Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Devotional 281009

Dear brothers and sisters,
Good morning. Even though the traffic is bad and weather is windy, I feel secure by hiding in the loving arms of God the Father. He is our hiding place. We can always find perfect peace in Him. Praise the Lord! It is our Lord’s desire to give us this peace just as He promised us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). Remain in the Lord wherever you are, and enjoy this wonderful gift that He gives.

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life" (Romans 5:10). I am not saved by believing; I only realize that I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me; repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause. It is my obedience that puts me right with God, my consecration. Never! I am put right with God because prior to all, Christ died for me. When I turn to God and by faith accept what God reveals to me the gift that I can accept, instantly the astonishing Atonement of Jesus Christ rushes me into a right relationship with God; and by the supernatural miracle of God's grace I stand justified, not because I am sorry for my sin, not because I have repented, but because of what Jesus has done. The Spirit of God brings it with a breaking, shinning light, and I know, though I do not know how, that I am saved.

The salvation of God does not stand on human logic; it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done - "It is finished."

We have nothing to boast. Our new life in Christ is a free gift; something we don’t deserve and nothing we can do to earn it. This is also the stumbling block for many who believe they can achieve salvation by good work, whether the Jews or Chinese. All human religions are human attempts to reach God or even to become God. We thought we can attain spiritual perfection or salvation by our good deeds and spiritual disciplines like keeping the Ten Commandments. The cross of Christ nullifies all these attempts. There is none we can use to accomplish what Christ has done on the Cross on our behalf. Not that we don’t need to do anything because of what Christ did. We simply accept this free gift by faith, and yield to this new life to grow within us to the point of losing the identity of our old selves. Just as Paul said, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:2-3), therefore, stop trying to save yourself by any good works, but abiding yourself in Christ each day. Tell the Holy Spirit how much you desire to walk with Him, and wait for Him to tell you how much He desire to walk with you.

Love you because of the Cross,
Lawrence

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