Day by Day

another article done dailly. This one is really good to realize and apply:

Faith and Grace

Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand…therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace…"the just shall live by faith." (Romans 5:2; 4:16; 1:17)
As noted previously, faith accesses the grace of God. "Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand." When we first trusted in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we enjoyed our initial access into grace. God intends for His children to continue accessing grace day by day throughout their lives. Every time we face any matter with dependence upon the Lord Jesus, we are drawing from the bottomless ocean of God's grace. Thereby, His grace becomes our resource for living.

The resources of God's grace cannot be earned, deserved, or produced by man. They must be freely provided by the Lord. From beginning to end, the saving, rescuing, transforming work of God's grace is "the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). This truth highlights the strategic nature of faith. Only faith accords with grace. "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace." Faith alone is compatible with grace. Any other approach will not fit with grace.

This marks another profound distinction between law and grace. "Yet the law is not of faith, but 'The man who does them shall live by them'" (Galatians 3:12). The law is about performance. Those who live by the law are left to their own resources to work up a life that measures up to the perfect standards of God. Those who daily put their faith in the Lord Jesus for the issues of life access grace for godly living.

It is God's will that we live our entire lives by faith (which accesses grace). "The just shall live by faith." This truth is comprehensive. It applies to every aspect of our lives. When we arise in the morning, we can entrust the day into the Lord's care and guidance. As we communicate with our families, we can depend upon Jesus for love and patience. In our drive to the office, we can pray in faith concerning the opportunities and challenges that may await us. If a crisis develops unexpectedly, we can immediately cry out to the Lord for peace and direction. When times of Bible study and worship approach, we can exercise faith toward God to make them spiritually genuine and personally effective. Whatever, whenever, whoever, "The just shall live by faith."

Dear faithful Lord, I long to live by faith more and more as each day dawns. I see that this is the only way I can access Your glorious grace. Lord, I need Your grace constantly. No other resource will suffice. Too often I am striving by my best performance. What weariness and failure always results. Show me the areas of my life where I am not trusting in You, that I might look to You anew. In Your gracious name I pray, Amen.

Once More on Grace and Spiritual Fruit

The fruit of the Spirit is…kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Galatians 5:22-23 and Philippians 1:11)
As the Holy Spirit works the grace of God in our hearts, the various aspects of spiritual fruit are manifested through us. "The fruit of the Spirit is… kindness." Kindness is moral goodness and integrity conveyed toward others. It includes showing concern and consideration to people, desiring not to offend them. "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another" (Ephesians 4:31-32).

"The fruit of the Spirit is… goodness." Goodness is quite similar to the preceding term, kindness. The additional perspectives contained in goodness would be acts of generosity and beneficence. This somewhat repetitious concept indicates the high priority that God places upon our treatment of others.

"The fruit of the Spirit is… faithfulness." Faithfulness embodies responsibility and loyalty. It also comprises reliability and consistency. "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:2).

"The fruit of the Spirit is… gentleness." Gentleness is explained by such terms as meekness and lowliness. Such quality of character takes on special significance when we recall these words of Jesus. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).

"The fruit of the Spirit is… self-control." Self-control is a fascinating subject, because it is not what it seems to be at first. Natural human thinking would assume it refers to self keeping self under control. Such a description would have to be listed under the previous verses pertaining to "the works of the flesh" (Galatians 5:19). Here, it describes the Spirit of God maintaining control over our lives.

When we reflect upon the fruit of the Spirit, the character of Christ typically comes to mind. This is appropriate, since godly fruit comes to us through the presence of Jesus in our lives. "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." When we depend upon the Holy Spirit, He imparts the life of Jesus, our true vine, into and through our experience. The character of Christ is then seen in us. Consequently, all glory and praise goes to God!

Dear Lord Jesus, how I long to be more like You. I can easily be selfish, inconsistent, or out of control. I see that only Your Holy Spirit working in me can bring the necessary fruit. Lord, I pray, work deeply in me by Your irreplaceable grace, for Your glory and praise, Amen.

Friending

by David C. McCasland

The social networking Web site Facebook.com was launched in 2004 as a way for college students to connect with each other online. It is now open to people of all ages, and currently there are an estimated 500 million users. Each user has an individual page with photos and personal details that can be viewed by “friends.” To “friend” a person means opening the door to communication and information about who you are, where you go, and what you do. Facebook friendships may be casual or committed, but each one is “by invitation only.”

Just before Jesus was crucified, He told His disciples: “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:14-15).

Unselfishness, oneness of purpose, and confident trust are the hallmarks of true friendship, especially in our relationship with the Lord. Christ has taken the initiative by giving His life for us and inviting us to know and follow Him.

Have we responded to the Lord Jesus’ invitation of friendship by opening our hearts to Him with nothing held back?

Friendship with Jesus,
Fellowship divine;
O what blessed, sweet communion—
Jesus is a Friend of mine. —Ludgate

Jesus longs to be our Friend.

The Holy Spirit and Starting Out with God

"Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit…You must be born again." (John 3:5-7)
The new life that allows us to start out with God comes through a spiritual birth provided by the Holy Spirit. "Unless one is born of…the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." Just as man must be physically born into the human family, so man must be spiritually born into God's family. There is no other option. That is why Jesus said, "You must be born again."

The reason spiritual new birth is a necessity is because "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." Natural human birth can only produce a natural life. Becoming a child of God involves a supernatural life that God alone can provide.

When Jesus came to secure our redemption, He was generally rejected. "He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him" (John 1:11). Nevertheless, some realized that He was Messiah, the Anointed King and Savior sent from the Father. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

Believing in Jesus' name involves trusting in His person and His work. It encompasses relying upon who He is, what He says, and what He has done and can do. Such faith brings a unique new birth: "Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:13). This birth is from God. It cannot come by inheritance or genetics through our human bloodline. It is not available through an exercise of our human will. Neither can we have it pronounced upon us by some religious leader.

The Lord desires us to walk in a heavenly, spiritual life, not a mere earthly, human existence. Only a birth from the Spirit of God could bring us this type of life. "That which is born of the Spirit is spirit." All genuine spirituality must come from a work of the Holy Spirit on our behalf. This is true concerning our starting out with God in new birth and justification. "You…were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). We will see in subsequent meditations that this is true concerning our going on with God in growth and sanctification.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank You for making me Your child through faith in Your Son, Jesus. I praise You for the new life Your Holy Spirit has brought to me. Help me to understand from Your word that the entire Christian experience is to be as supernatural as bein

The Crucial Choice: Flesh or Spirit

Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:5-6)
The crucial choice that believers in Christ face day by day is between living by the flesh or living by the Spirit. The difference is facing life by our resources and perspectives or by God's resources and perspectives. "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." When a Christian deals with life by his flesh, he typically thinks about "what I want out of my life" or "what I can accomplish with my life." Conversely, when a Christian deals with life by the Spirit, he typically thinks about "what God wants for my life" or "what God can accomplish through my life."

The consequences related to this choice are monumental. "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." When a believer allows his mind to be set in a carnal direction, he will be thinking about worldly self-indulgence ("what I can get out of this") or religious self-accomplishment ("what I can do for God"). The result of either carnal perspective is "death" (spiritual deadness). On the other hand, when a follower of Jesus sets his mind on heavenly matters, he will be considering issues of humility ("how much I need the Lord") or faith ("how great the Lord is"). The results of such spiritual thoughts are "life and peace" (spiritual vitality and spiritual tranquility).

Another analysis of these two options can be seen in the contrast between the "works of the flesh" and the "fruit of the Spirit." When we put our hope in our own capabilities, our flesh produces deeds such as "adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like" (Galatians 5:19-21). Contrariwise, when we place our expectations upon the Lord, His Spirit brings forth through us fruit like "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).

Consider this fundamental truth. These "flesh-Spirit" choices are what all of us will face every day of our lives. The persistency of these issues is inherent in the fact that God offers only two options for every issue of life; namely, "live according to the flesh" or "live according to the Spirit."

O Sovereign Lord, I bow to Your wisdom and authority that offer these two choices alone. Lord, I renounce the natural path of my flesh which brings severe, but deserved, consequences. I gladly embrace the supernatural path of Your Spirit, which brings the undeserved results of Your grace at work in me, Amen.

More on Praying for the Fullness of the Spirit

"And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened…your heavenly Father [will] give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:9-10, 13)
Here again, the work of the Spirit in our lives is associated with prayer. Prayer is that wonderful God-ordained means of relating to the Lord in humility and faith (the two means by which we access grace). In praying, we are humbly admitting that we need God. In praying, we are exercising faith toward God that He will act on our behalf. We pray; God moves by His Spirit, pouring out whatever grace is necessary for any given situation.

We saw this in our previous meditation. "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith… that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:16-19). Here, prayer was the avenue to being filled with the bountiful work of the Spirit in our lives. We humbly ask; the Lord faithfully works. This is precisely the teaching of Jesus in our present passage.

The end of Jesus' message involves the Spirit being given to those who ask. "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" This is also where our Scripture began. "And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." These are three parallel commands, followed by three parallel promises. Who receives Holy Spirit fullness? Those who ask God for such. Who experiences the life-empowering work of the Spirit, that every child of God must find? Those who seek God to impart such. Who is flooded with the outpouring of God's Spirit? Those who knock prayerfully on heaven's doors.

Then, making these three "command-promise" couplets even more sure, Jesus adds three more statements of certainty. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." These are absolutes. There are no exceptions. Those who genuinely ask, seek, or knock can go on their way by faith, knowing that the Lord will be doing a thorough work of His Spirit in them.

As with the earlier command to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), these imperatives are also in the present tense. They could be rendered: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. Again, this is a way to live, not a singular event.

Giver of every good and perfect gift, I humbly ask You for a fresh new work of Your Spirit. Lord, I rest on Your promise that everyone who asks receives. Manifest Your fullness in me in any way that You desire, in Jesus' name, Amen.

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Reflection
My prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so grateful for Your abundant love and grace. The strong hold You have on my life is incomprehensible! Thank You for the promise that nothing can separate me from Your love. Neither spiritual nor physical forces—nothing—will ever be remotely able to separate me from Your love, O God, which is found in Christ Jesus, Your Son. Continue to make me appreciative of such mercy.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding [and] eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the things which are not seen [are] eternal.
Reflection

Our struggles, our battles, our daily toiling against the forces of this present darkness are naught compared with the marvellous riches and captivating glory to which we are called and in which we will soon partake. What matter our suffering? What matter our failures? What matter any measure of suffering when held against the surpassing beauty and permanence of our heavenly hope!

More on the Resurrection and Sanctification
I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings. (Philippians 3:8, 10)

Sanctification is that process whereby the redeemed are increasingly set apart for the purposes, use, and glory of God. The resurrection of Christ and the power of that resurrection are interwoven into that entire process. Our present passage offers additional insight into this sublime truth.

The power of the resurrection is again in view. However, the context involves more than heavenly empowerment: "That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection." The primary context is getting to know the Lord. "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." Paul's passion was to know His Lord, to become more intimately acquainted with Him. He refers to this blessed goal as the greatest value available in all of creation. "I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ." Paul was ready to lose anything in order to gain more intimacy with the Lord. To him, such a knowing of Christ was "the excellence" (which could be translated, "the excelling value").

Our relationship with the Lord began in "the power of His resurrection." We were dead in our sins, and the Lord raised us to new life, as we believed upon Him. What a wonderful way to start out our acquaintanceship with God! A season of joy and gratitude accompanied this personal resurrection. His resurrection power gave us such a great appreciation of who our Lord actually is, a God of might and power.

As time marched along, we discovered that there are other ways to get to know our Lord more fully: namely, "the fellowship of His sufferings." Many of us who follow Christ were startled when, after believing in Jesus, we encountered some personal suffering. In our early joyous days with Jesus, we maybe assumed that trials would never come our way. Eventually, we began to suffer as Jesus did (for doing the right things, for righteousness sake). "For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). How much deeper did our relationship with Him grow in those trials. We learned more of the difficult path He walked here on earth. We found out how faithful and compassionate He was when we called upon Him in our need. Once more, our love for Him grew.
Dear Lord of power and compassion, I magnify You for Your resurrection power. I extol You for Your matchless compassion. You have allowed me to experience these that I might grow in knowing You. Unleash Your power in my weakness. Pour out Your compassion in my sufferings. Let me know You more, through Christ I pray, Amen.

Christ in Us, Our Hope of Glory

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27)
We have been considering the wondrous truth that we who believe in Jesus are in Christ. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). All that God has for us is ours "in Christ." We can now enjoy the benefits of who Christ is and all that He has accomplished for us, because we are in Him. Our present verse adds another extraordinary dimension. Not only are we "in Christ," but Christ is also in us: "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

God wants to make something known among all the nations: "to make known …among the Gentiles." The message He desires to reveal is glorious in spiritual richness: "the riches of the glory of this mystery." However, it truly is a mystery, in the New Testament use of that term. A biblical mystery is something that can only be known by the revealing work of God. The mysteries of the Scriptures cannot be discovered or understood by intellectual investigation or personal experience. God Himself must make them known. The Lord does this through the grace-empowered, Spirit-empowered proclamation of His word. Here, the great mystery God wants to unfold is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

What a grand hope this message brings! Jesus, the Son of God, is willing to come and dwell within us to assure us of making it to glory (heaven) some day. Meanwhile, Christ wants to reside at the very core of our being: "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith" (Ephesians 3:17). As we are trusting in Him, He is living in, and working through, our hearts. Then, from this strategic point of intimacy and access, He gives us heavenly hope. That confident expectation includes the joyous fact that He is coming again: "looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). Yet, His return is not our only hope. He Himself is our day by day hope: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope" (1 Timothy 1:1). Jesus is our comprehensive hope!

Lord Jesus, my hope, I praise You for the hope You give—anticipation of Your return, assurance of heaven, and daily confidence in Your working in me. Forgive me, Lord, for the times I place my hope and confidence elsewhere. Teach me, help me to put my hope in You alone, in Your faithful name I pray, Amen.

Branches in the Vine, the Vine in the Branches

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)
Previously, we examined these verses to see how the grace of God produces fruit in those who walk in humility and faith (thereby living by grace). Now, let's revisit these words to consider the intimate relationship they describe. It is a profound biblical picture of us being in Christ and Christ being in us. It is like the relationship between a vine and a branch. Jesus is the vine; we are the branches. "I am the vine, you are the branches." He is the source of the life we need. We are the recipients of the life that He alone can provide.

The Lord Jesus wants us, His branches, to be fruitful. "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit" (John 15:. Fruit is the result of developing life. Branches do not innately have that life in themselves. "The branch cannot bear fruit of itself." Branches must always find their life in the vine. The vine, Jesus, has life. "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Our Lord came to share that life with us in abundance. "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). His abundant life is what enables us to bear much fruit.

Such life abundant (fruit-developing life) flows out of the intimate relationship available to us in Christ. Think of the "joined relationship" that a vine and a branch have. The branch came forth from the vine, and is everafter connected to, and is dependent upon, the vine. The life of the vine is available to flow in and through the branch. We came forth from Jesus, our vine, as we were born again by His Spirit through faith in Christ. Now, we are joined to Him forever. "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17). Day by day, His life is accessible to us.

We access that life by abiding. "Abide in Me, and I in you." To the extent that we humbly depend upon Him to be our source of life, He then lives in and through us.

Dear Jesus, my vine,You are my only source of spiritual life. I confess that I have often tried to produce that life on my own. Also, I have often thought of You as far away, as I cried out to You in my prayers. Actually, You were then, and are now, as near to me spiritually as a vine is to a branch. Please remind me frequently of Your nearness. Lord, I want to abide in You day by day, Amen.

Christ Living in Us

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
In these sublime words, we are given profound insight concerning the grace of God at work through our intimate relationship with Christ. This majestic statement begins with our spiritual death, that another might live in and through our lives. Finally, we are told how we are to respond, so this divine arrangement can proceed as intended.

First, our spiritual death is in view. "I have been crucified with Christ." If we are believers in the Lord Jesus, we died with Him upon that cross. The cross of Christ is now our testimony of rejoicing, for by that cross we escaped the dead world of unredeemed humanity. "But God forbid that I should glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14). Although the cross is the end of our old life in Adam, that is not the end of our story. "Even when we were dead in trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)" (Ephesians 2:5). By His grace, we were raised with Christ. We died with Him, that we now might live with Him. "Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him" (Romans 6:.

The astounding consequence of these truths is that we are not the ones producing our Christian life. "It is no longer I who live." This reality is radically contrary to man's natural thinking. If we are not to manufacture our life with God, what other option could possibly be available? The wonderful answer is: "Christ lives in me." True Christian living is to be Christ living in and through our lives. How can this be accomplished? We still have an ongoing human experience in flesh and bones bodies: "the life which I now live in the flesh." Yes, but this life is to be lived by faith: "I live by faith in the Son of God." As we put our trust in Jesus day by day, He lives in and through our thoughts, our words, our choices, our priorities, our relationships.

Once again, this is God's grace at work through humility and faith. Humility is expressed by embracing this confession: "it is no longer I who live." Faith is expressed by counting upon this truth: "Christ lives in me."

Dear God of my salvation, what a magnificent plan! Thank You for providing a way out of the old life. Praise You for raising me to a new life. How wonderful that this new life is to be Christ living in me. Lord Jesus, please live in me as I depend upon You, Amen.

Christ Being Formed in Us

My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you…Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? (Galatians 4:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:5)
When we take the truth of the gospel to others, that they might be born again, we often enter into spiritual birth pangs on their behalf. They are wrestling over issues and questions. We are agonizing with them, that they might embrace the truth they need to become a child of God by faith. "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26).

When the Apostle Paul took the gospel into the region of Galatia, he labored in this manner on behalf of those who would become believers in Jesus Christ. Later, he is writing them, telling them that once again he was in spiritual labor for them. "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again." This subsequent agonizing was not concerning their initial salvation. They had already been born again through faith in the Lord Jesus. Now, he was laboring "until Christ is formed in you."

It is the will of our Heavenly Father that we invite His Son into our lives. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Furthermore, it is His will that we allow the life of His Son to be expressed in and though our lives. As we face life day by day, we become engaged with issues, opportunities, challenges, responses, ideas, relationships, values, priorities, etc. The Lord Jesus Christ died for us in order to live with us through all of these aspects of living. "For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us that…we should live together with Him" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). In every situation of life, the Lord Jesus is with us, dwelling within us, wanting to express His life through us.

Although this great reality is described in many places throughout the word of God, many of God's people seem not to know it. "Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?" Either they have not heard it, or they have forgotten it. What a great privilege it is to share these grand truths with others. The process will not be without difficulties. "To this end I also labor, striving [agonizing] according to His working which works in me mightily" (Colossians 1:29). Though we may experience spiritual birth pangs for others, God will see us through, as He touches their lives.

Lord Jesus, my indwelling Savior, please express Your life in and through me. May there be no area of my life that is just me doing my best or me fulfilling my will. Also, Lord, be my strength, enabling me to share these great realities with others, in Your mighty name, Amen.

Enriched with Grace by Christ

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge…you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us. (1 Corinthians 1:4-5 and 2 Corinthians 8:7)
As we have seen, the new covenant of grace is essentially about developing a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Our God desires to impart His grace into our lives through this acquaintanceship with His Son: "the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus." This phrase ("by Christ Jesus") points once again to the intimate relational aspect of living in Christ by grace. God's grace flows into our lives "by Christ Jesus." It might be helpful to restate this truth. God's grace comes into our experience by means of another person, the Lord Jesus. The limitless grace of our great God is available to us on the basis of who Jesus is and all that He has done for us. It is accessed whenever we humbly, dependently relate to Him.

The resources that continually await us are so rich. The believers at Corinth found this to be true. "You were enriched in everything by Him." Two areas of God's rich grace are mentioned here: "enriched…in all utterance and all knowledge." God's grace had enriched them with a great capacity to know the things of God and to put the wonder of those things into appropriate words.

When Paul wrote these saints on a later occasion, he elaborated upon the richness of grace that had become their personal experience. "You abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us." Three aspects are added here to the previous list: "faith, diligence, love." By the grace of God at work in them, their capacity to trust in Him had been enlarged. By the grace of God at work in them, their attentive perseverance had grown.

By the grace of God at work in them, their loving concern for Paul and his missionary team had developed further.

When Paul prayed for other disciples of the Lord Jesus, he prayed in a manner that fits this picture. He prayed that their lives might be "filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11). Righteous fruit, such as the Corinthians were enjoying, comes from Jesus Christ imparting His grace into our lives.

Heavenly Father, I again see that Your grace enriches my life by means of Your beloved Son. Lord Jesus, I humbly depend upon You to fill my life with Your righteous fruit, in Your holy name, Amen.

Living as Jesus Lived

"Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works…As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." (John 14:10 and 6:57)
We are to live by trusting in the goodness of the Lord. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!" (Psalm 34:. Jesus is the ultimate example of living by such trust. When we think of being like Jesus (or we ask, "What would Jesus do?"), the biblical perspective is far more profound than prevailing opinion might provide.

Jesus lived by depending upon the intimate relationship He had with the Father. "I am in the Father, and the Father in Me." When Jesus spoke or took action, it was not on His own initiative or by His own resources. "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." Although Jesus was God coming to earth as a man, He did not live by exercising His deity: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus lived as a dependent human servant, trusting in the Father to work in and through Him. The prophets of old predicted this path, as they recorded the confessions Messiah would make about His ministry here on earth. "For I [that is, the Messiah, Jesus] shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and My God shall be My strength…The Lord God will help Me [that is, the Messiah, Jesus]; therefore I will not be disgraced" (Isaiah 49:5; 50:7). Jesus would depend upon the Father.

Jesus eventually applied this kind of dependent relationship to us. The structure of His teaching was "As… so." As it was between Jesus and the Father, so it is to be between us and Jesus. Jesus lived His life by depending upon the Father. Without ceasing to be God, He lived as a man, showing us how man is to live. "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father." Jesus lived by trusting in the Father to work in and through Him. We are to look to Jesus to do the same through us. "So he who feeds on Me will live because of Me." Jesus taught that feeding on Him involved coming to Him in trust. "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).

Lord Jesus, my hope and my strength, I want to live in true Christlikeness—facing all of life as You did. I want to learn to depend upon You, even as You depended upon the Father. Teach me, Lord, I pray in Your name, Amen.

More than Conquerors Even in Impossibilities

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:35-37)
When considering the triumphant Christian life, we may wrongly think that victory depends upon getting out of impossible situations. Actually, we are already "more than conquerors" even while we are in the midst of the impossibilities.

For us to be ultimately defeated, we would have to be separated from Christ's love for us. We would have to be cut off from the loving care of our victorious Lord. Can any foe or any situation accomplish that? "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" This question is answered in verses 38 and 39. "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

No spiritual foe can enforce such a separation between God and His redeemed children. Neither can any circumstance of impossibility separate us from our loving God. Verses 35 and 36 list some of the impossibilities that make us feel as though we are being defeated. "Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.'" When troubles and pressures arise, when we are attacked or are lacking resources, we may be tempted to think that victory is no longer available. When our experience is like a lamb being led to the slaughter, we may think that victory could never be ours. Nevertheless, the truth is that "in all these things we are more than conquerors."

Yes, right in the middle of the impossibilities of life, we are already more than a spiritual victor. Actually, we have already been made participants in a mighty, eternal, abundant victory, the victory that Christ accomplished on the cross and in the resurrection. "We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." Our victorious position in any situation is not circumstantial. It is relational. We are united by faith to the victorious one, the Lord Jesus Christ! "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Dear Father, I praise You for the constant provision of victory through Your triumphant Son. Lord, help me to view spiritual victory as a relational matter and not a circumstantial one. I thank You that through Christ I am already more than a conqueror right in the midst of my present impossibilities, Amen.

Psalm 30:5

For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.

Reflection
You may weep and you may mourn over the troubles of this life, but know this you believers: your weeping will last only a night—for the smallest portion of your life. Once your joy is restored, those times of sadness and despair will seem only the briefest of moments. This life can be seen as a time of weeping; but when compared with the joy of eternity, our suffering seems slight and insignificant indeed. Praise the Lord that He is soon coming!

Old Covenant or New, Man's Sufficiency or God's

[God] also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit…But their minds were hardened. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant], because the veil is taken away in Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:6, 14)
We have seen that godly characteristics develop in our lives through the working of God's grace within us. We now begin consideration of a closely related subject: a contrast between living by the old covenant or by the new (by law or by grace). The ongoing choices we make here determine whether we will be living by man's sufficiency or by God's. Various contrasting terms describing these significant choices are set forth in the third chapter of 2 Corinthians. Verses 6 and 14 set the basic context, the differences between the new covenant and the old: "[God] also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant…For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament [old covenant]."

One of the drastic differences between living by the old covenant or the new is seen in verse 3: "You are manifestly an epistle of Christ…written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God" (2 Corinthians 3:3). People write letters on paper, using ink to record the message. God writes His message in people's lives, using His Spirit as the instrument. What a vivid contrast, "ink" versus "the Spirit of the living God." Ink is a natural resource. It is available to all humankind, regardless of their relationship with God. Ink is not a life-giving or life-developing entity. It is a mere element of the kingdom of man. When we choose to live by the old covenant (the law), the only resources we have to draw upon are natural human resources. We are writing our own letter of life, and we have selected man's sufficiency, not God's. Such resources are as spiritually powerless as ink.

On the other hand, those who live by the new covenant of grace have the Holy Spirit supplying the mighty, heavenly, sufficiency of God. Think of the radical difference, ink versus the Holy Spirit. God wants us relying on His Spirit. He wants us living by His sufficiency, not ours.

Dear Lord, You know how often I rely upon that which has no more spiritual power than ink. I hope in my ingenuity, my resolve, my personality, my tenacity—myself. Lord, I want to be in Your word regularly, learning to rely upon You to work powerfully in my life by Your Holy Spirit, Amen.