Wednesday, April 03, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Wednesday, April 03, 2013          I Told My Disciples that I Loved Them - Part 2

Page 269-270         John 16

Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit, working in and through his followers, will bring justice to the world. When the followers of Jesus lead lives of honesty and integrity, they will stand apart from the ways of the world. Their lifestyle will contrast sharply with the ways of people who do not believe in Jesus.

When the followers of Jesus speak out against injustice in the world, their beliefs will contrast sharply with the ways of the world. When the followers of Jesus work diligently in ministries of mercy and justice, as they become co-laborers with Jesus for God’s coming Kingdom, their ideals will contrast sharply with the ideals of the world.

When the followers of Jesus live with the hope of God’s future in their heart, their sense of inner peace will contrast sharply with the vast majority of people living without hope. It will be through the lives of fully devoted followers of Jesus that the Holy Spirit “will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment.”

Our mission is to open our hearts and our lives to the Holy Spirit so that Jesus can live his life through us. This challenge is daunting because the persecution that confronted Jesus awaits his followers as well. However, Jesus has promised us that he will always be with us; nothing can separate us from him. We can do everything through Christ, who gives us strength.

To prepare us for this mission, Jesus described to his disciples the indescribable: God’s New Creation was about to be birthed into existence through the Cross, the Grave, and the Resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus tells us to trust the Holy Spirit. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to teach us the significance of what happened in those three days, and how to live out of this new reality.

I believe the two greatest aspects of God’s New Creation are the gift of the Holy Spirit and the gift of prayer. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ very presence with the believer. The Holy Spirit is our guide, our teacher, the One who empowers our souls to live as fully devoted followers of Jesus.

Jesus tells his followers that when he is through birthing God’s New Creation, his followers will have the very same standing with God the Father as he does. When our prayers embody the life of Jesus, our prayers are unimpeded as they ascend to God. Think of what that means! When we pray in the Life of Christ, we receive the full and undivided attention of God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Today is a good day to take a leap of faith, and choose to dwell in God’s new reality for you as His beloved child, with whom He is well pleased, and upon whom His favor rests.

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The second edition of my book, First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGQL5JC

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Thursday, April 04, 2013    I Prayed for All Believers   

Page 273-274         John 17