Living By The Book
It is one thing to read the Bible, and quite another to trust God to speak through its pages by the Spirit to our hearts. To live by the Book, the Bible, one must learn the objective truths of Scripture. However, the words of Scripture are "living," and this by virtue of the One who uttered them, and the Spirit of God who empowers them in our lives to be known, applied, and lived by. With the knowledge of the Word of God, and with obedient faith, the power of God is given to live by them for the glory of God.
Life In The Spirit
It is one thing to know about the Spirit of God dwelling in the heart and life. It is quite another to know the reality of trusting the Spirit of Christ to lead, direct, strengthen, and reveal the things of Christ to the heart and mind of the believer. All becomes possible by the power of the Spirit, the power of Christ dwelling in the heart.
To Belong To Christ
To belong to Christ is first of all to no longer belong to ourselves, to live for ourselves. Paul wrote, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day." To belong to Christ is to have committed one's life and one's eternity to Him. His response is always to receive the charge, being the perfect keeper of our souls.
The Sovereign God of Empires
God is the God of time, and eternity. As such, He is sovereign in His power and authority. He uses the thing of time and space to reveal that He is in perfect control of creation. He is also perfect in the unveiling of HIs sovereignty to save the lost sinner, forgiving the individual of sin, and putting within him a new life. Sovereign to create, and Sovereign to Save: This is the Almighty God.
The Importance Of A Life
What is the worth of a soul, of a life? If we would rely upon the attitude of sinful, selfish man, the existence of an individual would not be very important. But this is not the case with God. The God who created man has set a worth upon every soul. That worth is measured by the greatness, and cost of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary, to save men from sin, self, the world and Satan. When one comes to Christ, a new creation is brought into existence, a new birth followed by a new life. This is the reward of the worth that God puts upon a life, a life to be saved for eternity in Christ.
The Almighty Christ
The Man Christ Jesus came to reveal to mankind God's perfection, righteousness, and love. The Almighty Christ, though clothed and limited with flesh, is none the less the Sovereign God of all eternity. He told Moses that His name was I AM THAT I AM. He told the Pharisees that, "...before Abraham was, I AM." This is the glorious object of faith, The ALMIGHTY CHRIST.
Living In Readiness
To be ready to meet Christ is to live in the expectation of His coming, committed to believing and obeying Him. He will one day come in the clouds, and every eye shall see Him. But in a real sense He comes every day to meet everyone who will hear His voice and open the door of the heart to receive Him. He has poured out His Spirit upon all flesh so that He might meet the most profound, and eternal need of the soul. This He will do daily, by His everlasting presence, revealed by the Spirit to the heart which lives in the expectation of fellowship with Him.
Beauty For Ashes
God alone can take the ashes of loss, suffering, and the effects of sin, and transform them into something beautiful. Throughout the Scriptures we find where He reaches down and lifts up the fallen and downtrodden, those who are at the end of their resources, when hope is thin and faith is small, there to revive the heart and soul of the weary, blessing the one who truly calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ. He hears the cry of the needy, and will answer. May God make us to be those who call upon Him, and receive His answer by faith.
Walking Before God Almighty
What is it to walk before God Almighty? It is first to have a vision of Him, high and lifted up, gloriously holy. At the same time, it means seeing the Lord Jesus crucified on the cross, bearing all the just and righteous penalty for our sins. And then it is to know that all the power and goodness of God is provided the believer in Christ to live by faith, faith in the faithfulness of God.
The Divine Story
One thing that makes the story of Christ, His birth, ministry, death and resurrection, so very unique, but principally divine, is the fact that it is without measure in its goodness. The goodness, and holiness of God permeate every aspect of His coming to save us by the sacrifice of Himself. Why would He do such a thing? It is because He, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are love. God could do no other, for His love moved Him to do the unthinkable, immeasurable, and the incomprehensible. This is truly the divine story, which is good news for fallen man.