Meditate on Jesus

The Word of God offers us the perfect way of living:

"1Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

"2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." (Psalm 1: 1-2)

We can meditate on His Law, because He has written His laws in our hearts and minds because of the Holy Spirit:

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

"11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. "12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

By seeing more of Jesus Christ in our lives, we meditate on the Living Word (1 Peter 1: 23), or the Word made flesh (John 1: 14).

The  more that we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3:18), we are meditating on Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh who lives in everyone of us (Colossians1: 27).

Christ is All Things for Us

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)    

Jesus is our wisdom:

"22The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

23I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." (Proverbs 8: 22-23)

 

Jesus is our righteousness:

 

"In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee." (Isaiah 54: 14)

 

and then

 

"In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Jeremiah 23: 6)

 

and of course:

 

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

 

Because of Him, we are sanctified:

 

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

 

then

 

"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9: 28)

 

and finally

 

"2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 2-3)

 

And He is our redemption:

 

"1But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." (Isaiah 43: 1)

 

and

 

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;" (Ephesians 1: 7)

 

Christ is all things for us, so let Him be all things for you today.

Christ is Doing Your Work in You

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 29)

We work because He works in us (Philippians 2: 12-13)

We love because He first loved us (1 John 4: 19)

We give because He gives us all things (Romans 8: 32)

We forgive, because He has so freely forgiven us. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

We bless because He has so richly blessed us with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1: 3)

We have life, and that more abundantly, because He gives it to us (John 10: 10)

We reign in life, because of His gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5: 17)

Christ moved first, so let Him move in you today and forever more!

Jesus: The Purpose, the Drive, and the LIfe

A popular teaching was released some years ago in a devotional manual entitled "The Purpose Driven Life."

The intent of the book was good, in that the author wanted to assist individual believers in the Body of Christ to grow and serve rather than remain passive and immature.

Yet like many teachings today, and like many churches right now, Jesus was not the central focus, but ourselves, our efforts, our need to improve.

The Christian Life is not some special project, not a task or a goal, but the Person of Jesus Christ Himself:

"King James VersionJesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14: 6)

Jesus did not come to provide Himself as an example to follow, but Life itself, that we would receive and rejoice in Him:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and then

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)


Jesus did come to help bad people be good, but to help dead people live, to allow man, dead in his trespasses because of Adam, to receive the Life of God within himself through Jesus' death and the release of the Holy Spirit.

The more that believers focus on fads, crowds, and fanciful ideas, to that extent they will find frustration and frenzy, instead of the rest and the peace which Jesus promises, which Jesus!

In fact, we can say that Jesus offers more than the power to live a "purpose driven life":

Jesus is the Purpose (The Truth), the Drive (The Way), and the Life!

Grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus, and let Him bless you and use in mighty ways beyond what you can ask or think (Ephesians 3: 20)

Christ is in You!

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1: 27) 

The greatest ministry will magnify Christ and Him Crucified:

"For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2: 2)

Through this knowledge, we receive this great promise:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39)

Forgiveness of sins, and justification from all things -- all!

With the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace shed abroad to us through Christ, we reign in life, in His life:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

and

"3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 3-4)

But does Christ Jesus just sit in us? Of course not!

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 29)

and

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

and

"12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 12-13)

Christ is in you, so let Him work through you today.

We Rejoice in Christ and with Each Other

"That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again." (Philippians 1: 26)

We are in Christ, and Christ is in us:

"And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." (1 Corinthians 3: 23)

In Christ, we have the promise of consummate victory:

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8: 37)

and

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." (2 Corinthians 2: 14)

When we recognize other members of the Body of Christ as in Christ, then we rejoice and enjoy fellowship with one another:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

Our celebration with others in the Body of Christ is all about the truth which sets us free (John 8: 32), the grace of God for all our sins:

"4I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father." (2 John 4)

Now, you may have struggled in relationships with some people in your church.

Paul explains why there is conflict in certain churches:

"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Corinthians 3: 3)

And the law is the strength of sin (1 Corinthians 15: 56), which leads to conflicts among those who rest in His grace, vs. those who wrestle with the law:

"28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." (Galatians 4: 28-29)

When we see ourselves in Christ completely, without any assistance from our efforts, and others understand our blessed standing in Christ, then indeed we rejoice!

Believe What He Says -- He is a Good God

"And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us." (Deuteronomy 1: 25)

The massive vines of grapes speak of Jesus.

He was hanging between heaven and earth, between two others.

His blood is represented in the wine (or juice, or anything else) which we drink at Communion:

"And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many." (Mark 14: 24)

Paul would write to the Corinthians:

"After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." (1 Corinthians 11: 25)

The Promised Land, the good land which the LORD gave the Israelites, is a picture of our Lord Jesus, who God the Father gave to us:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

And then in Hebrews:

"8For if Jesus [Joshua] had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 8-11)

He is our rest, and God's greatest gift to us:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

and then in Romans:

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 32)

The grapes which the spies had brought to the Israelites were a perfect representation of Jesus. Just as Jesus hung on the Cross of our righteousness, the perfect sign of God's love for us, so to we can believe on Him for all things, that He is a good God!

Christ Your Fighter and Champion

"Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;" (Numbers 1: 24)

Gad means "troop" or "army".

Every son born to Jacob-Israel carries a picture of our Lord Jesus.

He is our captain:

"For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews 2: 10)

He is our rearguard:

"Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward." (Isaiah 58: 8)

He is our watchman:

"Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you." (Deuteronomy 3: 22)

When we see the word "LORD", let us recognize that we see Jesus there:

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13: 8)

And above all:

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." (Romans 8: 37)

and

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." (2 Corinthians 2: 14)

And above all:

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12: 11)

God's Word Nourishes us to Grace

"And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him." (1 Samuel 1: 23)

As we grow spiritually, we  need to know and hear more of God's word:

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" (1 Peter 2: 2)

How interesting: the sincere, pure milk of the Word.

How do we understand pure milk?

No mixture, no law and grace: it's all of grace, all of Christ, none of us:

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

Prosperity is all about the truth of the Gospel, that every sin is paid for forever, that we do not contribute anything for our righteousness, which is actually His righteousness:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Yet if we do not rest in His righteousness, then we are still like children:

"13For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5: 13-14)

Keep reading the Word of God, keeping recceiving revelation of God's righteousness, for all scripture witnesses to our righteousness in Christ (2 Timothy 3: 16).

He Blesses us, Then We are Fruitful

"And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth." (Genesis 1: 22)

This verse is a perfect example of our Creator-God's good nature.

He blesses us first, then He tells us to be fruitful and multiply.

Never did God expect us to be holy, good, or fruitful through our own efforts. Never:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Galatians 5: 22-23)

Paul writes about the fruit of the Spirit, not the works of the Spirit, or the works of the individual believer.

The Old Testament indicates how much God blesses us first:

"

1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" (Genesis 12: 1-2)

 

Notice that God blessed Abram, them Abraham exceedingly before the Lord asked Abraham to do the following:

 

"1Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

2And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:" (Genesis 22: 1-2)

 

The fruit of Abraham's obedience grew into fullness after years of the Lord blessing this father of faith, no matter how imperfect, that He could demonstrate His life through His servant.

 

Consider also what John writes:

 

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

 

He blesses and blesses in every way, too:

 

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:" (2 Corinthians 9: 8)

 

Do not strive in the flesh to be obedience or to produce. Let God bless you at length, and then you will be fruitful:

 

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)

The Promised Land is Yours, as Promised!

"Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged." (Deuteronomy 1: 21)

Because of all that Jesus has done for us in Christ, we can know and believe that He is providing all things for us:

"3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" (Ephesians 1: 3)

We are blessed with all spiritual blessings, which refers to their origin in the Holy Spirit, and through His Spirit they flow into our lives.

God our Father assures us that we can receive all things, because we receive through His Son:

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 32)

Jesus is our Promised Land, our rest:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

The writer of Hebrews therefore exhorts us:

"8For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 8-11)

Jesus promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us, along with all our needs, and we can rest on every promise, for all of them are Yea and Amen in Christ (2 Corinthians 1: 20)

The Promised Land is yours, Beloved, as Promised by God, and delivered to us by the Work of Christ, which we receive through His Holy Spirit.

Let God Give Birth to Great Things in You

"Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty." (Exodus 1: 20)

In this passage, the midwives of the Hebrew people refused to kill the young boys born to the Hebrew women.

God's grace superabounds in our lives (Romans 5: 20-21), even when we find ourselves in unpleasant or oppressive conditions, such as slavery in a strange land.

"11For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. " (2 Corinthians 4: 11)

No matter how barren or frustrating your current experiences may be, look to Jesus, the author and finisher of faith (Hebrews 12: 2), and know that He is making all things work for your good (Romans 8: 28)

Perhaps some of you have been living under law, still trying to produce results in your life through  your own efforts, instead of allowing Christ Jesus to live and work through you (Philippians 2: 12-13)

Listen to what Paul shares with the legalized Galatians:

"For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband." (Galatians 4: 27)

This verse Paul quotes from Isaiah 54, in which the symbol of greatest curse, a barren woman, can expect to be blessed with many children. Why? Because the Messiah Jesus Christ, prophesied in the previous chapter, will bear our sins, our curse, and our pains in all measure. When we rest in His Work at the Cross, we allow His grace to give birth to great things in our lives:

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed." (1 Corinthians 15: 10-11)

He Keeps Us in Perfect Peace

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26: 3)

God keeps us in perfect peace, and this peace causes our minds, our imaginations, to rest in Him.

This rest we receive through our trust in Him:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

Literally, Jesus offers us the following promise: "I will rest you."

He is our perfect peace (Ephesians 2: 14), and because of what Jesus did at the Cross, we have peace with God (Romans 5: 1)

Our one responsibility is to believe:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

Take a look at the verse again. This believing is the work of God, which we receive as a gift of grace:

"8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8-9)

Because believe that we died with Christ, and that we live through Him, we live by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2: 20-21)

Looking at the original Hebrew of Isaiah 26: 3, I find that one can also read it as:

He keeps our minds in perfect peace, because we trust in Him.

Everything depends on believing on Him, that He makes us righteousness by grace through faith in His Son.

You Are in the Father's Bosom

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." (John 1: 18)

If we want to know the Father, we have to know the Son.

We have to know that we are in the Son:

"3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 3-4)

We have to understand that the Son is in us:

"To whom God would make known what is 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 to understand that the Son created everything:

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:" (Colossians 1: 16)

Of course, the first trait which Paul lists speaks to His representative Sonship:

"15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (Colossians 1: 15)

You want to see the invisible God, you see the Son in the Word of God.

Now, because you are in Christ, and as He is, so are you (1 John 4: 17), you can know and believe that you are in the Father's bosom, too:

"1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 1-3)

Today, rest in the truth that you are in the Father's bosom, that He loves you as much as He loves Jesus (John 17: 21)

Christ's Righteousness Works for Us

"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." (Isaiah 32: 17)

Righteousness is a work, one which Jesus has Finished for us:

"It is Finished." (John 19: 30)

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

The original Hebrew bears out something more active regarding the effects of Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27), and our righteousness (1 Corinthians 1: 30):

"Effect" means "Service" or even "Bondage". Righteousness works for us.

Why is this the case?

The New Covenant outlines what God is going to do for us:

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

How is that Lord no longer remembers our sins? Every sin of the world -- past, present, and future -- was remembered in the Body of His Son Jesus Christ:

 

"10By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10: 10)

 

and

 

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:" (1 Peter 3: 18)

 

and

 

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1: 7-10)

 

Through Jesus' blood, we are cleansed from all sin, we are cleansed from all unrighteousness. This gift of righteousness is the enforcing clause of the New Covenant, so that God indeed can be a "God"
 to us.

Because of what Jesus did at the Cross, God is bound to bless us, because His Son paid with His life and blood that with Him, we may receive all things (Romans 8: 31-32)

Wave Upon Wave of Grace in Christ

"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." (John 1: 16)

We cannot handle all of Jesus' grace at one time.

And the grace that He wants to give us is greater every time that we receive it.

We simply cannot understand how forgiven we are at one time, nor should we ever claim that we have "arrived" when it comes to God's grace in our lives.

We need to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, that we may enjoy all that He has done, and wants to do in our lives:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

Just to remind you how to grow in grace, it's all about knowing Jesus:

"2Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord," (2 Peter 1: 2)

When you seek to know the King of the Universe, to know Him who has been from the beginning (1 John 2: 14), there is too much that we can know, that we have not even touched the surface.

The grace that we receive cannot be a one-time deal, for Paul has invited us to keep receiving:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

That word "receiving" is a present, active participle. We need His grace every day, wave up wave.

Let the supply of His Spirit take you places that you have not yet been to!

Our Soul is Already Prospering!

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)


In Christ, we are accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1: 6)

Paul's first prayer in Romans is that he would have a prosperous journey (Romans 1: 10)

And one of the last prayers recorded for us in the Bible, in the Third Epistle of John, regards our  prosperity, which is material, since the author also references soul prosperity in the end.

The key to all prosperity in Christ is that we walk in the truth (3 John 3-4)

What is the truth which John is writing about?

The truth of the Gospel:

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 32)

This truth is not just the Word of God, for the Jewish leaders whom Jesus was talking to knew the law.

John defines truth, which is defined with grace:

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

Grace and truth are recognized as one entity in the original Greek, and Paul speaks at length of the Gospel of grace (Galatians 2: 4, 14)

Our soul is prospering as we continue to believe and rest in the Finished work of Jesus, that in Him all our sins are put away, and that as we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, we find that the attacks of the enemy have no longer any hold over us!

You do not have to make your soul prosper. Believe on Him whom the Father has sent for you (John 6: 29), and let Him prosper you (Genesis 39: 2)

Jesus Dwells Within You

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

John writes in the beginning of his Gospel that Jesus dwelled among us.

After His death on the Cross, He dwells within us, too:

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1: 27)

And we belong to Christ:

"23And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." (1 Corinthians 3: 23)

Because we dwell in Him, we can rest assured for nothing but good things:

"Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:" (Acts 2: 26)

Meditate on this precious truth, that Christ dwells in you today!

Do Not Worry About Doubt

"Unbelieving" can also mean doubtful.

 

Yet consider also what Jesus did for Thomas, who had refused to believe:

 

"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." (John 20: 27)

 

Jesus ministers to us, even when we are doubting. Faith is not something which we conjure up through our efforts, but rather something that we receive as we see Jesus.

 

Consider also the example of John the Baptist, who had witnessed Jesus baptized with the Holy Spirit:

 

"2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Matthew 11: 2-6)

 

Jesus offered John the Baptist verses of Scripture (specifically, Isaiah 35: 5-6). In Luke's Gospel, not only doe Jesus reference Scripture speaking of Himself, but He performs miracles in the same hour following the inquiry from John the Baptist's disciples:

 

"When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Luke 7: 20-23)

 

When we doubt, we should never worry, nor should we feel ashamed, but instead we can rest in the sure testimony of God's Word, all of which testifies of Christ and Him Crucified:

 

"44And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: " (Luke 24: 44-46)

 

Don't Worry about Doubt, because you are not saved because of your works, but by Christ's death at the Cross. Even if you do doubt, the answer is found in receiving a greater revelation of Christ Jesus and Him Crucified, and so you can rest assured that even your doubts do not push God away, but rather invite Jesus to reveal Himself to you in a greater way!

Even When You Doubt, He is There For You

The real issue with doubt in the life of a believer has nothing to do with what we know or do not know, but rather with the sense of shame or reproach which comes with doubting.

If we doubt God's goodness, does that mean He is going to stop loving us?

If we doubt whether He exists or not at any time, or we therefore forfeiting our standing and our blessings in Christ?

Not at all.

Remember, we are saved by grace, which we receive by faith:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2: 4-9)

The New Covenant is not based on anything that we do, or have done, but everything that Jesus did for us at the Cross:

"22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12: 22-24)

Here is the New Covenant:

"10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

 

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.

 

12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

 

We look forward to His blessings in our lives, we can trust in His leading in our days, and we can rest assured in His promise because He has paid for our sins, and will never recall them again.

 

This New Covenant is not enacted because we believe,  but rather because Jesus died on the Cross, putting away all our trespasses (Colossians 2: 13) and fulfilled the entire law (Matthew 5: 17; Colossians 2: 14) so that we do not worry about keeping the law, but allow the lawgiver-turned-Savior to keep us.

 

If we do not believe that our sins are forgiven, however, inevitably we will get caught up in trying to make up for the sense of unrighteousness in our lives; we will try to pay off the sense of condemnation which we sense in our dead flesh.

 

Jesus has put away all our sins, including doubt (Mark 16: 14), at the Cross.

 

"Unbelieving" can also mean doubtful.

 

Yet consider also what Jesus did for Thomas, who had refused to believe:

 

"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." (John 20: 27)

 

Jesus ministers to us, even when we are doubting. Faith is not something which we conjure up through our efforts, but rather something that we receive as we see Jesus.

 

Jesus: Our Tree of Life

"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." (Proverbs 11: 30)

In the beginning, God intended for man to partake from the tree of life:

"And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Genesis 2: 9)

God places the tree of life in the middle of the garden, giving that tree its due prominence.

Yet Adam and Eve ate from the tree which was good, but not for man, and thus they died spiritually and were destined to die physically.

They could not eat from the tree of life at that point:

"And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:" (Genesis 3: 22)

It was God's love which sent the first man and woman out of the Garden. Imagine living in sin and death forever, without any change. Such misery God never intended for us.

So, the tree of life is a picture of our Lord Jesus.

He is referenced as such later in the Scriptures:

"She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her." (Proverbs 3: 18)

While the verse refers to Wisdom, the truth is that through the New Covenant, Christ Jesus is made Wisdom for us, and then our righteousness. (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

We are blessed and become the righteousness of God in Christ, because He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

God prophesies about the new birth through Christ in reference to trees coming to life:

"And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish: I the LORD have spoken and have done it." (Ezekiel 17: 24)

When we receive Jesus as our life, we can partake of the tree of life freely in heaven, too:

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22: 14)

Partake of Jesus, grow in grace and knowledge of Him, and because of His righteousness, you have life, His!

Grace and Truth Purges Iniquity

"By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16: 6)

"Mercy and truth" also means "grace and truth" for us.

Where do we find grace and truth? In Christ!:

"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

What does it mean to fear the Lord, though?

It means worship or revere. When Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him, Jesus rebuked him:

"Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4: 10)

He was quoting from Deuteronomy:

"Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name." (Deuteronomy 6: 13)

Notice how Jesus changed the wording from fear to worship?

It's all about worshipping Him!

We worship Him because by His death He made us acceptable before God the Father:

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)

Thus we love and worship Him, because He first loved us:

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (1 John 4: 11)

and

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

We Confess Once -- Made Righteous Forever

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1: 9)

Once again, the entire chapter of First John is not written to believers.

John does not say that he is a liar (1 John 1: 8), but offers an editorial statement to soften the blow of the unshakeable truth, that we have sin, and that we must acknowledge these sins.

Otherwise, there is no release from the death in trespasses which holds every son of Adam in bondage in this world:

"15But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many." (Romans 5: 15)

Yet the grace of God allows us to receive Christ into us, and His righteousness and grace (Romans 5: 17)

Do we have to keep confessing our sins then? No, because righteousness is a gift, and grace is unearned, unmerited favor.

Look once again at 1 John 1: 9.

God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.

All unrighteousness.

How many times do we have to confess our sins to be cleansed, then?

One time -- and when we receive that Jesus became sin for us, we become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Jesus is the author of eternal salvation for all who believe on Him:

"9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 5: 9-10)

We confess once, and in Christ we are made righteous forever!

We Have Sin, Which Has Been Purged

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1: 8)

When John wrote this verse, he was speaking to Jews who did not believe. A cult prevalent at the time, and still with us to this day, implies that human beings do not have a sin problem.

David counted that completely:

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." (Psalm 51: 5)

Paul also writes:

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3: 23)

The issue, though, is more than the fact that we have sin, but more importantly that Jesus has taken away all our sins:

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses" (Colossians 2: 13)

He also condemned the sin in our flesh:

"1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." (Romans 8: 1-3)

Jesus paid for our sins, and through His death we also die to sin:

"10For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 10-11)

So, do not spend time feeling ashamed of the sin in your flesh, and do not fall for the lie that there is no sin. Instead, rest in the truth that in our bodies, there is still sin:

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7: 18)

But we have this wonderful promise:

"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10: 10)

and

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10: 14)

Do not be deceived. There is still sin in your flesh, yet that sin has been purged, condemned, and because you are in Christ, you need never fear condemnation (Romans 8: 1)

In Christ, You are a Superstar!

"That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;" (Philippians 2: 15)

While Paul was writing about his superabounding joy, he called the Christians in Philippi lights, or stars.

We are stars because of what Jesus did at the Cross:

"12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" (Colossians 1: 12-14)

Of course, God had predicted in advance that everyone who believed on Him would be stars:

"And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15: 5-6)

"Tell the stars. . .so shall your seed be."

Beloved, you are star because of what Christ did, who is the seed of Abraham (Genesis 3:29). Because of His death, you receive the Holy Spirit, the spirit of adoption (Romans 8: 15), and you become a child of light (Ephesians 5: 8; 1 Thessalonians 5: 5). Because of Jesus' death, you are translated into the Kingdom of God, and you are a citizen of this eternal kingdom (Philippians 3:20) through His Holy Spirit:

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Romans 14:17)

In Christ, you are a superstar. Shine for the glory of God today!

Jesus Our Light and Life through the Holy Spirit

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." (Psalm 36: 9)

Light and Life are one in Christ:

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8: 12)

This life is granted to us through His Holy Spirit:

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." (John 7:38)

Then:

"But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7: 39)

When Jesus was glorified, seated at the right hand of God the Father, His Holy Spirit was released to the world:

"3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;" (Hebrews 1: 3)

Peter then announced to the Jews on Pentecost, who witnesses the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:

"33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2: 33)

Jesus is our Light and Life, both of which we receive by the power of the Holy Spirit.

God Is Light, and You are a Child of Light in His Son

"This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

God is Love, and God is Light.

Because He is Light, He is perfect Justice, and cannot overlook sin.

When Jesus, the Light of the World (John 8: 12) died on the Cross, He shed His blood, which established a New Covenant in which God the Father would remember our sins no more (Hebrews 8: 12)

Because God is Light, and because all our sins have been punished forever in the body of His Son, we can now walk in His light, and never worry about our sins being exposed:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

When we walk in God's Light, by the way, we do not merely see that we are not longer dirty, but we learn to see more of Him:

"For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light." (Psalm 36: 9)

The Psalmist connects God's Light and His Life.

How could it be otherwise?

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8: 12)

But how do I walk with Him?

It's even easier than that!

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:" (Colossians 1: 12)

You  are in the Kingdom of Light because you believed on Jesus!

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" (Colossians 1: 27)

The Light of the World now lives in you!

"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:" (Ephesians 5: 8)

Because God is Light, and His Son is your light, and you are a child of light through His Son!

In the Beginning, Christ our Wisdom

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." (Proverbs 4: 7)

In this verse, "principal" renders the Hebrew word "Reshith", or first thing, or beginning element.

This word is the first word, and the first word mention in the Bible:

"1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1: 1)

"Beginning" is also "Reshith".

Jesus was in the Beginning with His Father and the Holy Spirit:

"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1: 1)

Jesus is from everlasting to everlasting, with His Father:

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1: 18)

Jesus is our Wisdom:

"30But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:"" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

Jesus our Wisdom was with God the Father from the Beginning:

"The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

"I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." (Proverbs 8: 22-23)

In the Beginning, Christ our Wisdom was making the world, and He had us in mind, and now we can have him in us.

God Through Christ Has Been Overcoming Since the Beginning

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1: 1-2)

As written yesterday,  further study confirms that the second verse more accurately reads:

"And the earth became without form and void."

What happened?

Jesus gives us an answer:

"And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10: 18)

Lucifer, the only Angel in God's panoply with two offices, yet he rebelled against God, and was cast from heaven:

"12How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

"13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

"14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

"15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah 14: 12-15)

 

This Satan accuses us for our sins:

 

"And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12: 10)

 

In Christ, we receive God's own righteousness (2 Corinthians 5: 21), so that His accusations cannot fall on us.

 

In fact, we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8: 37), yet from the Beginning, when Lucifer fell to the earth and made it without form and void, God the Father with His Son and the Holy Spirit began redeeming the earth, and overcoming the evil of the Accuser.

 

Trust in the Overcoming power of Christ, for He has been redeeming since the beginning!

God Has Been Redeeming Since the Beginning

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Genesis 1: 1-2)

More commentators are in agreement, and further study confirms that the second verse more accurately reads:

"And the earth became without form and void."

The Bible clearly declares that God does not make things "without form and void":

"And God saw the light, that it was good:" (Genesis 1: 4)

and

"And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1: 10)

and

"18And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1: 18)

God makes things Good, Good, Good!

"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3: 11)

and

"22The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

"23I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." (Proverbs 8: 22-23)

 

Wisdom in the Old Testament is a testimony of Jesus Christ, who is our wisdom today and forever (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

 

God has had His Son, our Redeemer from the Beginning. He has been redeeming since the Beginning. Let Him redeem your every moment!

The Year of Greater Glory: 2014

 

Jesus in Center Place -- Graces you and me
With Greater Glory!
(Source: Richard Croft)

Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church spoke over the year 2013 a year of great provision and  victory. Citing unprecedented rain and snowfall in Israel, he declared a year of open doors for the Body of Christ.

In prior sermons, he shared that every Psalm speaks of a year, from Psalm One which corresponds to 1901.

Psalm 113 corresponds, then, with 2013.

In that Psalm, the singer speaks of the great graciousness and goodness of God, who takes the poor out of the dust, the needy out of the dunghill, to set them with princes, even the princes of His people.

This wonderful declaration speaks to every person who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, who takes us from dead in our trespasses to alive and seated in heavenly places.

To be seated with princes? We are seated with the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, our Prince of Peace!

The  last verse of Psalm  113 speaks of a barren woman keeping house, becoming a merry mother of children.

This wonderful miracle corresponds to these prophesied wonders:

"1Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 54: 1)

Paul references this wonderful promise to the Galatians:

"27For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.

"28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." (Galatians 4: 27-29)

 

When we realize the fullness of our new standing in Christ, that we receive His righteousness, that we receive His perfect standing before God the Father, we find that His grace can flow fully in our lives.

 

I submit that in my life, the year 2013 was the year of being established in righteousness, learning that my true identity is in Christ, with Christ, not with myself, and certainly having nothing to do with what I do or say or have. Everything that we have, we have because of Jesus.

 

When we know who we are, or rather whose we are, then we can look forward to Christ causing us to triumph in all things (2 Corinthians 2: 14), that in Christ we are more than conquerors in all things (Romans 8: 37), that concerning all things we can prosper and be in health (3 John 2).

 

We are Christ's, and Christ is God's (1 Corinthians 3: 23)

 

With this powerful revelation established for us, let us look to 2014, and the banner Psalm for this year of Greater Glory: Psalm 114!

1When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language;

2Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.

3The sea saw it, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

4The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs.

5What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, that thou wast driven back?

6Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams; and ye little hills, like lambs?

7Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;

8Which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters.

In the Beginning, the Son. . .

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1: 1)

God is a Creating God. He is a flourishing, life-giving God.

And it's not hard work for Him, either.

The Bible gives one verse to explain Creation, yet the entire Bible, from beginning to end, testifies of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The first word of the Bible, "Bereshith", starts with the two Hebrew Letters "Beth" and "Resh".

Those two words together spell "Bar", which is the Hebrew word for "Son".

The second word of the Bible, "Bara", also starts with the two Hebrew Letters "Beth" and "Resh", and thus "the Son" appears once again.

"In the Beginning, was the Word." (John 1: 1)

As for Creation, Jesus defines all of it:

"[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Colossians 1: 15-17)

God created, and He created through His Son.

See more of Jesus in the Word and in your life, for Christ Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14: 6).