God is good. Today i woke up to a very lazy start. Whenever i have a day off to myself i often find it difficult to be productive. I usually feel extremely sluggish. It took me a while but God really lifted me out of that internal struggle. After getting to ride my bike around the neighborhood i felt very refreshed. Good exercise seems to open my mind to the Holy Spirit's counseling.
I guess u could say that i've encountered a spiritual rut for the past few days. For the last two months i've been learning and growing a lot in God's Word, but for the last 3-4 days i felt like my guard and pursuit has been down. My mind has been greatly distracted by worldly things. So it's been a tough struggle to sharpen my focus and get my heart back into desiring God. This of course is only possible by receiving God as your strength to love and desire Him.
When we feel far from God, it's hard to worship Him. When we begin to drift from God, it's normally because we haven't spent any intentional and quality time with Him. It seems as if God is always waiting on us to just come to Him and find rest in His love. I know that i can often be stubborn and just want to do things my way. Sometimes i just want to glorify myself and claim control over my life. This is extremely foolish because I know that my life is actually His. Conforming and synchronizing our desires to His will is probably one of the most prudent things we could do.
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." -John 5:24
Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." -John 4:13-14
After watching two movies on Martin Luther and getting to study his works at school, I have been greatly reminded of how important repentance is. Luther's conscience over his sin lead him to feel an overwhelming and unhealthy guilt. Indulgences, confessions, penance, and other spiritual disciplines of the Roman Catholic Church gave him no peace. He realized that the only way to be freed from sin was to place his faith and trust in Christ alone. Traditions, rituals, saints, and worshiping relics did nothing to atone for his sins. Justification is by grace through faith in Christ alone.
"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written; "The righteous will live by faith." -Romans 1:17
"But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith This was to demonstrate His righteousness." -Romans 3:21-25
"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." - John 10:27-28
Sometimes we try to deal with sin on our own. Sometimes we numb our minds and don't even bother to acknowledge them. Sometimes we hide it deep within us, and make sure no one knows how sinful we are. Sin has always been man's problem, it's what separates us from God. No amount of good works will ever make up for God's just judgment. No religious activities will satisfy the wrath our sin deserves. No amount of self-effort will make us righteous before God's throne.
But the good news is that there is a way to become clean and forgiven of all our sins. God came down in the fullness of a man named Jesus Christ. He is the Light of this world, the Bread of life, and the Shepherd to the lost. He alone is the Gate to salvation. He welcomes all. He offers a free gift of grace and love. Forgiveness and salvation can be found no where else. Christ satisfied the wrath of our sins on the cross. He is the Holy Lamb of God, the only One worthy to atone for our iniquities. He offers us eternal life and redemption. Place your trust in Christ.
Jesus answered, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6
After u come to know Christ, it doesn't stop there. He continues to grow and teach you things of the Spirit. He reveals more and more of His heart. We don't need to wait for heaven to have a relationship with Him. He sweeps you off your feet, and sustains you in His warm embrace. He is never stagnant or dull. He continues to renew us and encourages us to take a step closer to Him. He always satisfies, always endures, His love never changes, He remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His love for us existed before we we're even created, and His love will last for eternity. His love never fails or fades.
Now our part is to just freely receive His love. We got the good end of the deal. Christ became our sin, and we inherit His righteousness. We become a new creature and can live in victory over our sin. Cry out for His Holy Spirit. Break off the chains of sin and declare freedom in His Name. Surrender your heart.
Many of us who know Christ can encounter a dwindling flame. We become like flickering embers in the wind. We find it hard to love because we ourselves are spiritually burnt out. So easily do we forget to rekindle our first love and to abide in Him. Sit at His feet and just listen for a while. When we are desperate for God to breathe His Holy Spirit on us, a consuming fire ignites the deepest part of our soul. When we are filled with His Spirit, we have no option but to tremble with an intense passion and burning zeal. This results in a courageous and contagious life. We are not called to live lukewarm lives. As God's children we are called to share the warmth of His love and to be a light in the darkness.
We are like disconnected laptop computers. Our battery life gets down to 2% and we can barely function and operate. Allowing sin to reign in our lifestyle is like having pop ups and viruses. The only One who can cleanse us and delete these viruses is Christ. But we need to plug in and recharge our soul daily. When we become bombarded with life, its easy to just focus on our stressful problems and set aside Christ. We become so concerned with our temporary needs and selfish desires that we don't make any time or place for Christ. Wait upon Him, listen, meditate, pray, tune out the world for a second and just spend time with the Living God.
"If God so clothe the grass of the field.. shall He not much more clothe you?" -Matt 6:30
My Utmost For His Highest
-Owsald Chambers
"A warning which needs to be reiterated is that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in, will choke all that God puts in. We are never free from the recurring tides of this encroachment. If it does not come on the line of clothes and food, it will come on the line of money or the lack of money; of friends or lack of friends; or on the line of difficult circumstances. It is one steady encroachment all the time, and unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the standard against it, these things will come in like a flood.
"Take no thought for your life." "Be careful about one thing only," says the Lord, "your relationship to Me." Common sense shouts loud and says, "That is absurd, I must consider how I am going to live, I must consider what I am going to eat and drink." Jesus says you must not. Whenever there is competition, be sure that you put your relationship to God first. "Be anxious for nothing."
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