Co-Heirs with Christ
Co-heirs with Christ
Romans 8:17 (New International Version)
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Co-heirs with Christ Suspicion, jealousy, envy, remorse, regret, and other ill thoughts, leave us stuck in the past, robbing us of our future.
Galatians 5:19-20 (New International Version)
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Once we are born again in Christ, how can we become a slave to the sins that imprisoned us before?
Did we only say we believe in Christ for worldly benefits? Benefits such as our acceptance by others, or did we belive in salvation through Christ, embracing the Spirit of God.
Now, even in my present condition, do I forget my past?
Absolutely not, for if I were to forget, am I not doomed to repeat.
I must embrace my past as part of who I am, I am a child of G-d now, I have been forgiven by him, who am I to still hold onto this guilt. How far will my light shine for him if I allow this dark cloud to linger.
The Lord has granted me a second chance to become his own. Do I accept this gift, or do I ignore his gentle nudging.
Co-heirs with Christ Hebrews 13:5 (New International Version) Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Putting our lives in the hands of someone else may never be easy. How does one just drop what they have, and at once follow Christ.
Easy, when you have labored many days and still find only temporary satisfaction with yourself, it's time to stop living for the moment and prepare for your future.
Money is only good for spending, what use is saving money except for buying a larger purchase of...
You can make more and more money, but you can't make more time, or save it. In fact, the only thing you can do with your time is to spend it as well and just like money, we must spend it wisely
We are all never truly free to spend our time here on Earth for ourselves, who do we think we are kidding, when we work those extra hours for that vacation with the family. Could we not have just spent that time with them instead.
Our God created ALL living creatures, including us. He did not create money, that would be man. He did not create power, because he is power and he did create time.
What good are any plans for the future, if they don't include the ONE who knows them best?
Remember, Father does know best. Can you truly let go of your past? Forgiving someone of their previous trespass is not easy, believe me I know, yet how can we grow in Christ if we don't? I have heard of stories of abuse and I have even been abused,yet how can we ask forgiveness of our own trespasses, when we are unable, or unwilling to forgive another?
This may just be one of the most difficult challenges to face in our relatively short lives.
Please, make a list for yourself of the pros and cons of holding onto grudges, then carefully consider, what you stand to lose if you cannot forgive this person, this includes, most importantly ourselves.
More to add later... A little girl went up to her mother one day while holding her stomach saying, "Mommy, my stomach hurts." Her mother replied, "That's because it's empty, you have to put something into it!" Later that day when an Evangelist and his wife were over for dinner. The Evangelist began to feel bad. Holding his head he said, "I have such a terrible headache!" The little girl looked up at him giving him the sweetest smile that any little child could give. Then she said, "That's because it's empty, you have to put something into it!"
Does your heart hurt? try putting something into it, such as prayer or scripture, on a daily basis. Blessed be the name of the Lord and bless those who would help one another through their trials and tribulations. My heart aches for so many, here and abroad, to the point of overwhelming collapse. Do I turn away, or tune out the world, no, I take a hold of what I can reach and lift up, not only in prayer, but also in action. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was rejected and he knew what lay before him. He did not back down, he did not lay down and he did not strike them down, instead, he lifted all whosoever believe in him, for eternal life. Thank you Jesus, by your wounds we are healed.
2 John 1:7 (New International Version)
ReplyDeleteMany deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
So, John has foretold about those who would breed discontent and propagate lies. As a child, of which I still find myself, I find it hard to visualize such a person.
Where, could such a person materialize, I mean, at our door, our work, or what about even at our church.
Today at my job, I am a maintenance mechanic, plumber by trade, I saw stones near the street gutter.
These stones were all quite fantastic, in my opinion. One thing I noticed as continued to sort through them, turning them this way and that, is how they were each different.
They each had there own distinct qualities, some smooth and others rough, still some were banded and others shone from a reflection of the Sun. Oh how beautiful each of these were.
Yet, upon closer scrutiny, I noticed how some had flaws, fissures to be exact. These few were some of the most gorgeous, how they shone with such dazzling display. Being somewhat clumsy, I dropped one of these rocks and to my amazement, it fell apart. The inside, was completely soft and without strength. Another stone I picked, it too had an awesome display of dazzle, and it appeared to be gold. Well, as I turned it over in my hand, I noticed what appeared to be rust, it was completely different than the front, tarnished and dull, it even left a stain in my hand.
Luke 21:8 (New International Version)
He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them.
They have and will continue to come, one by one, each with the purpose to destroy what the Lord gives, life, they can not accept him. They may say things as we do, they may shine/excel in thier lives, yet all this, is only a display for the purpose to draw the righteous into their trap.
Make no mistake, they are cunning, handsome or beautiful, and have charisma, still they are flawed.
Unfortunately, some of us will fall prey to these deceivers. We must dig beneath the surface, testing their very core against scripture and using our armor to keep them at bay. They will not be able to fool us all.
John 10:1-6 (New International Version)
John 10
The Shepherd and His Flock
1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
Please, continue to read from the book of John, chapter 1, verses 1-18, I know this passage gave me a better understanding of who Christ is and what the Antichrist will try.
Do not be fooled by the shine, not all that glitters is gold, test it's hardness, scutinize it completely and then decide whether this is your treasure, or not.
2 Samuel 22:32 (New International Version)
For who is God besides the LORD ?
And who is the Rock except our God? Also in, Psalm 18:31