by David Brenneman
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:8-12.
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer." Psalms 19:14.
"For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:14-25.
As the Disciples who became the Apostles were bound by the Spirit to teach and proclaim, thus so are we who are saved in Christ, to preach the Word in season and out of season. When people want to hear it and even when they don't.
This too comes at a price. The wars and battles without and within. Those people see and those they do not.
We indeed are to be living examples of a life changed by God through the work of the Spirit of God within us. We absolutely shouldn't be so blended in this world that they see no difference between us and the world.
Life change is what's to show that the Spirit is really at work in the lives of people. Not our possible arduous efforts on our own to appear to be working towards salvation. Salvation is the free gift of God through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. There is by no other name under the Heavens by which you must be saved. We just read that.
Then comes the inevitable. For me, I came to Christ at a very very early age. I believe that I was around 7 years old. I certainly was excited about it. Can tell you even today that it was a very bright sunny day. After affirming my decision to come to Christ I looked out the window up towards the sun and it is still the most beautiful memory I have of any day. The beauty of that particular sunny morning is forever in my mind. All it took was 24 hours for the battles to begin. My first day in school after coming to Christ for salvation was fraught with problems with my peers mocking me and ridiculing what I had to say. I was right into the thick of Spiritual warfare.
Some don't experience this while I have heard stories of others who did go through the same or similar.
To borrow words from the Apostle Paul...I pressed on. Understanding everything that was going on was an uphill battle. It took years until some of it began to make some semblance of sense. Whether I saw it or not Jesus was with me all the way.
"Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:12.
Pretty much this a fact of life in the lives of Christians everywhere on any given day.
Thomas Chisholm wrote "Living for Jesus" in 1917.
"Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.
O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone."
Letting go of me is a daily battle. Very much what Paul wrote of his own struggles with his own heart.
We aren't going to get the Christian life right every time on every given day.
We do, however, have access to the One who is the forgiver of our sins. He is able and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. That's yet another of His promises.
While each day is new...so can and will be the possible battles. It's one of our tools to make it through each day by remembering what Paul wrote to the Philippians.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:4-9.
Paul not only wrote what the Spirit directed him to write, he wrote from his very own heart.
His life experiences are here for the world to see and learn from.
He kept reminding himself of the victories in Christ that he had.
He kept reminding himself of the truths of God's word.
He kept himself in prayer.
These and other lessons are for us to pursue as well.
It's sometimes hard to comprehend but yet it's there for all to contemplate...to consider...to remember. "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation." 1 Peter 4:12-13.
Paul exhorted Timothy to fight the good fight. Run the race. Finish well.
This is for all who are claiming the Name of Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.
We come to Christ for salvation we ARE in the race. We ARE in the fight, the very midst of the battle.
Obeying God in Christ Jesus is the only way to finish well.
It's on each of us to continue to return to the feet of Jesus daily to grow with respect to our salvation in Him. Setting aside significant and meaningful time to be with Jesus. Satan's wanting Christians who aren't a threat to him. Those who redefine sins as mistakes. Those who cling to idols and define them as other things not seeing them for the traps that they are...thereby getting them to waste their time rather than investing in Jesus.
We then will one day give an account of our lives before Jesus.
Way more than a job review of work performance. Every thought and intention will be laid bare before Jesus as well as what was seen in our lives. Every struggle every battle associated with every breath we ever took.
"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. For he who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and that without partiality." Colossians 3:23-25.
It's game on.
It's time to take your walk with Jesus seriously.
The battles are real and everyone in Christ will experience them.
Take up your own cross and follow Him.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
No comments:
Post a Comment