Tag: #1Corinthians15:57-58NIV

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Faithful Decisions – Part 2

On this Pentecost Sunday, I am reminded of the early church, who sought Jesus in Heaven and received an outpouring of Holy Spirit to empower them to go and reach others for Christ (Ac 2).

The decision to receive the gracious redemption Jesus offers us as Lord and Savior is a new beginning that extends to subsequent decision-making.

Because redemption is intrinsic of the nature of Christ.  

This very nature of redemption draws us to do things His way—the way that offers, brings and gives true life (Jn 14:6).

Prioritizing The Spirit of Grace first in our lives invites Him to guide, protect and lead us into all truth for this redeemed, abundant life.

As followers of Christ, we have His living hope that does not fail us (1 Ti 4:10).

Our decisions are seeds that grow to be established over time. Our Lord gives us this freedom to plant seeds of faith-righteousness that are aligned with God’s will, to reap what proves victorious in His eyes.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV say, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

One of our Lord’s most beautiful promises for our efforts can be found in: 

John 3:21 AMPC, which says, “But he who practices truth [who does what is right] comes out into the Light; so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are–wrought with God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence upon Him].”

Pleasing God and bringing Him glory as we go and share His good news is our ultimate goal. But the prophet Isaiah reminds us that we are always on God’s mind, and He never forgets to bless us.

He says in Isaiah 26:12 TPT, “Lord, Yahweh, You will establish peace and prosperity for us, for all we have accomplished is the result of what you work through us.”

Here and again throughout Holy Scripture, our Lord reveals that He releases His best to His yielded ones.

Making decisions that do not align with God’s will reveals our unbelief of His Word and our unbelief in our true identity in Christ due to a lack of trust in Him to provide for all our needs. 

How can we possibly receive God’s finest blessings with such an impoverished mindset?

We can’t. 

Our minds need to be renewed like Christ’s, and we need to walk out His truth by faith in His living promises.

Perhaps one of the best Bible examples of getting it wrong before getting it right, at least in part, is Jonah.

Jonah’s decisions from his strong will and reluctant obedience caused him a lot of unnecessary pain and nearly costed him is life. And even after Jonah completed his mission, he remained pouting in his self-justification, which is a sign of immature character.

I love what the New Spirit-Filled Life Bible notes say to counter Jonah’s example. They say:

Transforming faith…is more than just knowledge about God. It changes us and molds us into the image of the One in whom we place our trust, and it is expressed through our actions and our attitudes. Let your faith in who God is transform who you are. Pray and ask the Lord to conform you into his image. Respond to God’s instruction with a willing heart that is open to change. By faith, receive the Lord’s instruction, and allow it to change the way you think, feel and behave. 

So, like Jonah, when we cry unto the Lord in our troubles, He will deliver us from our distress by His mercy. He will send His Word and heal us and rescue us from the pit of destruction (Ps 107:19-20). 

Proverbs 28:13 TPT says that “If you cover up your sin you’ll never do well. But if you confess your sins and forsake them, you will be kissed by mercy.”

Friends, we must come to an understanding that the perfect justice of the sacrificial blood of Jesus is enough to redeem our lives from ungodly choices (Ro 3:25 TPT). His Word and Holy Spirit are enough to guide us into living higher, as we turn to Him and commit our lives to Him (Ps 37:5-6). 

Faithfulness is our friend (Ps 37:3). Our Lord Jesus faithfully completed His work on the cross to redeem the lives of as many as who will receive His grace. In honor of Him, let’s make faithful decisions that align with His will and invite His blessed redemption into our everyday lives for His glory.

Pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord,

Thank You for Your mercy and grace of redemption that makes a way of a blessed life for me. I believe Your Son’s sacred and sacrificial blood redeems my life. I repent of all my sins and gratefully receive You as my Lord and Savior over all of my life. As You search my heart, if there is anything specific I need to lay at the foot of Your cross today, I invite You to bring the conviction that leads me to repentance. Help me to live out all the victory of redemption You have for me—spirit, soul and body. Help me make faithful decisions forward that bring honor and glory to Your Name as You transform me into Your likeness. Thank You for Your mercy and grace.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.

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Faith Believing

This Thursday, May 13, 2021, marks Ascension Day—the fortieth day from Jesus’ resurrection, when He ascended to Heaven to be seated at the right hand of our Heavenly Father (Lk 22:69). 

Although many scriptures describe what this means for us, my favorite illustration is found in Isaiah 25:6-12 of the TPT version, which is subtitled “The Rich Feast of the Lord.” It says: 

The Lord Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies, will host a rich feast on this mountain for all peoples—a feast with plenty of meat and well-aged wine, with an abundance of food and the finest of wine. And on this mountain, he will destroy the shroud wrapped around all the people, the veil spread over all nations. It is the gloom of death! He will swallow it up in victory forever! And God, Lord Yahweh, will wipe away every tear from every face. He will remove every trace of disgrace that his people have suffered throughout the world, for the Lord Yahweh has promised it! In that day they will say, ‘Behold! This is our God! We’ve waited for him, and he saved us! This one, the Lord Yahweh—he is worth the wait! We will keep shouting with joy as we find our bliss in his salvation-kiss!’

The mighty, gracious hand of the Lord Yahweh will rest upon this mountain, but the Moabites will be trampled under his feet as straw gets trampled into the manure. They will stretch out their arms in it like a swimmer stretches out his arms to swim, yet God will bring down their pride, and they will thrash and sink despite their struggle. He will tear down the high walls of Moab’s fortresses and flatten them into the dust.

So, friends, in these verses, we see what is available to us as we live an ascended life with Jesus, which is in the true high place, where our enemies become our footstool and we rise above pain to a protective place, full of provision. Believing this, we can apprehend it in our lives on earth, as our eyes are fixed on Him, no matter what. 

It’s the abundant life of God revealed to us in John 10:10 above the enemy’s false parallel to kill, steal and destroy.

It’s the goodness of God revealed in Philippians 4:19 AMPC, which says, “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

It’s where we can “be supernaturally infused with strength through” our “life-union with the Lord Jesus,” according to Ephesians 6:10 TPT. Where we can “stand victorious with the force of his explosive power flowing in and through” us.  

It’s the place of true power and authority, where we can remain as God releases judgment on unrepentant evildoers—both on the person and on the spirit behind the person, according to Isaiah 24:21 TPT.

This begs the question: Since we determine where we are seated—the mountaintop or the pit—by our behavior, as seen through grace, do we have the active faith that is required to gain and sustain rich mountaintop abundance? 

The answer is that we do if we are patiently obedient—if we continue to choose to be faithful to God’s instructions—all the way through the tribulation of the climb to completion.

Our Lord as salvation will protect us inwardly and outwardly along the way (Is 26:1).

Isaiah 26:2-3 describe this journey of victory by saying, “Open the gates and let a righteous, faith-filled people enter in. Perfect, absolute peace surrounds those whose imaginations are consumed with you; they confidently trust in you.”

We can also find encouragement in 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV, which say, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

So, our living faith (with works) pleases God and brings honor to Him. Isaiah 1:17 TPT reminds us to “Learn what it means to do what is good by seeking righteousness and justice! Rescue the oppressed. Uphold the rights of the fatherless and defend the widow’s cause.”

Our behavior—meaning our faithful obedience and works—sets the standard and expectation by which we will be judged by God (Ro 2:6, 9, 16). So, let’s not take the “riches of his extraordinary kindness…for granted” but choose His higher ways above our limited ways.

Let’s keep believing for God’s best and behave accordingly. It’s easier when we remain in worship to Him alone—in His Word, in prayer and in praise. It’s easier when we embrace His vision as our own.

So, pray with me if you will…

Dear Lord, 

Thank You for Your very best for me. Help me to receive it by Your grace. Don’t let me stray from your clear path of victory. Help me. Keep me on track. Help me be a doer of Your Word—all the way to and on top of the mountain (Ro 2:13, Ps 72:3). Open my eyes to see more of Your goodness and Your ways. Help me to be faithful to You, Lord, above all else. You alone are my King.

In Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen.

This video-devo was graciously re-posted by the Salem Web Network, which includes iBelieve.com.