THE TRUE POWER AND JOY OF ABIDING IN JESUS

7/14/2019

MY LAST WRITING ADDRESSED THE NEED FOR US ALL TO LEARN TO ABIDE IN JESUS. I BELIEVE IT IS THE KEY TO LIVING A TRULY FULL AND JOYFUL LIFE. WHEN WE TURN OUR OWN DESIRE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN BY OURSELVES OVER TO HIM, A WHOLE NEW WAY OF LIVING BEGINS TO UNFOLD FOR US. WE SPEND SO MUCH TIME TRYING TO FIX OUR BEHAVIOR AND BECOME MORE RIGHTEOUS, AND WE TRY TO BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR HIM TO WANT US…..AND IT IS TRULY ALL FOR NAUGHT. WE CAN’T WORK ON OURSELVES HARD ENOUGH TO CHANGE WHO WE ARE. WE CAN’T ALTER OUR BEHAVIOR AND OUR TEMPTATIONS IN SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH WAYS TO SUDDENLY BE PERFECT, OR MAYBE, JUST MAYBE BE GOOD ENOUGH. IT IS AN AMAZING THING TO THINK THAT ALL THE SELF HELP IN THE WORLD WILL TRULY MAKE US DIFFERENT. NO. ONLY ONE THING CAN MAKE US CHANGE. ONLY ONE THING CAN MAKE US DIFFERENT. THAT THING IS A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS IN WHICH YOU SURRENDER SELF AND ABIDE IN HIM. AS I SAID IN MY LAST POST, IT TAKES TRUST AND FAITH, NOT A LIST OF SELF IMPROVEMENT. AND THE BEST PART OF THIS MESSAGE IS THAT JESUS IS WILLING. HE IS MORE THAN WILLING TO LOVE US, HEAL US, CHANGE US, AND BE IN OUR LIVES. EVERYONE WHO CAME TO HIM, FROM THE BLIND TO THE LAME TO EVEN THE LEPER WAS NEVER TURNED AWAY OR REJECTED. THEY WERE EMBRACED IN LOVE, AND THE INVITATION TO CHANGE THEIR LIVES BY EMBRACING HIM, GOD IN THE FLESH.

A MAN WITH LEPROSY COMES TO HIM, BEGGING HIM AND FALLING ON HIS KNEES, SAYING “ IF YOU ARE WILLING, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN.” MOVED WITH COMPASSION, JESUS STRETCHED OUT HIS HAND AND TOUCHED HIM. HE SAID “ I AM WILLING. BE CLEANSED.” IMMEDIATELY THE LEPROSY LEFT HIM, AND HE WAS CLEANSED. Mark 40-42

HOW ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. IN THE DAYS OF JESUS AND ACCORDING TO THE JEWISH LAW, ANYONE WITH LEPROSY WAS CAST OUT. MOVED OUT OF THEIR HOME, THEIR CITY, THEIR FAMILY, AND FORCED TO LIVE OUT THEIR LIVES WITH OTHER LEPERS AS THEIR BODY LITERALLY ROTTED AWAY, THEY DIED ALONE. NO FAMILY BESIDE THEM IN THEIR LAST MOMENTS, AND NO KNOWLEDGE OF ANYTHING OR ANYONE IN THEIR LIVES ONCE THEY WERE FORCED OUT. THEY WERE TO CALL OUT “UNCLEAN” SHOULD ANYONE APPROACH THEM, AND IF THEY DARED TO COME INTO A PLACE WHERE HEALTHY PEOPLE WERE, THEY WERE STONED. TO DEATH. THIS MAN HAD NO HOPE, UNTIL HE HEARD ABOUT JESUS….AND HE TOOK A CHANCE. HE STEPPED OUT IN DESPERATION AND….FAITH.

WHAT I BELIEVE THAT GOD IS TRYING TO TELL US IS THAT APART FROM JESUS, WE WILL NEVER TRULY EXPERIENCE ALL THAT OUR LIVES AND THEIR PURPOSE ARE ABOUT. NO MATTER HOW HARD WE ASPIRE TO FOLLOW THE RULES, OR TRY ON THE NARRATIVE OF SELF HELP, WE WILL STILL FALL SHORT OF THE MARK. WE WILL ULTIMATELY STILL BE TRAPPED IN SELF, AND SIN. AND SIN HAS ONE OUTCOME….DEATH. THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS, BUT NOTHING MORE PROFOUND THAN ROMANS 8:1-4.

THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS, FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE HAS SET YOU FREE IN CHRIST JESUS FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. FOR GOD HAS DONE WHAT THE LAW, WEAKENED BY THE FLESH COULD NOT DO. BY SENDING HIS OWN SON IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH, AND FOR SIN, HE CONDEMNED SIN IN THE FLESH, IN ORDER THAT THE RIGHTEOUS REQUIREMENT OF THE LAW MIGHT BE FULFILLED IN US, WHO WALK NOT ACCORDING TO THE FLESH BUT ACCORDING TO THE SPIRIT. Romans 8:1-4

GOD HAS SET US FREE FROM THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR INABILITY AS FLESH LIVING PEOPLE TO FOLLOW HIS LAWS IN PERFECTION. HE HAS TAKEN AWAY THE PENALTY FROM US, WHICH IS DEATH. HE HAS GIVEN US LIFE IN JESUS. FREEDOM IN JESUS FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH. JESUS CAME IN HUMAN FLESH, AND TOOK ON ALL THE SINS OF THE ENTIRE WORLD, IN EVERY PERIOD OF TIME AND SPACE. HE TOOK OUR PUNISHMENT OF DEATH, BUT HE CONQUERED IT. HE FULFILLED OUR RESPONSIBILITY IN GOD’S LAW BECAUSE HE LIVED IN RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND HE LIVED IN PERFECTION IN THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD. HE SAVED US WITH HIS LIFE. HOW HE LIVED IT, HOW HE SURRENDERED IT, AND HOW HE WAS RESURRECTED TO SIT ON THE RIGHT HAND OF HIS FATHER. HOLY, PERFECT…OUR KING. WE ARE FREE, SAVED, AND WE CAN BE COMPLETE AND RIGHTEOUS UNTO GOD WHEN WE LIVE, INTERACT, AND SURRENDER OURSELVES TO JESUS. DOES THAT SOUND INCREDIBLE ? WELL, IT IS ! IT IS AN ABSOLUTE MIRACLE AND GIFT……AS LONG AS YOU UNWRAP IT, AND BELIEVE IT, AND GIVE YOUR LIFE TO IT. MY PRAYER IS THAT WE TAKE THAT INCREDIBLE GIFT, AND MAKE IT OUR OWN. ABIDE IN HIM. HE IS WAITING WITH AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND….JUST GRASP IT !

BY THIS WE KNOW THAT WE ABIDE IN HIM AND HE IN US, BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT. 1 john 4:3

THEREFORE, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE; THE OLD THINGS PASSED AWAY; BEHOLD NEW THINGS HAVE COME. 2 Corinthians5:17

BECOME NEW IN HIM, AND SEE HIS FACE AND HEART/JA