The gospel of Jesus Christ always forces a decision of our will. Have I accepted God’s verdict on sin as judged on the Cross of Christ? Do I have even the slightest interest in the death of Jesus? Do I want to be identified with His death— to be completely dead to all interest in sin, worldliness, and self? Do I long to be so closely identified with Jesus that I am of no value for anything except Him and His purposes?

The great privilege of discipleship is that I can commit myself under the banner of His Cross, and that means death to sin. You must get alone with Jesus and either decide to tell Him that you do not want sin to die out in you, or that at any cost you want to be identified with His death. When you act in confident faith in what our Lord did on the cross, a supernatural identification with His death takes place immediately. And you will come to know through a higher knowledge that your old life was “crucified with Him” (Romans 6:6). The proof that your old life is dead, having been “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), is the amazing ease with which the life of God in you now enables you to obey the voice of Jesus Christ.

Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— “…without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means.

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December 23 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning God and thank you for this reminder again; that the gospel of Jesus is the main thing, and that we need to always keep the “main thing the main thing”. And Chambers seemed right on target; when he explains that something transformational occurs to us when we surrender to and focus on the cross of Jesus.

 

And God says…” When you simply focus on the cross of Jesus, and surrender all of your rights to yourself; your right to look good, feel good, be right and be in control, you, in effect, give Me permission to transform you. Your faith in your surrender ignites our intimate relationship. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart.”