Sunday, July 16, 2017, 5:22 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song “Your Grace Divine.” Speak, Lord, your
words to my heart. I read various scriptures (in the NASB) on the subject of
living for Jesus.
Dead to Sin; Alive to God (Ro. 8:12-14; cf. 1 Pet. 2:24; Gal. 2:20)
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the
flesh, to live according to the flesh— for if you are living according to the
flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of
the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these
are sons of God.
If we are to live for Jesus,
we must first of all die with him to sin and self (See: Lu. 9:23-25; Ro.
8:1-14; Eph. 4:17-24). If the old man has not been crucified with Christ, the
new man (person) cannot exist. It is when we die with Christ to sin that we are
reborn of the Spirit of God, and thus we can now live and walk in the Spirit and
no longer according to our sinful passions and desires. Yet, this death to sin
and living to Jesus is not a onetime salvation experience, but it is our daily
walk with Christ Jesus, as well. For, it is not those who claim to have had a
salvation experience who are the children of God, but it is those who are being
led by the Spirit, who are following the Lord Jesus with their lives, who are
his sons and daughters.
For the Lord
(2 Co. 5:14-15; cf. Ro. 14:7-9; Phil. 1:19-21)
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded
this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that
they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and
rose again on their behalf.
Jesus Christ did not die on
the cross for our sins merely that we might escape hell and have the hope of
heaven when we die. He died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life
up for us. When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives,
our lives are no longer our own, to live however we want, for we were bought
back for God with the price of Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross for our sins.
So, we are to honor God with our lives. He is to be our Lord (owner-master),
not just our Savior. And, we are to be his bond-servants, slaves now to
righteousness (Ro. 6:1-23). And, each day we should inquire of him as to what
he wants, and then follow his lead in doing, being, and saying what and going where
he desires.
In Contentment
(Phil. 4:11-13)
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be
content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble
means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance
I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance
and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
I know, too, what it is like
to be poor, and to not have much at all, and I know what it is like to have
more than what we need so that we have enough to share with others, and so we
could enjoy some of the conveniences and comforts of having more physical space
and provisions. Yet, we have always had a roof over our heads, clothing on our
bodies, and food in our stomachs, so we don’t really know yet what it is like
to go hungry or to be in want of shelter or of clothing. But, that time is most
likely to come, too, if we live long enough. Yet, some of the poorest of times
taught us to live by faith and to trust the Lord for everything. And, some of
the more affluent times provided us the opportunity to use what we had been
given to minister God’s grace and mercy to and to be a blessing to others. I
can live in any of these ways through the strength God gives me.
To Deny Ungodliness (Tit. 2:11-14)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation
to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live
sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed
hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for
Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
Some people have the notion
that faith in Jesus Christ means merely to acknowledge who he was/is and what
he did for us in dying for our sins, and to accept his forgiveness for our
sins. Yet, there is no death to sin or living to righteousness in that (Ro.
6:1-23). Thus, there is no new birth or heart transformation of the Spirit of
God. As well, there is no true salvation from sin, but only a false hope of
heaven when one dies, only to face the reality of one-day hearing God say “Depart
from me, I never knew you!”
Truly God’s grace, which
brings salvation from sin, is not just to forgive people of their sin, but it
is to turn them from darkness (sin) to the light (truth, righteousness, Christ),
and away from the control (power) Satan had over their lives to God, to walk
daily in his righteousness and holiness. Then, they can receive forgiveness of
sins and have a place among those who are sanctified (made holy, purified) by
faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:16-18). God’s grace is not a free license to
continue in willful sin against God, but it directs us to leave our lives of
sin behind us and to follow our Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will
for our lives.
On Every Word
(Matt. 4:4)
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall
not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of
God.’”
In order for us to live for
Jesus, we need to know him and we need to know his Word, so that we can obey
him and his Word. For our physical bodies to live, we need food and water, but
for us to live spiritually we need to feed on the Word of God. And, remember
that Jesus is the Word (See: John 1). So, every day we are to be in God’s Word,
listening to what God – the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit - has to say to
us, and doing what the Word says. His Word is our guide, counsel, teacher,
instruction, encouragement, and urging for us to live holy lives pleasing to
God, as well as it is our warning against idolatry, spiritual adultery, lusts
of the flesh, and worldly living, etc. In keeping (obeying) God’s Word, there
is great reward (Ps. 19:11).
Your Grace Divine
An Original Work / November 6, 2011
All I have is Yours, Lord.
You gave all to me,
When You died at Calv’ry
On that cruel tree.
Crucified for my sins;
You paid what I owe,
So I’d be forgiven;
My God come to know.
All I have is Yours, Lord.
You gave all to me,
When You died at Calv’ry
On that cruel tree.
Lord, I am so thankful
For Your grace divine.
I invited You, Lord,
In this heart of mine.
I have been forgiven
For all of my sins,
So I’d live with Jesus;
His grace flow within.
Lord, I am so thankful
For Your grace divine.
I invited You, Lord,
In this heart of mine.
Growing in Your grace, Lord;
Live for You each day;
How I love to worship
You throughout my day.
Sitting at Your feet, Lord,
List’ning to You speak,
Leads me to love You, Lord,
More throughout the week.
Growing in Your grace, Lord;
Live for You each day;
How I love to worship
You throughout my day.
No comments:
Post a Comment