Saturday March 19th /
Sunday's Devotion follows this Devotion
Alive In Christ
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Read the Scripture: Ephesians 2:4-6
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
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WORDS OF MINISTRY:
The most important truth in all of Christianity is stated right here: We are made alive together with Christ. Notice that Paul says with Christ three times: We are made alive with Christ. We are raised up with Christ. We are made to sit with Him. He has come to live in us, and He has joined Himself to us, and we are one person with Him. That is the most important fact upon which to build all the rest of Christian faith and experience--this great, tremendous statement that we are made alive with Jesus Christ.
Do you remember how the Lord Himself taught that? He said I am the vine; you are the branches (John 15:5a). Can you tell where the branch ends and the vine starts? No. They are one plant, sharing one life together. So from here on our identity is no longer in Adam but it is in Christ. We are no longer just ordinary human beings. We are new creations, begun again, linked with the life of Jesus Christ.
Later in this letter Paul likens the church to a body, of which Christ is the head. Have you examined your body lately? Have you noticed that your fingers don't come off if you merely twist them a half-turn and pull? They are tied to the body, and they share the life of the body. They are not attached by any mechanical process, but rather they are an organic part. These figures are all given to us to show us the intimate way we are united to Jesus Christ, to tell us that He is our life.
So never think of yourself in any other way, because the whole work of the enemy is to get you to disbelieve that and to go back to thinking that you are just an ordinary individual, struggling on through life, trying to make it the best way you can, needing to mobilize all your human resources to try to get ahead of the other fellow and to achieve as much of the fulfillment of life as you can. Any time you believe that, you go right back to acting as you once did--back to the misery, back to the heartaches. You can escape that only when you come back again to this central truth--we are alive in Jesus Christ!
There is one final thing to notice here. These verbs are all in the past tense. This is something that has happened, not something that is going to happen. It has already occurred when you believed in Jesus Christ. You don't have to work toward it. It is not something that great saints achieve after years of effort. It is something that is already true, and every Christian has this experience. We were made alive in Jesus Christ. We cannot be the same again. Even if we try, we won't be able to. This is why I sometimes say to people who get discouraged with their Christian life, well, quit then, go back, and try not to be a Christian. See what will happen. They can't do it, and they know they can't, because they are new creatures, made alive in Jesus Christ.
Prayer: Father, thank You for this great truth. I pray that You would make plain to me that this is who I am and that I will never be able to handle life alright until I understand this.
Life Application: Experiential, the most important truth in all of Christianity is that we are: made alive in Christ. Considering this reality, have we discovered His life which is our life?
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SUNDAY
Sunday March 20th
Jesus Loves Even Me
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Today’s Text Comes From John 15:9
"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love."
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WORDS OF MINISTRY:
It was an evening service in June 1870. Philip Bliss joined the audience in Chicago, singing about loving Jesus. But as he sang, he asked himself this question: "Have I not been singing enough about my poor love for Jesus, and shall I not rather sing of His great love for me?"
That night, Bliss, who was born on this day in 1838, wrote a hymn, "Jesus Loves Even Me." In the morning, his wife announced, "Last night Mr. Bliss had a tune given to him." She instantly recognized its impact, saying she was unable to "get it out of my mind."
Bliss had written about divine love: "I am so glad that our Father in Heav'n tells of His love in the Book He has giv'n; wonderful things in the Bible I see, this is the dearest, that Jesus loves me." Bliss recognized that even if we wander away, Jesus still loves us.
It was love that brought Jesus "down my poor soul to redeem." And the Presence of the Holy Spirit constantly witnesses that "Jesus loves me." Just knowing this love enables us to "find sweetest rest." When we trust in Jesus, we know we are blessed. Satan flees "when I just tell him that Jesus loves me."
Envisioning what would happen when he saw Jesus face to face in eternity, Bliss wrote that this would be his song: "Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me!"
Today, are you glad that Jesus loves you? He loves you just as you are, with all your faults and mistakes. Don't make it complicated! Confess that love. Receive that love. Let that love banish all fear and worry.
Allow Jesus' love to transform your life. And let that love inspire you to share His Gospel with others. Let them know that He loves them, too!
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me. Thank You for coming to this earth to die for my sins. Open doors for me to share Your love with others. In Your name Amen
Extended Reading John 15
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