One of the big three questions we ask is this: “Why am I here?” This is a question about purpose. In the realm of darkness, purpose is where we miss the mark. We do not carry out God’s desires for us. Instead, we live for ourselves. This starts really early in life. If you are a parent you know this is true. Kids are selfish. They don’t like to share. They believe the world revolves around them. Jeanna and I have pointed that out to our kids many times.
The Bible says that “all of us lived among them at one time gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest we were by nature objects of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). That’s missing the mark. God didn’t create us for this purpose. He had something else in mind.
I wrestled with this question for many years. Other people seemed to know their purpose in life. They had a plan and a direction. I felt like I was stuck in the mud. Nothing seemed that important to me. As Solomon wrote, “everything is meaningless.” Discovering the grace of God cut through my confusion and helped me see that God did have a purpose for me. I was on this earth for a reason. Whew!
Paul encouraged the Philippians to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13). God works in us every minute of every day so that we choose and act according to his good purpose. It’s a process that aligns our hearts and minds with his. Your purpose is this: To work out in day to day life what God is working in you.
Excerpted from Simple Gospel, Simply Grace
simplegospelsimplygrace.com
Category: Freedom
Don’t Look Back
I like the word “new.” I’ll bet you do too.
It is an exciting word, especially when it is attached to things like cars, houses, gadgets and even the New Year. We all like “new” things and we want “new” things.
But it is also a scary word. “New” sometimes means that we need to break free from the “way we’ve always done things.” It can also mean moving into unknown and unfamiliar territory.
Think about how you felt the first day on a new job, or at a new church. Uncomfortable is the word that describes how I felt. How about you?
It is hard for us to change, to let go of all that is familiar and comfortable. It is hard even when we know that the “new” is better.
This is why the Gospel is a frightening proposition for many. Spiritual birth ushers us into the new. Paul made this point clearly: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Are you in Christ? If so, for you the old has gone and the new has come.
- A new life – Romans 6:4.
- A new identity – John 1:12.
- A new self – Ephesians 4:24.
- A new heart – Ezekiel 36:26.
- A new covenant – Hebrews 9:15.
- A new command – John 13:34.
- A new way – Romans 7:6.
You might not know what this new life in Christ will look or feel like. And at first, it may seem a little awkward or strange. But here is the good news — the “new” that Christ has for you is better than anything you could ever dream or imagine.
There is nothing to fear with this “new.” Jesus’ love for you has taken the fear out of moving forward. And besides, Jesus Christ is with you, empowering you to this new life to the full.
As a believer in Christ, the only way is forward in the newness of life. It is time to let go of the old, to stop looking back, and to embrace the new.
How to Walk in the Spirit
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). To live in the Spirit is to be controlled by the love of God. This new life we have been raised to walk in is faith in Jesus Christ expressed in love to others.
Through His Spirit, God has poured His love into our hearts and has given us the desire to walk by faith in Jesus. As we do, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Learning to say “no” is the by-product of saying “yes” to the Spirit.
It is important to understand this distinction. So many well-intentioned believers spend a life time trying to overcome sin in their lives. They wake up each morning with this prayer on their lips: “Lord, please help me to not sin today.” At the end of the day, all they have is another unanswered prayer.
A better prayer is this: “Lord, teach me to abide in you and to follow the leading of God’s Spirit in my life.” God’s Spirit is never going to lead you into sin. He leads you to trust in the Lord, to live righteous and upright lives. He leads you to love and serve others. If living out the Spirit’s work in your life, you will automatically be saying “no” to sin. Peter put it this way:
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4
Walking in the Spirit is trusting God to complete the work He began in you. You can count on Him to complete this task, even when you do not fully cooperate. This is His promise: “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son…”
When we do get off course, and we will, the Holy Spirit merely recalculates our journey and continues His work in conforming us to the image of His Son. He does so without condemnation. Nor does He manipulate us with fear and guilt to get us back on track. He uses our mistakes, reminding us of the forgiveness we have in Christ, and works them together for our good. He comforts our hearts with this amazing promise: “that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
You are not alone on your journey. Jesus is there with you every step of the way. Trust Him, rely upon Him, and live out what He is working in your life. When you do you will be saying “no” to sin and “yes’ to the will of God.
The center of God’s will, that’s the place where believers are to live their lives. Temptation may look exciting; the world makes sure of that. But it has nothing on its menu that can satisfy the soul and bring contentment to the heart.
The world promises happiness, but delivers pain, sorrow and misery. There is only one person who does deliver on his promises, Jesus. And He gives so much more than mere happiness. Peace, contentment, a life of godliness and love: these are His gifts of grace to us.
And there is nothing more rewarding than experiencing Jesus living His life through you.
It is time for us abandon ourselves to Jesus, to put all that we are in His hands. It is time for us to live out Romans 12:1-2: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Let’s walk by the Spirit and discover that His will is good, pleasing and perfect for us.
The Practical Work of the Holy Spirit
Apart from God’s Spirit, we do not have the power to live the Christian life. But with Him in our lives, we can experience Christ’s life in abundance. Here are six key ways that He makes this a reality for you.
- God’s Spirit makes you alive in Christ.
Titus 3:4-5 (NIV)
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
- He assures you that you are a child of God.
Romans 8:16 (NIV)
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
- He, as your comforter and counselor, guides you into all truth by taking the things of Jesus and making them known to you.
John 16:13-14 (NIV)
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.
- He gives us the power to understand and experience the love of God.
Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge–that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
- He works in you to will and to do of God’s good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13 (NIV)
For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
- He expresses the fruit of His life through you.
Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The disciples recognized that what happened to them at Pentecost was, as JB Phillips wrote: “…quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether. They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ living in them.” You have received the same gift. God’s Spirit is alive in you, and manifesting the life of Christ through you.
Faith and Freedom
Our theme for the People to People radio broadcast this month is “Faith and Freedom.” Richard and I introduced the theme last Tuesday. Our staff thought the on-air discussion was worthy enough to be the call of the week.
You can listen to that discussion here.
Here is the main point; faith in Jesus Christ leads to spiritual freedom. In the spirit of this blog, First Life Then Change, Richard coined the phrase, First Faith, Then Freedom.
The quest for freedom is one of the strong themes within the human story. We all long to be free. That longing is satisfied within the Gospel story. Jesus died to set us free. He was raised so that we could experience that freedom in His resurrected life. Walk by faith in Him and you will be free.
Once you listen to the call of the week, join the conversation. Others will be blessed to read your story of freedom.
A note of information. We send the call of the week each Friday to our e-mail list and we post it to our call of the week blog. If you would like it be delivered to your e-mail inbox, visit realanswers.net and click the subscribe to newsletter link. Or you can access the blog by clicking the blog tab on our website. I encourage you to share these real-life calls with your family and friends. It’s a great way to share the message.