Put on Christ

Put on Christ 

by David Brenneman 

"Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalms 103:13 NASB1995

We're going to face challenges in relationships.  God desires Godly relationships and thus Satan is diametrically opposed to them.  

Satan will use carefully crafted arguments against what God is in favor of.  He IS the great Deceiver.  He IS a liar and the father of lies.  

Take great care that personal thoughts and feelings do not get in the way of the righteous life that God desires for you.

We can and often are our own worst enemy in regards to relationships.  We do not have the mind of Christ at times to discern what's truly going on.  We also can be consumed with the here and now in regards to pain, disappointment, hurt feelings, etc. rather than keeping our eyes on Jesus and displaying the character of Christ regardless. 

Jesus never promised that life would be everything we want it to be.  Jesus never said that what we want was going to happen the way we think it ought to be like.  

Jesus said that those who seek to live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer affliction.  It's part of what it takes to be sanctified.

We shouldn't run from what Jesus directs us to.  

Not saying it ever is easy, but it's always worth it.  

Every single thought and emotion you have is influenced by your sin nature.  Protecting self can be the wrong thing to do if indeed God's saying to hang on because He's not done yet.  

Do you know that the turmoil of the children of Israel in Egypt, even with all they went through to leave Egypt, they ONLY left on the EXACT day that was predetermined over 400 years earlier?

They were convinced that the world was ending, that their struggles and pains were the end of it all...had they remembered the Word of the Lord, they would have known that it was going to be alright.

We can easily get into a fight or flight mode.  We realize not that WHAT God is putting us through is for our benefit.  Our training in righteousness.  Our having our old self removed so that the new in Christ shines through.  Pain, suffering, loss, are going to be part of that.  

We don't do enough as Believers to try to seek out God's help in discerning truth from falsehood.  We jump to that particular conclusion that fits our feelings and emotions.  We try to make the lie stretch to fit the truth we want rather than what God wants. 

Some of the worst words out of a Believers mouth are on what they say they will not do in regards to other Believers. 

Some of the worst plans made by Believers are those made that are contrary to the will of God.  As servants of God, we hear and are to obey.  We are not to talk back to our Master to telk Him how it's going to be.  That's what disobedience is.

More than one Old Testament prophet was directed by the Lord Jesus to live lives that certainly were, from the world's point of view, unreasonable. 

We are going to face life that appears to be unreasonable.  It's only unreasonable because we do not know enough of the mind of Christ to make a true understanding happen in our minds. We are not God in knowing every possible outcome.  We do not often remember that these current difficulties are not even a blip on the radar of eternity.  We do not often remember that when it's sadly Believers vs Believers that we are impacting the view of Christ to unbelievers.  We are not remembering that these same Believers will be with us for all eternity.  

The character of Christ should take precedence over our will and plan for ourselves.  

It used to be a popular saying of what would Jesus do?  In many circles that was made fun of.  But the reality is a certainty.  

Would Jesus treat others the way we are?

Would Jesus dismiss others like we do?

Would Jesus put self before others like we have?

Would Jesus show great love and compassion whereas we have not?

Would other people see Jesus in us as we interact with troubled Believers?  

Deeds done in our bodies for Jesus.  That's what we will give an account of. 

Will your life be so full of record keeping of wrong's of others that the Christ-like deeds won't be seen?

Will you be asked by Jesus why you didn't obey?   Why you didn't show Him, His love, His grace, His mercy that we received to a troubled Believer?  Why your life had more of living for self in it than living for Him in it?  That you did more to look after yourself than those people whom He brought to you to influence for Him?

When the world looks at what you are wearing, do they see you or do they see Jesus?  Put off the old self and it's practices, put on Christ.  

What good would it ever achieve in your life to get only what you wanted out of life if it's at the cost of the life of another that your influence could have helped back toward Jesus?  Set your mind on things above and not on the things that are of this world.  Even if it hurts for a season. 

Jesus sees you as worth it. 

Jesus sees those in your life as worth it. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. Lockman Foundation