Ongoing

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.                          Col. 2.6,7

The ongoing relationship of the believer with Christ in intimate, spiritual, living union is something of a theme in this letter. And so it should be in the life of the believer.

We live in Christ. Living is a moment by moment experience. And we can live in Jesus and with Jesus for every moment of our lives. 

Being rooted and built up in him we are totally covered. The base and the superstructure are connected and united in Him and with Him. The faith that brought me to Christ will strengthen me to grow in Him. I am being constantly taught, and shown His presence in everything. He is manifest in nature. He is throughout God’s Word. He inhabits conversations and, perhaps best of all, He speaks directly to me. He shows me His ways; He shares them with me.

I am to overflow with thankfulness. Right now, this is not difficult for me to do.

Lord God,

I rejoice in You. Today is a new day and I am a new creation. You are with me. Oh, glory! Hallelujah! Praise Your wonderful name!

I have received Jesus and I open up my day to Him. I surrender everything and ask You to lead me. Let me continue to live in my Lord and Saviour. Let me grow deep and sustaining roots in Him. May I be strengthened with the faith that I see as a gift from You. More faith! Please Lord, give me more faith.

Show me Your ways, through whatever means You choose. I want to live in Your will. Not what I want but what You want.

I ask for these things in Jesus’ name.           Amen.

The mystery

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.               Col. 1.27

The mystery, once hidden, is now known. It has been made plain to as many as will heed and receive it. It comes by God’s divine revelation to the individual. It fills the individual who is fully open to receive it. It does not entirely lose all of its elements of mystery, but perhaps it becomes more a source wonder and amazement.

The wonder, for me, is that Christ is in me. The God of all the universe, Creator of all, source of all love, mercy, grace and power has taken up residence within me. This is truly amazing.

I have hope for glory. I know that, after this life, I am going to enter into glorious eternity with my Lord and Saviour. But that hope touches me already. I live today in the love and peace and provision of God. For me, eternity has begun. Certain of God’s riches are available to me right now. Others will not come in this earthly life but are awaiting me.

But here and now I live in the riches of God’s grace and pardon. I am freed from my sins and I can enjoy His gracious provision in my life. I know love, true love. He has touched me with His own perfect love and He enables me, as I allow Him, to love others as myself. I am blessed. I thank God for His revelation of this mystery to me.

Lord God,

I thank You for the glorious riches I enjoy in You. I rejoice in the hope of future glory and I gratefully receive the blessings You extend to me now.

I thank You for the release from sin that Your forgiveness ensures. I thank You for the everyday provision for my needs. I thank You for the blessings of love, the love You shower me with and the love that is offered to me by others. Let me return that love in the fullest measure I can, motivated and sustained by Christ in me, in whose name I ask this.               Amen. 

Suffering and Power

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.          Phil. 3.10

Paul is talking about intimate relationship with Jesus. There are two contrasting sides of Jesus that Paul refers to. To know Jesus we need to know the man who suffered. This was reality. Christ suffered deeply and cruelly. In contrast to this is the glorious and powerful resurrection. The act of resurrection may be viewed as sufficiently powerful in itself, but the impact of it is greatly increased in the light of the suffering. The man who had been considered by the authorities as a threat had been dealt with as a common criminal and a phoney. If we look at Christ’s sufferings through the eyes of His accusers we see, not the Son of God in unjust treatment and abject suffering, but we see a nuisance and a troublemaker being punished and made an example of.

But this wretched death was to be succeeded by the powerful, earth-changing resurrection of the all-mighty Son of God.

I need to know Jesus in both these faces in order to appreciate and enjoy ultimate relationship with Him.

I may experience suffering in my own life and, possibly, directly on account of my relationship with Jesus. If I should, the knowledge of His suffering, that is knowing Jesus as the suffering sacrifice, will strengthen me. It will draw me to Him and bring me, slowly, into conformity with Him.

Lord Jesus,

I acknowledge Your suffering and Your powerful resurrection. Draw me closer to You through these contrasting aspects of You. Let me come to know You more in both respects. Be with me in any sufferings I may be called on to endure. I ask this in Your living name.          Amen.

Attitude

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.        Phil. 2.5

I see this as a monumental statement. Paul is encouraging me to the highest demonstration of love, an almost unreachable position. Yet the simple fact of him saying these words brings a suggestion that it is not impossible to live them. 

His following verses outline what is unique about Jesus. What Paul is saying is that Christians are to have this same attitude of self-sacrificing, humility, and love for others. 

In earlier words, Paul speaks of union with Christ, the comfort of His love, and the fellowship of the Spirit. These blessings encourage us, growing tenderness and compassion in us and fostering a desire to be like-minded, to live in the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Unity is more than important for Christians – it is essential!  Love is necessary both in the individual and in the body. Christians as true followers of Christ, need to truly follow Him – in Spirit and in love.

Lord Jesus,

I thank You for Your great and wonderful sacrifice for me. I also thank You for the example You have set me.

You say, “Follow me”. I so want to do this. I want to be Your disciple; I want to learn about You; I want to know You and enjoy intimate relationship with You. I also want to follow You in being as much like You as it is possible for me. I want my attitude to be Christ-like. I want to demonstrate love, tenderness and compassion as You did. And, like You, I want to live for the Father’s will.

Lord Jesus, I am willing. I ask for your strengthening and enabling. I can do all things through You. I commit to these things. Let us go forward together. I ask this in Your precious name.            Amen.

Salvation and Sanctification

I thank my God… being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.             Phil. 1.3a, 6

The work that Paul is referring to here is God’s work of salvation in the believer. It begins with God drawing the individual to Jesus; the individual accepts Jesus and is “born again”. This is an act, an event, but the process of salvation continues. I believe God’s work in salvation continues in the believer until the day of leaving this world and entering eternity. In this time God is cleaning out and cleaning up the individual as He sanctifies, as He makes us, daily, more Christ-like.

Along the way there is work that God will undoubtedly do in the individual. Through Holy Spirit ministry, He may bring conviction of sin. The true sign of the Spirit will be that His conviction comes without condemnation. Deliverance may be necessary, and God will lead in this. He may bring healing, and might also secure the provision of satisfying certain wants and needs, inasmuch as such will fulfil His purpose.

All of this comprises the completion of God’s good work in a person which begins with the receiving of Christ as Saviour and Lord.

Lord God,

I thank You that I have been born again into Your saving and sanctifying grace.

I know that You are active in my life and I am most grateful for this. I invite and implore You to continue to completion the good work that You have begun in me. I want to be fully Your person. I give myself to You. I ask for Your leading and guidance. I want to follow You all the days of my life. May Your will be done in everything that I do, and in all that happens to me.

I love You. Receive my love. Grow me in You. In Jesus’ name I ask.   Amen.

In Him

In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.                                     Eph. 3.12

Paul here declares the glorious truth of Jesus. He is the way, and the only way to the Father. Jesus has opened, for us all, the way to God. It is a personal way. I can now, through Jesus, enter directly into the presence of the Father. This is so powerful and meaningful to me. I see the centuries through which the Israelites could only approach God at a distance. There was always a go-between, the priest. And the priest was only permitted closeness with the presence of God on one day of each year.

How Jesus changed things! I can now enter sweet communion with my Holy Father at any time. I can speak with Him in the familiarity of my home surroundings. I do not need an intermediary. Jesus has opened the way for me. In Jesus I have freedom, and the greatest aspect of this freedom for me is that I can be myself. God knows me and He accepts me as I am. Certainly I might want to change things about me but any change is really up to God.

Through faith in Jesus – and, yes, even the faith I have comes from Him – I can approach God. I am free to be me. And I have confidence. This confidence is, firstly, not in me but in Him. I am confident of who God is. I am confident of His great and wonderful attributes. It is not about me but about Him. Further to my confidence in Him, I am then confident in who I am – in Him. I am a son of the High God, the greatest power of all. I am His son and He is my loving Dad.

Lord God,

I thank You for the mighty work of Jesus. He has truly opened the door for me to come into Your presence. I come, Lord. I come and, as I do, I ask for nothing other than to be Your son and to enjoy relationship with You. I ask this in Jesus. I have confidence, in Him, to receive. Hallelujah!            Amen.

Better

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.                                                    Eph. 1.17

There is much in this first chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians that I could select for meditation. However, I have chosen this verse because it so clearly captures my deep desire and states it with simplicity: that I may know him better.

The Spirit, I believe, is God’s agent with us on earth today. Paul asks for the presence of the Spirit. I am open. I am ready. I know God is with me in His Spirit. I want more and I believe to receive more. Jesus has told me: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matt. 21.22) 

Lord God, Father of Jesus,

I echo the prayer of Paul. I ask, and I keep asking, that You give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that I may know You better.

I seek constant infilling – to overflowing – of Your Holy Spirit. I pray for all the fruit of the Spirit. I ask for spiritual gifts to empower me to minister for You.

I seek greater relationship, deeper intimacy with You – with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I rejoice in You and want more. You are my life. Receive me, Lord. Enjoy me, I pray, as I look to enjoy the fullness of You in my life.

Paul was right to encourage the early believers to want to know You better. I receive his encouragement and add it to my own desire. I want to go further with You.

Hear my cry, my heart-cry. Receive my request in prayer and answer it please, in Jesus’ name I ask. May I know You better.                  Amen.