Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
These verses have been everywhere for me today! Sometimes it's clear when Jesus is trying to get a point across… So I thought it only appropriate to briefly look into them today.
We often need reminding that living in the new covenant of Christ means living in His power and not our own. When Jesus was on earth, His spirit was perfect and without the nature to sin like man's spirit. He was born connected to His father, unlike any of us. Jesus was in constant communication with His daddy, always repeating what He learned from Him and acting and speaking accordingly. He lived in perfect communion with and obedience to His Father. He knew what the will of the Father was and He followed it!
John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (ESV)
Luke 22:42 Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. (ESV)
So what does that mean to us as Christians living today? Well when Jesus left earth the last time (after His resurrection), He made clear to His disciples that it was better for Him to go rather than stay on this earth. He promised them that another would come to them. Another that looked a lot like Jesus.
John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (ESV)
As most of us know, on the day of pentecost the promised helper came to the disciples. They were filled with the Holy Spirit which manifested the power of God within them and guided them from their hearts. The Holy Spirit is actually the Spirit of Jesus! While He was on earth, He had to have His Spirit inside His own body. But if He was not on earth, it allowed for His Spirit to be sent to anyone and everyone who accepted it.
This is still very real and accessible to us today! We can get everything that Jesus had while on earth. We are told that we should be living by that Spirit, who makes His home in our very hearts. No longer do we communicate with God at a distance, but now we have full access to our Father through Jesus from right within us. Nothing could be more intimate.
Because we are filled with Jesus' Spirit, we are to be relying on His perfect strength rather than our own. We no longer are to be relying on ourselves. We don't have to worry about trying to be perfect! This sounds too good to be true… But it is the Truth! As people, we tend to think that our Christianity should be played out in a similar way to worldly life. Nothing is father from the truth! In the world we work for it, but with Jesus we submit for it. If we could just recognize our weakness and let Him be strong and shine through us, life would be a lot less frustrating. Unfortunately, it is a hard habit to get into while living in a world that's always pushing us the other direction.
We don't deserve Jesus and what He has done for us. We don't deserve His Spirit living in and through us, guiding us to perfection in Christ. But we have access to it all anyway. Accept this free gift and stop thinking about yourself and all that you need to do! Relax and let Jesus do it for you. Praise His wonderful, Holy name!
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)
These verses have been everywhere for me today! Sometimes it's clear when Jesus is trying to get a point across… So I thought it only appropriate to briefly look into them today.
We often need reminding that living in the new covenant of Christ means living in His power and not our own. When Jesus was on earth, His spirit was perfect and without the nature to sin like man's spirit. He was born connected to His father, unlike any of us. Jesus was in constant communication with His daddy, always repeating what He learned from Him and acting and speaking accordingly. He lived in perfect communion with and obedience to His Father. He knew what the will of the Father was and He followed it!
John 5:19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (ESV)
Luke 22:42 Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. (ESV)
So what does that mean to us as Christians living today? Well when Jesus left earth the last time (after His resurrection), He made clear to His disciples that it was better for Him to go rather than stay on this earth. He promised them that another would come to them. Another that looked a lot like Jesus.
John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (ESV)
As most of us know, on the day of pentecost the promised helper came to the disciples. They were filled with the Holy Spirit which manifested the power of God within them and guided them from their hearts. The Holy Spirit is actually the Spirit of Jesus! While He was on earth, He had to have His Spirit inside His own body. But if He was not on earth, it allowed for His Spirit to be sent to anyone and everyone who accepted it.
This is still very real and accessible to us today! We can get everything that Jesus had while on earth. We are told that we should be living by that Spirit, who makes His home in our very hearts. No longer do we communicate with God at a distance, but now we have full access to our Father through Jesus from right within us. Nothing could be more intimate.
Because we are filled with Jesus' Spirit, we are to be relying on His perfect strength rather than our own. We no longer are to be relying on ourselves. We don't have to worry about trying to be perfect! This sounds too good to be true… But it is the Truth! As people, we tend to think that our Christianity should be played out in a similar way to worldly life. Nothing is father from the truth! In the world we work for it, but with Jesus we submit for it. If we could just recognize our weakness and let Him be strong and shine through us, life would be a lot less frustrating. Unfortunately, it is a hard habit to get into while living in a world that's always pushing us the other direction.
We don't deserve Jesus and what He has done for us. We don't deserve His Spirit living in and through us, guiding us to perfection in Christ. But we have access to it all anyway. Accept this free gift and stop thinking about yourself and all that you need to do! Relax and let Jesus do it for you. Praise His wonderful, Holy name!
James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (NIV)
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