In Christ - - We Have The Mind of Christ

     

    When Christ Jesus is living in us by our faith in His Name which saves us, there is no more room for the parasites of sin to dwell which have infested our hearts and minds. Christ Jesus in us is The Light of God's Love shining It's magnificent Light into every nook and cranny, cleaning out the dark thoughts, the nasty secrets and the deceitful intents. 

    Christ in us is The Strength of God in us, for He is God's Mighty Right Arm of Righteousness, prepared from the foundations of this earth long before there were any people living on it. In His Strength we are made strong in Him. 

    Christ in us The Love of God in action within our hearts and minds. 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells the believers that we have "the mind of Christ". What does that mean? It means we are to no longer think, strategize, like we used to think. In this world, the phrase most often asked when offered a "deal" is, 'What's in it for me?' But to have the mind of Christ is to ask, 'How will this glorify God?' 

    To have the mind of Christ is to meditate, read and consider, ponder the things which honor God the most. Philippians 4:8 gives us a head start on what these things should be. 

    To have the mind of Christ is to put God's needs first, others second and ourselves last. I read a book when I was a teenager titled, I Am Third, in which the coach has a sign on the wall which reads: JOY: Jesus First/Others Second/Yourself Last.

    To have the mind of Christ is to obediently surrender ourselves to His will. Though we may struggle with the thought of full surrender, we do not bleed when we pray, as Christ did in the garden before His arrest; for He knew what He was about to go through before He could come out on the other side in newness of life. Before He could conquer death and the grave, He had to conquer sin and hell ... in the courtroom and on the cross. John 17-19; Luke 22:39-42. 

    To have the mind of Christ is to be renewed daily, having spent quality time with our heavenly Father, as He did. Every day we see that He prayed with His Father, He spoke with Him as an honorable son may speak with his earthly father: lovingly, sweetly and gently. Not once did Christ Jesus lose His temper with His Father. Never did Jesus speak against His  Father in heaven. Not only was this not His nature, it was just impossible. For Christ Jesus is THE WORD OF GOD in the flesh: John 1:1-3, 14. 

    To have the mind of Christ is to think about how we can meet the needs of this world in which we live in such a way as to glorify God as we do so. While the needs are great, the works to do the work are not always able to meet the demand. But we can pray that God will send someone who can. Because of my limited strength and mobility, I am unable to travel the way I would love to to meet and strengthen God's people in the countries/cities/towns in which they live. But I can pray. And I can pray to make a difference. 

    Right now someone I know is spreading the gospel message in his own country. This would not have been possible without prayer, earnestly seeking God and asking Him to pour out a blessing upon this nation. Asking God to send more dreams and visions about the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Asking God to raise up and enable people who know Jesus as their Lord and Savior, to fill their hands with Bibles in every language and dialect, that All would come to saving grace. Asking God to meet the needs inside the prisons, to shine His Light into the darkest recesses of men's minds and hearts with the gospel message. To raise up mighty warriors in His Name in this world and strengthen them in His Word, His Love and His Holy Spirit. 

And God is. 

This is the mind of Christ in the believer who is in Christ. 

THE ROCK WON'T MOVE - Vertical Worship 

WITHHOLDING NOTHING  - William McDowell 

AT THE CROSS - Chris Tomlin

    

Statements of Faith - Washed In The Blood

 

1 Corinthians 6:11

And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ and by The Spirit of our God. 

Hebrews 9:13-14

For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that their bodies are clean,  how much more will the blood of Christ, who through The eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!

THE REPENTANT HEART

Psalm 51:1-3

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. When Nathan the prophet came to him after his adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving devotion; according to Your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me clean of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

    The commandments of God revealed the impossibleness of being saved through the law and that a Savior from God was needed to bring us into a right relationship with God. This Savior from God came to this earth and showed us the Way back into God's grace and mercy. His Name is Jesus Christ and He is God's only begotten Son (John 3:16). 

    God took His Word and wrapped it in the fragility of flesh (John 1:14) and through the power of His Holy Spirit, God placed His Word in Mary's womb (Luke 1:35). His Name, Jesus, means "He shall save His people" (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31). 

    Not, however, through the conquering Kingship God's people were expecting. God's plan of salvation was to send His perfect Lamb to be the atoning sacrifice which would be the "once and for all" salvation of God's people. No longer would animal sacrifices be necessary. For when God's Lamb died, the veils to the holy of holies was ripped open wide and now all had access to God through Christ; but only through Christ Jesus. For "There is no other Name under heaven by which men must be saved." (Acts 4:12). 

    My sins have been washed in the blood of The Lamb of God and I am forgiven! Come to the cross and see The Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world! 

ARE YOU WASHED IN THE BLOOD? 

NO OTHER NAME BUT JESUS  

AT THE CROSS  

A Crucified Life - - Comprehends Mercy

 

    Romans 10:19

But I ask, did Israel not know? First, Moses says: "I will provoke you to jealousy by those not a nation; I will anger you by a nation without understanding."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 801

Without Understanding: unintelligent, unwise, undiscerning

From the Greek word 'asunetos' (pronounced as-oon'-ay-tos): without comprehension, foolish, illogical because unwilling to use good reason.

    Deuteronomy 32:21

They have provoked My jealousy by that which is not God; they have enraged Me with their worthless idols. So I will make them jealous by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation without understanding.

    Romans 11:11

I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.

    1 Peter 2:10

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

    The prophecy against Israel goes all the way back to Moses' time. It is beginning to be fulfilled in Acts 2, when the Spirit-filled disciples go out into the city and preach the gospel. But because persecution was swift, many left the city and went out to other countries, other nations, sharing the gospel message as they went. 

    Very thankful for that. Where would I be without God's mercy? I'd be dead and in hell. For I was without understanding. I was foolish and ignorant of God's lovingkindness. I knew nothing and in the darkness of this world, I sought that which I knew not, but where I looked for it, I found it nought. 

    Cocaine, marijuana, 'ludes, LSD and liquor brought me neither joy nor lasting happiness. I had no peace, no hope, no awareness that I was living/dying in the darkness of sin. Death tried to have its way with me. Until Jesus found me and called my name. And I began to make my way to His cross.

    God's grace and mercy are found at the cross of Christ, where the blood of His Lamb washes away the stain of sin on my life. At the cross I found the only God I would ever need again. He found me first and brought me to the place of forgiveness and hope, for I had no hope. I didn't know joy until I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. 

    At the cross I was grafted into the Vine. In order to be grafted one must first be cut from one rootstock and grafted into another. There is a separation from the old and a twisting into the new. 

    At the cross I saw the light of God's love. It was both beautiful to me and a horror to look upon. For the Lamb of God was tortured, and beaten and had heavy nails pounded into His hands and feet (to hold Him onto the cross). He was a bloody mess.

    Blood ran down His face from the crown of thorns that was pushed forcefully into His head. Rivulets of blood ran down His chest from the whip lashings He endured for my sake. Pain coursed through His body until His heart broke and He died. For me, for you: for a foolish, ignorant people that we might be restored to a right relationship with God. 

    At the cross we see Jesus. In the garden we see Jesus. Both times He is unrecognizable. Until He speaks. On the cross He speaks forgiveness for the ignorant. In the garden He speaks Life to the seeker. 

    Mercy is mine because I am forgiven. And because I want to be where He is, I went to the garden, too, seeking Jesus. And He spoke to me. He speaks Life because He is Life Eternal. He speaks Love because He is the representation of God's Love to a broken world, a lost people, an ignorant nation. I'm so thankful I made my way to the cross. It's the wisest, smartest decision I ever made. 

MERCY IS MINE, PRAISE IS YOURS 

A Thousand Hallelujahs 

God Be Merciful To Me

Holy Forever

River of Life

At The Cross

Greater

Flawless

Redeemed

Broken Things

Forgiven

Heart of God

Different

    

    

Heart & Soul - - Germination

 

Colossians 3:1

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4891

Raised: to raise together 

From the Greek word 'sunegeiró' (pronounced soon-eg-i'-ro) meaning " I raise along with".

"To raise up together from moral death to a new and blessed life devoted to God."

RAISED WITH HIM

    We are risen from the dead with Christ when we believe in His Name for our salvation (Romans 10:13). For His very Name is Savior (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31). 

    Colossians 2:12 "And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead." Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

    ALIVE TO GOD THROUGH THE CROSS

    Romans 6:3-5    

(3) Or aren’t you aware that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (4) We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.

    Galatians 5:24

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

    Galatians 6:14

But as for me, may I never boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 

    I am alive to God through the cross, through the crucifixion of His only begotten Son Jesus Christ, who died for me, to save me from the punishment of my sins. He died for you, too. And those who believe, who call on His Name to save them, have died with Him; for we are now in Him and He is in us, as He prayed in the garden in John 17:20-26. It's a lovely prayer. 

    If a person hasn't come to the cross to lay their burden of sins down there, then they need to do so soon, very soon. Christ is returning soon and very soon. It will be near impossible to come to Christ when God calls His church into His presence. (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17). I'm so excited! Aren't you? 

    SEEK THE THINGS ABOVE

    What are the things above that we, as citizens (Philippians 3:20) of heaven, should be seeking? What are we looking for, searching out? Matthew 6:20-21 tells us "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

>ETERNAL LIFE is our greatest treasure. But to have it there we must first claim it here. For it is both our now reward for we live in Him now and our later treasure up there. We will get new bodies, changed bodies . As a seed that is planted in the ground does not remain a seed but changes and grows into whatever the seed was destined to become, we, too, will be changed. 

    The seed goes through a transformative process to become what will be seen. In science it is called germination. In Scripture it is called 'from glory to glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18). 

ROOTS AND SHOOTS

• The seed's first stage is getting water to begin the process. For the Christian that water is the Holy Spirit. Before anything else worthwhile can happen in a Christian's life, the Holy Spirit must be present in us. The seed first grows roots to reach into the ground and find water. The Christian's roots are in the Word of God, we dig deep into His Word to find our resources for growth. 
• The seed's second stage is oxygen. It needs to breathe. For the Christian that oxygen is the presence of God, for He gives us breath. 
• The seed's third stage is the right temperature in which to flourish. For the Christian the right temperature is persecution. For the church grew when the Word spread through the Christians who fled the cities where they were being hunted and killed for the Name of Jesus. Hard to believe that we require such uncivilities to grow in our faith, isn't it? But in the Christian life this requirement is akin to the dirt in which the seed has been buried. It must push through, up and out in order to reach the sun and become a seedling, a young plant. During this stage of development the seed, the Christian, breaks through the hard shell surrounding it; we tear down walls and the new life that is growing us shoots upward to break through the ground (the fears, doubts and ponderings) in which it is buried and become a sprout, a new life, which will grow and become stronger in the light of God's love and mercy. Grace Like Rain.
• The seed's fourth requirement is light: it requires sunshine and warmth. So, too, the Christian requires Sonlight. We strive, persevere, and push through the obstacles to reach the Christ in Whom our lives shine. 
• The seed's fifth and final stage is the transformation into what it was created to be. Its roots have driven deep into the ground, its shoots have made their final push through and up, its leaves are releasing oxygen and its purpose is made known when its fruit (plant type) is visible to everyone who sees it. So, too, is the Christian's life. They who see us know we are Christians even before we open our mouth to speak. For the glory of the Lord shines in our faces. 

    CHRIST AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD

How wonderful to be a seed in the garden of God, to be the planting of the Lord! Rise up, O Christian, and be who the Lord is calling you to be! See Him in all His glory, where He is seated at the right hand of His Father. Ask you how we know He is there? The Word states this is so. He has been seen there. 

    Acts 7:55-56

55) But he (Stephen) being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. (56) And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

    Mark 16:19

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

    Daniel 7:13

In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

    Someday soon we, too, will see Christ at the right hand of God. For God's Word is True & Faithful. God never lies. God is Love, not chaos. All will see Him but not all will remain with Him. Only the ones who have believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation and turned their backs on the temptations of this world, choosing to live for Him. 

    Have you said, Yes, Lord, I am Yours? Have you surrendered your heart and your life to Him? Hurry, hurry; come to the altar and give God your heart, that He may plant Himself in your heart. changing you according to His will and purpose for  you. Like He did me. 

    Every day is a new challenge, a new opportunity to serve Him and be of use to Him in His kingdom. Every day is a day of growth, a day of spreading the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, in the hopes that the hearer would receive it into their own hearts. 

    We pray, Lord, be my Lord. I am a wretched sinner and I have transgressed against You. I have broken Your laws and I need Your Savior. I need Jesus Christ to wash my sins away in the blood He shed for me on the cross. I need His resurrection power to become the Christian You want me to be. I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. As I commit myself to You, Father, strengthen me in Your Word and  Your Love. Guide me, lead me, guard my tongue, that I may speak only the words You give me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may walk in this new life which You have given me. I praise You and thank You for saving me, filling me and leading me. In Jesus' Name, we pray, Amen. 

FEARLESS

    

At The Cross

 

We all come to the cross eventually. And to the Man Who hung there. But what do we do when we get there? 

Pilate labeled Him. Matthew 27:Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Some who came to the cross merely read the label Pilate gave Him and immediately rejected it: John 19:20 Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 

Two thieves, one on each side, saw Him hanging there, but only one acknowledged Him as Lord: Luke 23:42 Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” 

Some who passed by spoke evil words against Him, not fearing God, slandering Jesus, giving profane voice to the evil of their hearts: Matthew 27:39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads. 

Some spoke sarcastically to Him: Matthew 27:40 And they said [tauntingly], “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

The chief priests, the scribes and elders came to the cross, looked up at Jesus and spoke mockingly (ridiculed, contemptuously, derisively) to Him: Matthew 27:41-43 In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

Some who came to the cross heard His voice but lacked the interpretation: Matthew 27:46-47 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”  When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”

Some who were at the cross were given new family members: John 19:25-27 Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home. 

The soldier standing at the cross saw Jesus for Who He Is: Luke 23:47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man. Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.

When I came to the cross, I saw Jesus for Who He Is. I recognized my need for a Savior. I repented of my sins, received His forgiveness and began to live a new life in Him. Not a perfect life just yet, but newness of life given through the power of God's Holy Spirit, bringing me into His family as His daughter. 

When I came to the cross, I fell on my knees and wept before Him. He wiped my tears away, brushing shame from my face. When I came to the cross, I stepped into the blood which had pooled there and let it wash over me as I walked through it and stepped beyond the cross into a resurrected life. Death has no power over me now; it is but a door, a single breath. And then, like the thief who admitted his wrongdoings and saw Jesus as Lord, I, too, will be with my God and my Christ for ever and ever.

And you? What did you do when you came to the cross? Have you come to the cross even yet? 

AT THE CROSS 

--Isaac Watts 1707--

1 Alas! and did my Savior bleed,

and did my Sovereign die!

Would he devote that sacred head

for sinners such as I?

2 Was it for crimes that I have done,

he groaned upon the tree?

Amazing pity! Grace unknown!

And love beyond degree!

3 Well might the sun in darkness hide,

and shut its glories in,

when God, the mighty maker, died

for his own creature's sin.

4 Thus might I hide my blushing face

while his dear cross appears;

dissolve my heart in thankfulness,

and melt mine eyes to tears.

5 But drops of tears can ne'er repay

the debt of love I owe.

Here, Lord, I give myself away;

'tis all that I can do.

The Maker's Mark

 

THE MAKER'S MARK

I bear the Maker's Mark on my heart

 (2 Corinthians 3:2-3 "You yourselves are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by everyone. It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.")

but someday His Mark will be on my forehead 

(Revelation 3:12 "The one who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will never again leave it. Upon him I will write the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from My God), and My new name.")

But before the second mark can be made, the one desiring such an honor must first surrender to God fully. Our hearts must be given over willingly to God that He might transform our hearts and our lives for His glory. We have to go to the cross where He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place. Sin was not just laid on Him, Jesus became sin: 2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.").

How do we come to the cross of Calvary when the cross no longer stands? The cross we come to is spiritual; it is an act of believing and submission. When we face this 'cross', we are compelled to fall on our knees, believing in our hearts that Jesus Christ Is God's only begotten Son, who surrendered His will and obediently did what His Father asked Him to do: pay the penalty for our sins. We could never pay as completely or as fully as Jesus did. He paid it all. He paid a debt, our debt, that He did not owe. Because God the Father loves us He sent God the Son to die for us, and He sent God the Holy Spirit to lead us out of the darkness of this world system into the light of God's Love at the foot of the cross. 

There we leave our shame. There we leave our sorrows. There we leave our baggage. And we pick up our cross to follow Him wherever He may lead us. We surrender our will and obediently do as God asks us to do. Because we love Him and we want to please Him. We spend time with Him in prayer, open and constant communication with our heavenly Father, Who has adopted us into His family through our belief on the name of the only One who can save us, deliver us, from condemnation and judgment. 

We kneel in submission, giving Him everything we have. Which to us may not seem like a lot, but to God it is everything He wants; because He wants  us. He calls our names and when we respond to His call to come near, He rewards us immensely. We receive eternal life for Christ did not stay on the cross, nor did He remain in the grave: He walked out of the tomb and into eternity. When we believe on His name, this wonderful Word of Life which God has given to us, we, too will carry our cross and be persecuted for His name's sake. These bodies God has seen fit to place us in will be buried in the ground or scattered into the wind and waves, but God will immediately take our 'hand' and bring us to heaven with Him. 

Because I believe I bear the Maker's Mark. Both Now. And Later.

At The Cross, Cross Cards -- September 10 thru September 16

 

 THURSDAY   

SEPTEMBER 10

THE LORD IS PEACE

FRIDAY

SEPTEMBER 11

THE LORD IS REDEEMER

SATURDAY

SEPTEMBER 12

THE LORD IS SALVATION

SUNDAY

SEPTEMBER 13

THE LORD MOST HIGH IS RIGHTEOUS

MONDAY

SEPTEMBER 14

THE LORD REIGNS & PROSPERS

TUESDAY 

SEPTEMBER 15

BY GRACE

WEDNESDAY 

SEPTEMBER 16

OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE

At The Cross -- September 3 thru September 9

THURSDAY

SEPTEMBER 3

ALL SOULS MATTER

FRIDAY

SEPTEMBER 4

KEYS OF HELL & DEATH

SATURDAY 

SEPTEMBER 5

HEALED BY HIS STRIPES

SUNDAY

SEPTEMBER 6

SANCTIFIED & SEPARATED

MONDAY

SEPTEMBER 7

THE LORD IS GRACE & MERCY

TUESDAY

SEPTEMBER 8

THE LORD IS HOLY

WEDNESDAY

SEPTEMBER 9

THE LORD IS KING OF GLORY