THE BENEFITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Because we claim to be God's children, and we have been justified through our faith in Christ we should have a great amount of peace in our hearts. We should be able to rejoice openly in the time of any kind of trouble just the way that we say we can rejoice in the glory of God. In truth we have been taught by Christ that suffering produces perseverance within us according to Romans 5:1-11 for that perseverance is a part of the fruit of the Spirit of God within us. It brings us character and hope that we otherwise may never develop.
You see when we are on our own we have no power to even have Godly thoughts let alone find our way to the mercy seat of God. It was at this time when we were at our worst that Jesus died on the cross to set us free from that bondage that had held us captive. Jesus was more than just a good man...He became our perfect sacrifice for the sin of all men, but we have to accept that and act on it. In that relationship no matter how much we may want someone to accept our help we can only make the offer...we cannot make them accept it. It is the same with God as He reaches out to us. Jesus has shown us justification by what He did on the cross to blot out our sins in God's eyes, but only if we come to God through Jesus Christ. We cannot accept that act on our own terms. We cannot say that we accept Jesus and the sacrifice that He has made and then try to build a relationship with God through our own source as many have tried to do and failed.
The bottom line here is that when we start this process we are also obligated to complete that journey with Christ. We have a responsibility to live as a child of God should live by being nourished and grow in the teachings of Christ, and not in a different doctrine that we have adapted to our lives. It was God who gave us a way to reconcile the differences between us and our God; but in that reconciliation God still requires our personal sacrifice which is a daily sacrifice of will and desire to please Him, and that is our reasonable service for what He has done for us. We have been given the chance for salvation through our faith and obedience to Jesus Christ as our Lord. We have the benefit of His promise to us that our true faith in Him, and our unity together with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit will find us favor with God as His own children. What a promise...what a word from the creator to us; and what a benefit we have in our relationshiip with God to create righteousness in His sight. The only thing that we have left to do is to apply that benefit to our lives...we need now to begin to live as though we are children of God. We will pick that up for tomorrow...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
You see when we are on our own we have no power to even have Godly thoughts let alone find our way to the mercy seat of God. It was at this time when we were at our worst that Jesus died on the cross to set us free from that bondage that had held us captive. Jesus was more than just a good man...He became our perfect sacrifice for the sin of all men, but we have to accept that and act on it. In that relationship no matter how much we may want someone to accept our help we can only make the offer...we cannot make them accept it. It is the same with God as He reaches out to us. Jesus has shown us justification by what He did on the cross to blot out our sins in God's eyes, but only if we come to God through Jesus Christ. We cannot accept that act on our own terms. We cannot say that we accept Jesus and the sacrifice that He has made and then try to build a relationship with God through our own source as many have tried to do and failed.
The bottom line here is that when we start this process we are also obligated to complete that journey with Christ. We have a responsibility to live as a child of God should live by being nourished and grow in the teachings of Christ, and not in a different doctrine that we have adapted to our lives. It was God who gave us a way to reconcile the differences between us and our God; but in that reconciliation God still requires our personal sacrifice which is a daily sacrifice of will and desire to please Him, and that is our reasonable service for what He has done for us. We have been given the chance for salvation through our faith and obedience to Jesus Christ as our Lord. We have the benefit of His promise to us that our true faith in Him, and our unity together with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit will find us favor with God as His own children. What a promise...what a word from the creator to us; and what a benefit we have in our relationshiip with God to create righteousness in His sight. The only thing that we have left to do is to apply that benefit to our lives...we need now to begin to live as though we are children of God. We will pick that up for tomorrow...may you richly bless God through your life in Him.
THE UNWORTHY SERVANT
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