Dying to live

Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
MATTHEW 16 :25

THE dynamics of your grace walk are very different from the attempt to live independently. Most people think that achieving the quality of life they want requires several types of effort;  building up what they can in any way they can, preserving theirs assets, and pushing toward increase. That's not how things work in the kingdom of God.
Jesus said that if you want to save your life, you will lose it--but if you lose your life for His sake you will find it. That sounds backward to human reason, but that's the way it really is. We gain by giving up.
This principle of self-sacrifice is the natural order in the world of grace. We die to live. We become weak to experience strength. We are brought down to be raised up. We give away and then have more. Do you see how God's way of grace works?
The key is to abandon all ideas of self-preservation and cast yourself completely into the hands of the one who has the ability to determine your future. Lay down your life for His glory and begin to really live.

Fellowship togerher

If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.
1 JOHN 1:7

Because you are in the light of God's Grace, you have the joy of celebrating divine life with others. The biblical word fellowship denotes intimate participation with each other.
This kind of community was a foundational aspect of the early church. The second chapter of Acts portray a group of people who laughed and loved, who shared meal and money ; people who took seriously the practice of partying under the dimension of God's Spirit. That we should fully affirm and speak to it "joy" is the serious business of heaven. "
A spirit of carefree, lighted hearted, God-centered Celebration is often conspicuously absent in the lives of many in the modern church. When did we begin to take ourselves seriously? What urgent matters have we allowed to rob us of our playful spirit? We are going to live forever. How important can things really be that won't even he remembered a hundred years from now?
There's no doubt about it, most of us need  to lighten up. Would you like to enjoy life more? Find others who love Jesus too and have fun together. It's the sort of thing that delights your heavenly Father when He sees it.

ONE WITH HIM

The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him
1 Corinthians 6:17

The idea that Jesus Christ is in your life is true-but the news of what grace has accomplished in you is even more greater than that. Jesus has so merge Himself into you and you into Him that there is no separation whatsoever. You are a spirit being who has a soul (mind, will, and emotion) and lives in a body. The spirit is the essence of your identity, and it is that place that Christ has united as one with you.
Think of a cup of coffee. Nobody would say that the cup contains coffee and hot water. The merging of the coffee into the water was so complete when it was brewed that a new identity has merged in the process. It is now called "coffee" The water's identity has been remade and redefined by the coffee.
So it is with Jesus Christ. He has brought you into union with Him. Your identity has been changed because your very nature has been changed. You aren't just a person with Christ in you. You have been joined to Him as one and the flavor you now have to offer the world is a divine creation.

God's First moment with mankind

God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea a over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Genesis 1:28

The heart of your God is seen in the way He related to mankind immediately after He had created them, during the first moment of Adam and Eve's existence. What was the very first thing He did in His relationship to His highest creation? "God blessed them."
Your concept of your Creator will largely determine the way you relate to Him. If you see Him as a Great Judge who carefully watches your behavior to make sure you're doing the right things, you have misunderstood your Father. God created you to bless you.
The first word He spoke to mankind was, "Be fruitful a multiply. His first word was to speak blessing into their lives. Dead region presents a false caricature of God presenting Him as one who is primarily concerned with our behavior. The Bible shows Him as being g very different. His concern is simply with you, Your God ' wants to bless you today,. He speaks words loving encouragement to you. Go forth into your day with that assurance.

Wiped-out Sins

I have wiped out your transgression like a thick cloud, And your sins like a heavy mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
Isaiah 44:22

Imagine for a moment that you had never done anything to feel guilty about. Wouldn't that be fantastic? What if any and every wrong things you'd ever done had never happened? Would that empower you to live more boldly, with more confidence that God plan is to bless you in all you do? Would it be a motivation to enjoy intimacy with your Father as every moment?
Grace brings news to you that seems almost too good to be true. It's this your sin have been wiped out as if they had never happened. They are gone and forgotten by God. When God looks at you. He sees you as if you have never sinned. Does that seem too good to be true? How could that be? You might ask.
The answer is that it is possible because of what Jesus did when He came the first time. He dealt a blow to sin that didn't simply defeat it; the death blow against sin through the cross annihilated it in your life. There is not even a trace of it left now, "Return to me." God says, " because I have already wiped out your sin."

Earthen Vessels

We have the treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.
2 Corinthians 4:7

You posses a tremendous treasure--an amazing reality that causes angels to stare at you in bewilderment. It is a treasure given to you in Christ.
What is this treasure? It is the power of God that lives inside you through the person of Jesus Christ. The Word who spoke the universe into existence dwells in you, a human being! Might Deity and meager humanity have become one because Jesus has joined us in Union with His Father
Why would God place such infinite power within our frail human bodies? So that when He works through us, it will be obvious that this miraculous life we live doesn't originate from us, but from Him. The greatness of Almighty God is seen as He lives through one of His fragile but dearly loved people.
Don't expect anything from yourself. You're just container made of mud. However, expect much from God because He takes great pleasure in the fact that His life and yours are one. He delight in expressing Himself through you.

Loving other

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
John 13:34

Loving people. That's what it's all about in life Whether it's the beggar on the street or a resident of a affluent neighborhood in suburbia, people want to know one thing that they are loved. They are starving for it.
Sadly, the modern church often flounder s in sharing the love of God with those around us for one simple reason: we don't fully understand how much we are loved by Him. Only when we understand that our lovableness isn't because of our performance but because of Christ in us will we feel the love of God for us. God doesn't love you in spite of you. He loves you because of Jesus and what He has done in you by making you a new creation. You aren't unlovable, because Christ, who is your life, is completely lovable! Nobody is able to effectively express God's love to others until they have embrace His love for themselves. You must see yourself as a dear child of God who is dearly loved by Him. Having seen that, you become motivated to share it.

No Longer a Slave to Sin

"For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."
Roman 6:6-7

I love the way The Living BIBLE presents Roman 6. "Should we keep on sinning when we don't have to? For sin's power over us was broken when we became Christians and we were baptized to become a part Of Jesus Christ; through His death the power of your sinful nature was shattered. Your old sin-loving nature was buried with Him; that part of you that loves to sin was crushed and fatally wounded so that your sin-loving body is no longer under sin's control, no longer needs to be a slave to sin" (Roman6:2-7).
The death of our old self is positional, which means that when we became a part of Christ, our old self was shattered Fatally wounded rendered inoperative. Our old sin nature has no real power. That's why in verses 11 and 12 we are to "count [ourselves] dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body."
What a powerful command! Why are we told to count ourselves dead to sin? Because our "deadness" to sin doesn't become evident in our lives until by faith we believe it. And what happens when we fail to count ourselves dead to sin? Then sin's power over us seems real, and we allow it to reign in our lives.
Lord, thank You that through Your death, my old sin-loving nature was mortally wounded. I no longer have to sin! I have power to say no because I place my faith in You and consider myself alive to God!

Heart knowledge

"I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his suffering, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead."
Phillippians 3:10-11

Greek scholar tell us that when the aoostle Paul wrote about knowledge of Christ, he often described a head knowledge or an intellectual comprehension. But in Phillippians 3:10 when Paul wrote, "I want to know Christ," he used a different word for "know." He meant a knowledge of the heart, an experiential fellowship of intimacy
When Paul wrote Philippians 3:10, he used the word "know" in the Old Testament sense of word, such as when Adam "knew" Eve or Abraham "knew" Sarah. As intimately as a couple would know one another physically, Paul wanted to know his Lord spiritually His was a desire to fellowship with the Lord through direct experience, not through mere head knowledge.
The apostle Peter echoes this desire in 2Peter 1:4 where believers are told that we "participate in the divine nature" In other words, believers have a share within and a portion of the Lord Jesus.
This is how up-close and personal your spiritual fellowship with the Lord is meant to be. Not a head knowledge... But a heart knowledge.
Take time to participate in Jesus. Taste the Bread of Heaven. Drink deeply of the living water. Be the branch that relaxes in Him, the Vine. Get to know Him through direct experience, not merely through intellectual comprehension.
Lord of my life, You have shed your blood for me, dying on the cross so that we might have intimate fellowship. Forgive me when I only demonstrate a desire to know about you, rather than truly know You. I echo the apostle Paul when I say today that I desire to enjoy a close and personal union with You.

God Gets Emotional

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight."
Isaiah 42:1

Have you ever taken delight in someone? Maybe you've burst into laughter over an infant's first smile. Perhaps you've beamed with pride as a dear one graduates from college with honors. Or you've felt the delicious warmth of a love one's gaze.
To take delight in someone close means to relish in his achievements To be jubilant in his triumphs. To be captivated with his beauty and to find pleasure in the adoration and love given in return. And Praise God, this is the way He feels about you!
When you obey, for instance, God doesn't merely observe from a distance and nod approvingly. He is not dispassionate or inexcitable about your obedience. Rather, when you grit your teeth and decide to obey, when you stem the tide of temptation and heroically follow Christ, the Lord is thrilled. He delighted.
Oh, how it must give Jesus joy when we choose  to obey. How it must delight:
Him when He see our face and hears our vioce in praise. And just in case you still think God isn't emotional toward you, consider Isaiah 62:5," As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God Rejoice over you.
Near the end of Jesus' public ministry, the fog began to lift from the disciple" thinking. At the end of John chapter 16, the light dawns and they rise to a new level of trust and understanding. In John 16:31, Jesus exclaimed, You believe at last!" Now that's getting emotional!

REJOICE IN THE LORD

Finallyy brethren, Rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you
Philippians 3:4

These words of the apostle Paul weren't written from the lap of luxury but we're penned from jail cell. Paul had learned the secret of joy to the extent that his circumstances had no power to steal it. He had discovered that joy is "in the Lord." Nobody would want to be imprisoned--but Paul had realized that jail was only temporary and Jesus is forever.
When you find yourself in situation that threaten to steal your joy, look beyond the momentary trial you face. Recognize that the source of your well-being isn't in a place or a predicament but in the Person who is with you in that very moment.
In difficult circumstances, perspective everything. You can focus on the superficial details of the moment, or you can plumb the depths of God's love for you as you endure the hard times. There is something about troubles that strip s away the temporary things of life and allows us to see Jesus more clearly. Choose a perspective that sees Him, and live above your circumstances

A Precious Treasure

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
MATTHEW 13:44

Religion thought often seek to make man the hero in the parable of Jesus. This parable is a good example. You're probably heard it said that the treasure hidden in the field is Jesus and we should be willing to give anything to know Him. However, that's not what the parable is teaching.
Is it really possible that we could "buy" Jesus as the man in this parable buys the hidden treasure? No, the Hero of the story is Jesus Christ. You didn't buy Him. He bought you. He saw you in this world (rhe field) and gave all all that He had (His life) for the world so you might belong to Him. You have been bought with a price and it was a great price, but you were worth it to Him.
See yourself as treasure by Christ and you will discover joy rising up in you. You are a precious treasure to God. That is your true identity. Claim it as being honest true a d praise Him for it.

Mount ZION

"But you have come to Mount Zorn, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come a thousands upon thousands of angel in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose name are written in heaven.
Hebrew 12:22-23

Do you notice anything odd about that verse? It's the verb tense. The writer of Hebrew says we "have already come" to heaven. Resurrection promises are never written  for the far and distance future but rather for the here and now.
God want us to here a present-tense excitement, a right-around the-corner anticipation of heaven. He wants us to realize that we are already seated with Christ in heavenly places, "having our conversation in heaven," As far as God is concerned, the coming of the Lord is at hand, ready to explode on the world's stage at any moment.
The resurrection throbs with present-tense excitement when we learn to invest our days in eternity. When we sit close as a heartbeat. The future, the distance, and the vague will appear as the present, the near, and the real. The kingdom of God is within you, Jesus said, and it what's our appetite for kingdom fulfillment at any day, any moment.
Alively hope of heaven will bring forward the things that most believers call invisible and distant. Such a hope will disclose to you the heavenly mansion, the happy courts, the adoring multitudes. It' open your ears to hear heavenly melodies, to catch the very words of angel anthems.

Blue print in your life

"The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love. O Lord, endures forever do not abandon the works of your hands."
Psalm 138:8

God always finishes what He start. He never begins a project only to leave it half done. He never writes a run-on sentence. He never walk away from a messy workbench. Unlike us, God never carries over items on His "Do list" from one eternity to the next. He always completes what He begin That includes.
HE started working on you year ago, long before you became a Christian. Take heart today that the blue print for your life is still spread before Him. He won't stop working on you until He reaches His goal. By the way, His goal is summed up in Roman 8:29 and His purpose is that you might "be conformed to the likeness of His Son."
Read Psalm 138 to see how God accomplished His work in your life, He fulfills His purpose in you with love and faithfulness (v. 2) Part of His goal is to make you fearless and stoutedhearted (v.3)  humble (v. 6). and confident in His ability to preserve and protect you (v. 7).
For more evidence of God's "finishing what He start," be encouraged by Philippians1:6. He will never abandon or forsake you. His goal is to make you more like Jesus, and He won't stop working on His goal for you until you are complete.

'At Your Right Hand is Pleasure"

"You have made known to me the path of life, you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasure at your right hand."
Psalm 16:11

Pleasurable things give delight and satisfaction to the soul. Pleasure is found lying under an oak tree on a windy day, with the cool grass beneath and the rustle of leaves above. Pleasure is discovered by a cheery fire, curled up on a couch with your favorite afghan and herbal tea. Pleasure is captured in the soft smile and gentle eyes of the one you love.
  Our souls are restless, taking and thirsting for fulfillment, for delight, for... Pleasure. Someone has said, "The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love." Who we are in our innermost being is revealed by those things we passionately desire. If we desire dull, sensual things our souls are made noble and pure.
   Because God has created your need for pleasure, it stands to reason that He must be the  consummation of that need. He directs our pleasure seeking souls when He commands, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart." God is not only  the one who gives pleasure, but is Himself all pleasure.
   Eternal Pleasure are found at God's right hand. Stop there. You didn't have to look any further. God places  passions within you so that you'll keep searching until you find utter delight in Him
   Don't deny your desire for delight. Gorge yourself on God and discover real and deep delight.
You are the delight of my soul, Lord, and I look to you for all fullfillment. Help me to see that the longing You're placed within me are signposts directing me always and always to You.

His Eye Is on the Sparrow

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father."
MATTHEW 10:29

English sparrows. They're worth barely a penny, Jesus said so. Yet of the world's nine thousand bird species, Jesus singled out the least-noticed and most insignificant of birds to make point.
   If God takes times to keep tabs on every sparrow--who it is, where it's going, whether or not it needs are being met--then surely He keeps special tabs on you.Intimately. Personally. And with every detail in mind.
   The Bible may point to eagles to underscore courage and power, and it may talk above doves as symbols of peace and contentment. But God's Word reserved sparrow to teach a lesson about trust. Just as God tenderly cares for tiny bird, even making note of when it is harmed, or when it falls to the ground, He gently reminds you that He is worthy of your greatest trust, your deepest confidence.
How do you approach God today? Maybe you feel likes ragamuffin house sparrow clinging  to an empty birdfeeder with no one to care He notices.
  Try trusting the Lord today as would a sparrow. No question asked No fears that He won't come through. Relax in the protection and provision of your great God.

His Grace not law

Sin Shall not your master over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.
Romans 6:14

Grace is a system of living whereby God blesses us because we are in Jesus Christ, and for no others reason at all. Yet many people are miserable because they still live with old Testament viewpoint a viewpoint that causes them to try to stay in God favor by good behavior.
The Law demands, "Your behavior must improve to receive God blessing! It is simply wrong to believe we make spiritual progress or gain God's blessing based on what we do. It is oppose of the grace walk.
Grace is the voice of God saying, "I will bless you until your behavior does improve!" When Grace fills us, we want to live a consistent godly lifestyle. It is the faithfulness of God that causes our heart to be changed so we are motivated to godly living by desire, not a sense of religious duty.
Don't struggle against sins you may set in your life. Instead, mediate on the reality that your Father loves you to matter how you behave. He love really is unconditional. As you immerse yourself in His love you will find that your desire are changed so that sin loses its magnetic attraction.

Glory and Praise to our God

Worthy are You our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor a d power, for You created all thing, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.
Revelation 4:11

What a song from heaven! God willed the physical universe to exist, and so it did. Why did God create the universe? Proverbs 16:4 tells us that "the Lord has made everything's for its own purpose." He did it for one simple reason because it was what He wanted. The psalmist said, "He spoke and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast (Psalm33:9).
The universe exist because it was the will of God. The stars don't hang up there on nothing. They are held in place by the will of an omnipotent God. The tide at the beach doesn't just coincidentally stop at its boundaries and return to the sea. It is ordered back by divine design. The earth isn't spinning on its axis because of in own momentum. That's the will of God at work. He designed it that way. The inanimate world in which we live conform to the will of God.
If that is true of you! Your God created you because He wanted you. YOU WERE THE DESIRE OF HIS HEART before your mother ever got one glimpse of you. You have been eternally wanted. Glory and Honor to our God.

Modern Ruthless People

This Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to the cross by the handsome godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again.
Acts 2: 23-24

HAS ANYBODY EVER BEEN terribly unfair to you? Have you ever been almost destroyed by the ruthlessness of another? You're not alone.
The greatest offense ever committed against a man was what done to Jesus by those who opposed Him. They tortured and killed the perfect Son of God. The amazing thing about the mistreatment of Jesus (and you) is the Father's ability to redeemed it.
God is bigger than the wrong men do. Human being were completely responsible for crucifying the Son of God. "You nailed [Him] to the cross," Peter said. But God was sovereign over even this and in fact, had planned it before the foundation of the world: Christ was "delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God." Do you see how the two fit together? WE do have and awesome God!
Mentally release those who have treated you with unfairness or even cruelty. Don't live in the past. Your God stands above all that has happened in your life. He  can redeem and use those things for your good and His glory.

YOUR BREAK THROUGH WITHIN

Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the list of the flesh.
Galatians 5:16

IN HIS LETTER TO CHRISTIAN in Galatian, Paul tried to get them to understand the inner conflict that all who belong to Christ will experience. This battle is between "the flesh" (our sinful human nature) and the Holy Spirit who lives within us (Galatia 5:17).
Becausd our self-centered nature wants its own way, it fights the rule of Christ within us. So we often end up doing our will rather than God's (v.17).
Once I Pray in desperation.
"Lord, please show me how over come! God directed me to Paul's words in the  Galatians 5:16--"Walk in Spirit." I kept reading, and came to recognize my own "work of flesh" my envy, anger, hatred, and selfish ambitions (vv19-21).
I asked God for forgiveness, and I came to understand that I have been crucified with Christ. (2:20). The power of my sinful flesh has been broken (5:24; Romans 6:6-7). I've gradually learned to bring this "death" into effect by allowing my flesh no more rights than a corse! So I resolve daily to recognize and obey Christ will alone. I sometimes fail, but repentance puts me back in step with the Holy Spirit.
We, I faced conflict every day, but the Spirit can overcome our sinful desire and win the battle. Which side is winning in life?
Putting into practice Ask God to help you overcome the flesh today, Read mediate His word and walk in the Spirit your battle is within.

IMAGE CONSCIOUS

We all...are being transformed...by the spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18

When going through old family photos, my cousins and I joke about which physical characteristics we've Inherited. We notice primarily the negative ones: short legs crooked teeth. Unruly collides. All of us can easily identify in our ancestor our own least favorite body part. In addition to physical attributes, we also Inherited characters traits some good, some not so good. But we don't always pay as much attention to those.
  According to my unscientific observation, people try all kind of method to overcome physical imperfections—exercise routines weightless programs makeup, hair coloring cosmetic surgery. But instead of trying to overcome our character flaws, we tend to use them as an excuse for behaving badly. I suppose this is because chapter going our looks is easier than changing our character. But imagine how much better off we'd be if we put our energy into character development.
   As God's children we're not limited by our genetic makeup we can surrender our flaws to Him and allow Him to fulfill the potential He had in mind when He created us as unique expressions of His love. The power of God's spirit and the life of God's Son are at work in US, conforming us to His image (2Cor.3:18).

LIVING BEYOND THE ODDS

Constant Prayer was offered to God for [Peter] by the church
Acts 12:5

Many of us make daily decision based on the odds. If there's a 20 percent chance of rain. We may ignore it. If there's a 90 percent. We'll take an umbrella. The greater the odds, the more our behavior is affected because we want to choose wisely and be successful.
   Acts 12:1-6 describe a situation in which Peter's odds of survival were very low. He was in prison, "bound with two chains between two soldier" while other guarded there door (v. 6).
Herod had already executed James, one of Jesus closest follower, and he had the same fate in mind for Peter (vv1-3). A gambler would not have put any money on Peter getting out of this alive.
    Yet God's plan for Peter included a miraculous deliverance that even those who were interceding for him found hard to believe (vv13-16). They were astonished when he showed up in their prayer meeting.
   God can operate outside the odds because He is all powerful. Nothing is too hard for Him. The one who loves us and gave Himself for us is in charge of our lives. In ordinary circumstances and impossible situations, God can reveal His power. Whether we are showered with success or sustained in sorrow, He is with us.

Every Good GIFT

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from a above, and cometh down from the Father of light, with whom is no variable Ness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17

What is Good?
Acts 10:38 says that Jesus went about doing good and healing. Healing is good! Sickness is not good. Every healing comes down the Father. Every sickness does not come down the Father.
In the first place, where in the world would God get sickness to put on you? He doesn't have any in heaven. He would have to borrow some from the devil! (You can't give somebody something you don't have.) The Bible says there is no sickness in heaven. Therefore, sickness can't come from heaven.
What does come down from heaven?
Every good gift and every perfect gift!

WHAT ABOUT PAUL'S THORN?

NUMBERS 33:55
But if ye will not drive out the inhabitant of the Land from before you; thorn it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be price in your eyes, and thorns to your side, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

"Don't you remember, though, Paul was sick all his life."
"No, I don't remember that."
"But he had a thorn in the flesh."
"Where did you ever read in the Bible that a thorn in the flesh is sickness? Nowhere!
Go to the Scriptures, See how the Bible uses that term. In the Old Testament, God said to Israel, in effect, "If you don't kill those Canaanites when you poses the land, they will be thorn in your side. They will torment you" (Number 33:55; Joshua 23:13; Judges 2 :3).
Paul tells exactly what the thorn was:"... The messenger of Satan to buffet me... " (2Cor.12:7). Everywhere Paul went to preach, this evil spirit went before and behind him, and stirred up everything it could. (And Paul couldn't command the evil spirit to leave the earth, because the devil has the right to be here until Adam's leave run's out.)
So there is no separating sickness and disease from satan--- he causes them. Jesus' attitude toward sickness was uncompromising warfare against Satan.