This
week, Michael writes: We often have a problem living what we say we believe. That's
the problem about living the Christian life. However, there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus for
the law of the spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin
and death – Romans 8:1-2. Our
challenge is to live according to the Spirit of Christ in us instead according
to the law of the flesh. There are two separate journeys in a Christian's life.
The Christian's first journey is “to know Christ”. To know Christ is to realize
the love that He had for us: for He
who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be
made the righteousness of God in Him. Love begets love. Do you love Christ?
To know Him is to love Him. We love Him because He first loved us. Jesus
said, "If you love me keep my
commandments." If our identity is in Christ our foundation is built
upon the Rock: the foundation is Jesus Christ himself, the chief
cornerstone.
A
Christian's second journey is “to become like Jesus”. A disciple is a
disciplined follower of Christ. In this context, 2 Corinthians Chapter 3
talks about the hope we have in Christ. God did not call us to merely deliver
the message. Rather, he called us to “be the message”:
2
Corinthians 3:2-3 “You are our epistle
written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of
Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living
God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the
heart.”
We can
speak with boldness because we know Him. We're not like Moses who had to put a
veil over his face when he came down from Mount Sinai after receiving the law
of the Ten Commandments. Israel didn't know Christ because the veil still
covered their hearts so they could not perceive God. However, we who have been “born
again” of the Spirit of the living God have the veil lifted. Those born again Christians
can see clearly from the spiritual perspective of the Holy Spirit. The old man has passed away and the new man
is renewed in the spirit of Christ in us. We need to fellowship with others
within the body of Christ. They will show us where we need to grow to become
just like Jesus. If we live in denial and say "I've arrived and
achieved perfection in the flesh," the Holy Spirit will convict and
convince us to become more like Christ. A loving brother or sister in Christ
will show us where we fall short of the glory of God. The Word of God is profitable for reproof and correction. God gave
us His Holy Word so that we can walk in fellowship with Him ... so that we can
turn from darkness and toward the light of the truth of the Word. When we, by
the freedom of our will, turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. In my flesh dwells no good thing ... however
in the Spirit of life in Christ, He has made me a new creation.
Now
the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty ...
there is true freedom. The freedom is that we are no longer bound by the chains
of sin and death. We have changed lords ... I'm no longer lord of my selfish
self. To be a man or woman of God is to be God's man or God’s woman. Freedom
is to be His possession, bound by His boundless love. Every moment is a moment
of decision ... to walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.
The challenge is to surrender my will to His will ... to make His will my
will.
Let
continue Michael’s messages on “the “Two Journeys” on the next post.
In
Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment