Sharing in the Atonement 12-23-2010

December 23rd, 2010 by Dave Leave a reply »

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . —Galatians 6:14

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, 2010

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Father God, I wonder sometimes where you are when I am in serious need and I cannot find you. I wonder if you have left me, and while I know you promised to never leave me or forsake me……when I find myself knee deep in troubles…I wonder. Where are you when I am broken, shamed and or full of fear for tomorrow? There for a day, week, month or more I was traveling along with you and then…..like a shot out of the dark, the fear and worry overwhelm me. What did I do wrong? Where did I lose the key? Where did I lose you or sight of you? Why do I suddenly feel so alone with my trials?

And God says…….”Your feelings have nothing to do with the truth. You lose sight of Me when you take your eyes of off Jesus and focus on your fear or the object of your fear. When you focus on Me you cannot be overcome by shame, fear or pain. Perfect love casts out fear. And consider the basis for your belief; either I am who I said I was, and all I say is true, or it is all false. My truth is not a little bit true and a little bit untrue. Keep your eyes on Jesus and be transformed.

 Romans 8:35-39 (The Message)

 … what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:    They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.  We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one. None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

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