Focus '15 - Be Ready - Entry # 9



Hi Friends!

I have been reminded anew in recent days that the way we do life has much to do with the way we choose to see the world - I think the picture above that my daughter took last summer while on a mission trip to Mexico illustrates this well - notice there are multiple ways to see the same scene depending upon the segment of a lens you choose to use or not use.

As Christians we are blessed in Christ with a unique way to do life should we choose to do so - the Bible teaches that when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord (see Acts 2:38) that we are given the unique lens of His Spirit - notice in the Scripture passage below what every scene in life can look like when we choose to live in the Spirit of Christ.

"With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2 MSG).

 

The fateful dilemma of seeing the world with shades of darkness - has been eradicated through the death of Christ on the Cross for our sins and His victorious Resurrection from the grave - because Christ has been-there-for-us and is here-for-us we have a unique way to do life that changes the way we see the world should we choose it.

 

I confess I need to choose that way more consistently.

 

What of you?

 

My desire is to consistently choose and to encourage other Christians to consistently choose to operate in the new power that is available to us in Christ - like a strong wind that magnificently clears the air - the Spirit of Christ cuts through the tyranny of any darkness we see in the world should we choose to operate in the power of Him being-here-for-us.

 

Operating like this is not for the timid - it is not that it requires an abundance of rule keeping but it does require that we consistently choose to love God above anyone or anything and that we also consistently choose to love our neighbor as ourselves - in doing so the promise of Christ is not that everything will always turn out nice but that everything will always turn out to be true.

 

The sun on the other side of the shades pictured above is always the sun no matter how you choose to see it - the same is true of the Son of God who came to this world to give us a very unique way to do life - it is not by our own might and power but by His power living in us and through us should we consistently choose it.

 

A new power is operating in Christians.

 

Will you consistently choose to use it?

 

Should you answer yes to that question the way you see the world and do life will be one where there are no idols between you and God - a life where your love for God and others is consistent with the love Christ demonstrated for you and for all people of all races in all parts of the world - a life that should take you to a neighbors drive-way and might take you to the streets of Mexico and beyond.

Friends when we consistently choose to do life in the Spirit of Christ others in the world will be lifted from the tyranny of darkness into the magnificent light of the Son of God who is always true - my prayer for you and for all who choose Christ as Savior and Lord is that the world will see that we are Christians by His love - His love being-here-for-us and operating-in-us in all that we say and do.

 

God's Peace,

Jeff