The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Resurrection and the Life"
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure" (Hebrews 11:17).
"If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9).
From Abraham, to whom God made monumental promises that required faith in His ability to raise Isaac from the dead, unto the Lord Jesus Christ, who declared Himself to be "the resurrection and the life," our Heavenly Father's working a fallen world always beckons us to believe in His power to make dead things live again (John 11:25).
Our salvation begins with belief in the heart that Christ is risen from the dead. Our living of the Christian life also requires resurrection and that same faith:
"if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken (enliven) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Romans 8:10-11).
Every act of obedience by born again believers requires the power of the risen life of the Lord Jesus that indwells our spirits. We possess no inherent ability to obey God, even as the Savior told His disciples, "Without Me, ye can do nothing" (John 15:5). The Apostle Paul declares our bodies to be "dead because of sin," and thus without possibility of faithfulness apart from our Lord's presence and working. This makes the resurrection of the Lord Jesus 2,000 years ago the most pertinent reality of today. If we are to think, speak, act, and relate in faith and faithfulness to God, the same power that raised Christ from the dead must actively infuse our human faculties with the life that indwells our spirits. "Ye are risen with Him through faith in the operation of God" (Colossians 2:12).
Interestingly, just as I wrote the last sentence, my computer screen went dark. I had not realized it was near depletion of the stored energy required to power its functions. This required plugging my computer charger into the electrical outlet, which caused my screen to spring to life, as it were. While not a perfect analogy, the incident does speak to the matter we consider. We must be empowered to faithfully walk with God. The power necessary is the risen life of the Lord Jesus, indwelling our spirits and enlivening our human faculties and members for every moment of godliness as we trust and submit to Him. Nothing more pertinent can be imagined than this Life that long ago walked out of a tomb, and now walks in us to confirm Lord's promise: "I am the resurrection and the life" (emphasis added). "To live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21).
The challenge of faithfully walking with God is far greater than we often realize. We are not merely weak, or hesitant, or as the hymn declares, "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it." We are rather dead in the sense of need for a resurrection to lead and empower our earthly faculties. Thankfully, our spirits are alive in Christ's risen life, and as we remember and affirm His vital presence, we find our thoughts, words, and deeds flowing in a power - the power of the risen Lord Jesus - far beyond ourselves…
"For though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."
(II Corinthians 13:4)
Weekly Memory Verse
"Ye are risen with Him through faith in the operation of God."
(Colossians 2:12)
6679
No comments:
Post a Comment