For all am I strong in Him Who is invigorating me -- Christ!
Paul to the Ephesians 4: 13, Concordant New Testament
There was a time when I would cower from those situations in life that seemed to be dangerous in the moment. We've all been there, the bad news of a passing loved one, the unwelcome news of a serious health condition. We have never been assured that our life here on earth would be a cakewalk. On the contrary, Jesus has proclaimed that in this world we would have affliction {Johns Account 16:33}. It is easy to sit in a church pew on Sunday morning and testify to the truth that the Father is with us no matter what. But when difficult times enter our lives, fear and uncertainty are often the order of the day. Believe me, I've been there. I was once again reminded this week of those moments when our faith is tested as I got the news of a serious injury. Yet somehow this time was a bit different. This time I had the knowing that the Father had covered me in His grace no matter what. So, how is it that we get to that point? How is it that we get to the point of not being overly anxious as we endure the hardships of this world? Well, the simple answer is...Jesus. For not only has Jesus proclaimed that we will indeed have afflictions in this world, but in the next breath He stakes the claim that He has overcome the world. So, if we are in Christ, have we not already overcome the world as well? Unfortunately, the truth of our union in Jesus and the Father is something which is rarely mentioned within the mainstream church. Yet is Jesus Himself who has proclaimed that we live in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. So it is that if Jesus has proclaimed it, we must trust in Him that this is true. The apostle Paul speaks to the fact that his strength is indeed in Christ alone {Paul to the Ephesians 4:13}.
In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you
Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament
There have been a few people who have asked me why it is that I chose one of my favorite illustrations which I post at the top of my page. The image shows a young man as he is about to inject drugs into his arm. Yet on closer inspection, it is not his own arm which he is using, but the arm of Christ Jesus! The reason that I find this image powerful is that it depicts exactly what Paul the apostle speaks to in Galatians, that Christ lives in me {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. This is no longer my life, but I live in Him. The author Norman Grubb takes it further when he describes that there is only one independent self in the universe, and that is He who calls Himself I AM {Exodus 3:14}. This has never been my life, I only exist in Him. This is how it was from the beginning. It is God who has created me in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}. It is also the Father who has breathed into this vessel the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}. I do not live for my own desires, I live in the Father. Once again, the mainstream church has fallen short in its teachings that man is somehow separated from God. Man is sinful and sin cannot be in the presence of the Lord. However, Paul refutes this false belief in Romans as he proclaims that Christ has died to sin "Once for all time" {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. Jesus did not give Himself to death on the cross only for sin to rise again as a threat to Gods children {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}. So it is that we can say with confidence that this life is not our own. Whatever it is that I am facing, I face it as the Father in Whom I live.
~Scott~
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