Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truth. Show all posts

Thursday, June 7

It's IN You!




It’s not in me.
I cannot do this; it’s too hard.
I don’t have the strength.
I don’t have the patience.
I can’t conquer this.
It’s not in me to forgive.
It’s not in me to love.

How many times have you said those or similar things or heard someone else say them?

What do you need today? Strength? Power? Patience? Love? A forgiving attitude? Courage to conquer an addiction or thought pattern? Or maybe something else?

Whatever battles you face each day, I’m here to encourage you: you can withstand them. You can be an overcomer! You can win! You can conquer! You can be the victor! If you have welcomed Christ to live in your heart, then all you need is IN you.

* The Truth is IN you.
* Eternal Life is IN you.
* The love of God is IN you.
* The mind of Christ is IN you.
* When all is dark, His light is IN you.
* Through His Word, His joy is IN you.
* If you believe, the word of God works effectively IN you.
* When you abide in Him, His Living Word abides IN you.
* “God is working IN you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (Phil. 2:13 NLT)
* You can conquer because “The Spirit who lives IN you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4 NLT)
* God began the good work IN you and will continue until it is “finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Phil. 1:6 NLT)

When Christ is IN you, you can do all things through Him.

Paul said that the overwhelming victory of Christ is yours (1 Cor. 15:57) and you are more than a conqueror through Him. (Rom. 8:37) To be more than a conqueror is to gain a surpassing victory.

How do you gain this surpassing victory? All you need is already IN you, “for the kingdom of God is inside you,” (Luke 17:21b Phillips), because Christ lives IN you (Col. 1:27). All you need to do is make withdrawals.
 
Christ’s strength has not diminished. He is our Victor! We can have victory, because God “always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:14a NIV)

Be encouraged: Go forward into this day with all the Lord has placed IN you.

It IS IN you! You CAN do it!

“Christ IN you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27 NKJV)

                                                                       
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Thought Provoking Thursday

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Tuesday, February 14

The Journey Chapter 2


~ If this is the first time you’re reading about the journey, welcome aboard! Grab your basket! We’re taking a stroll through the great field of God’s Word, gathering grains of inspiration and seeing the remarkable parallel between the Christian life and the ancient, Hebrew twelve steps of betrothal.

~ (If you did not read the reason for this monthly journey, you can read it here and the first step of the journey here.)

The dowry or the price of the bride is the second step in the betrothal tradition. The dowry, which in Hebrew is mohar, had to be paid in order for betrothal to take place. The bridegroom paid the bride’s father the mohar, an agreed upon amount of money.

***Here are this month’s kernels of truth:

* Did you know you were bought? “You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own],” (1 Cor. 6:20 Amp) because “[you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:19a Amp)

Jesus paid the Father’s price for His Bride, having “given Himself a ransom on behalf of all.” (1 Tim. 2:6 RGT) The Greek word for “ransom” is used only this once and means the redemption price of a slave or captive or that which is offered in exchange for another.

* Did you know you have a Kinsman-Redeemer? You were redeemed by the Lord, for “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Eph. 1:7 NKJV)

What is the purpose of a kinsman-redeemer? According to the law of kinship, or Levirate marriage, the next nearest, living, blood relative, was obligated to preserve the life, property, and integrity of the family name by marrying his relative’s widow and producing offspring that the family’s name not be blotted out, to represent a family member’s interests at the gate at the seat of authority, to stand in one’s stead, to redeem from bondage or slavery, and all duties and fulfillment of needs fell to him.

If we miss the meaning of kinsman-redeemer in the Bible, we miss a fundamental principle: God’s redeeming grace.

The tender and affectionate story of Ruth and Boaz depicts this redemption as an earthly representation of the heavenly relationship between God and His people.

Filled with great allegoric meaning, the whole book of Ruth supplies an abundant field of spiritual grains just waiting to be gleaned. Planted thousands of years ago and lying dormant in the soil of time, this book’s historical illustrations awaited the proper harvest time to reveal Christ’s redemption of His Bride, as His mohar.

At a time of famine, Elimelech took his family, his wife Naomi and their two sons Mahlon and Chilion to live in Moab. While there, Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpah. Within ten years, Elimelech and both sons died.

Hearing that the LORD had visited His people in her homeland again by giving them bread, Naomi decided to return home. Joining her were Ruth and Orpah, up to a point. While Orpah departed for her homeland, Ruth stayed with Naomi.

Through a series of divine events, Ruth met her kinsman-redeemer. His name was Boaz, and, as a near kin, he was obligated to redeem.

Ruth’s heritage, her alien birth as a Gentile, afforded her no earthly rights and barred her from claims to any portion, but God provided for her, grafting her into the family. Her redemption came through her betrothal to her kinsman-redeemer.

Before our spiritual rebirth, we were of alien birth, having no heavenly rights, but through God’s provision of a Kinsman-Redeemer, we were grafted into His family.

How beautifully this exemplifies Christ’s sacrifice and great love for an unworthy people, grafting us in through the Jews and betrothing us to Himself. Christ became our Kinsman-Redeemer, for He “redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us.” (Gal. 3:13 NKJV)

The Greek meaning of the word used here for “redeem,” describes beautifully what Christ did for us. It means to ransom, to rescue one from loss to improve opportunity, to purchase one for his freedom from another’s power by paying a price to recover him, or to buy up for one’s self or own use. Isn’t that beautiful?

A Kinsman-Redeemer! One who paid an inestimable price for His Bride.

There is a Kinsman-Redeemer…
…His Name is Jesus.
And He paid the Father the price of His blood to redeem you...
...to betroth you to Himself.




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