Today is a great day, first of all, because it is the Lord’s Day, the day we come together to remember and honor our Lord and His Death, Burial and Resurrection by which He accomplishes all we need to be saved from our sins and given the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven with Him and our Heavenly Father. But, there is a second reason today will be great, that is because we will have the opportunity to fellowship with each other in our special all-day service and luncheon. And, there is a third reason today will be great and that is because we will have the privilege of having Donnie Bates of Bear Valley Bible Institute with us to share with us all that is going on with this special effort for training preachers for the brotherhood. Brother Bates is now serving as the Dean of Graduate Studies as well has having been appointed as an elder in the Bear Valley congregation. This tells us he is carrying a lot of responsibility in his work. I am very privileged to have known Donnie and his family for a long time. I am really looking forward to him being here today.
In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul made an amazing statement that we are all aware of. There Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Now, looking at this scripture, can you honestly say “Christ lives in me!”? How can this actually happen? Well, it is not some mystical or metaphysical indwelling. This happens when we embrace His will and live it out in our lives every minute of every day. This is what we see demonstrated in the life of Paul. Christ lived in Paul as Paul lived like Jesus. Those who follow Christ are not defined by some set of beliefs and practices. True discipleship, a true following of Christ is seen in us individually as we live in submission to His will. In other words, it is to think like Jesus, act like Jesus and talk like Jesus. Jesus is not simply one in whom we believe, His life is one that we emulate in our own lives.
You may remember a few years ago when one of the big things was bracelets being handed out everywhere that had the letters WWJD on them. What did those letters stand for? “What Would Jesus Do”. While they were handed out by many denominations, the words represented by those letters were very true in their statement. That is the question every true Christian should be asking about any and every decision we have to make in our lives. What would Jesus do, how would Jesus respond, what choice would Jesus make, which way would Jesus go? If we are truly going to allow Jesus to live in, dwell in us, this must be the way we make choices and decisions in our lives. What Jesus would have us do must come first and foremost above everything else in our lives.
Until next week, I love you all,
Dan
In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul made an amazing statement that we are all aware of. There Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” Now, looking at this scripture, can you honestly say “Christ lives in me!”? How can this actually happen? Well, it is not some mystical or metaphysical indwelling. This happens when we embrace His will and live it out in our lives every minute of every day. This is what we see demonstrated in the life of Paul. Christ lived in Paul as Paul lived like Jesus. Those who follow Christ are not defined by some set of beliefs and practices. True discipleship, a true following of Christ is seen in us individually as we live in submission to His will. In other words, it is to think like Jesus, act like Jesus and talk like Jesus. Jesus is not simply one in whom we believe, His life is one that we emulate in our own lives.
You may remember a few years ago when one of the big things was bracelets being handed out everywhere that had the letters WWJD on them. What did those letters stand for? “What Would Jesus Do”. While they were handed out by many denominations, the words represented by those letters were very true in their statement. That is the question every true Christian should be asking about any and every decision we have to make in our lives. What would Jesus do, how would Jesus respond, what choice would Jesus make, which way would Jesus go? If we are truly going to allow Jesus to live in, dwell in us, this must be the way we make choices and decisions in our lives. What Jesus would have us do must come first and foremost above everything else in our lives.
Until next week, I love you all,
Dan
RSS Feed