’ friend or God’s friend is a privileged position.   John 15:15  “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”    Jesus makes the distinction between a servant and a friend.  A servant is one who does the bidding of his master, one who works without knowing the plans, motives and purposes behind what he is doing and receives little to no reward for his service.   Whereas a friend is someone who is brought into close confidence with Him and with whom Jesus shares His knowledge of the Father.  In scripture Abraham was referred to as a friend of God.  James 2:23 ” and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”  Through his faith and faithfulness towards God, Abraham was recognized by God as His friend and he was rewarded with righteousness.

Friendship with Jesus brings us an even greater closeness as we know who He is and what He desires for mankind.  We share in His vision and purpose when we are His friends.  Unlike a servant, as friends of Jesus we have multiple rewards now and in the future because of this relationship.  I have a really close friend that now lives near Los Angeles.   For years we lived close enough to see each other each week and share our hopes, dreams, struggles and worries.  We supported one another in prayer, gave encouragement and listened with a heart of love.   Proverbs 17:17a “A friend loves at all times,”  describes friend lovesmy friend.  She has been there for me and stood by me in some really difficult times.   My friend is still my friend even though I don’t see her every week.  I know I can call her and she will listen, pray and encourage me no matter what.  Jesus is an  even greater friend as He goes beyond all earthly friendships.  He intercedes for me with the Father (Romans 8:26), and He listens and encourages me through prayer (Hebrews 4:15).  He has good planned for me (Jeremiah 29:11), and He loves me (John 3:16).   Just like Abraham, I need to be faithful and full of faith in Jesus, then His righteousness will be credited to me.  Knowing and trusting Jesus as my Savior will wash and cleanse me and will result in His righteousness being imputed to me.  Proverbs 22:11 “He who loves purity of heart, and whose speech is gracious, will have the king as his friend.

As a follower of Christ, You can call Jesus your friend.  What a blessed friendship it is!

Linda

friend     

                

4th Sunday of Lent

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This week I was blessed when someone told me their favorite verses were Psalm 103:1-5. Reading this Psalm of David puts things into perspective and reminds me of who God is and what He can do and does for me.

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s

praise-powerMay you let the Lord forgive, heal, redeem, crown, satisfy and renew you today as you Praise Him!   

This week we have seen His love and mercy in new ways as each day we have had another wonder to proclaim: I am the sweet fragrance of Christ to God (3/5), I am a branch on Christ’s vine (3/6), I am a saint (3/7), I am confident of God’s good work (3/8), I am a princess or prince in God’s kingdom (3/9) and I am a child of light (3/10).  I pray that one or more of these has caused you to praise and thank God for sending Jesus who made all this possible for us by His work on the cross and rising from the dead.  Blessed Jesus.

Have a blessed Sunday as you worship.

Linda

I am a child of the light.

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Because I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am a child of the light.   Paul made this bold statement to the Thessalonian Christians while he was telling them to be awake, aware and encouraged as they waited for the Lord Jesus to 1 thes 5 5return.    1 Thessalonians 5:5-8  “For you are all children of light, children of the day.  We are not of the night or of the darkness.  So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”   Throughout scripture light has been associated with God- He created light (Genesis 1:3), He is our light and our salvation (Psalm 27:1), He will be our everlasting light (Isaiah 60:19) and Jesus proclaimed himself to be the light of the world on multiple occasions.  John 8:12 Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  

Being a child of light is a privileged place. It is a state of being that is wholesome, pure and does not have a shadow of darkness anywhere.  The opposite of a child of light would be a child of darkness.  Satan and sin are associated with darkness, and it is a state that leads to death.  Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Without Jesus we are walking in darkness and are not guided by the ‘light of life’.

I love that Paul tells us in verse 8 above “But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.”    We have salvation and the hope of eternity protecting our thinking, thoughts and future.  We are to take this place of light seriously and be on guard, awake and aware of the enemy who would love to lure us back into the darkness.  1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”   We don’t need to be afraid but on guard, always standing firm with the Lord.  

called-into-the-light
Choose Jesus and walk in the light!

Stand today and let your light shine,

Linda