For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me." JOHN 11:41
When the Son of God prays, He is mindful and consciously aware of only His Father. God always hears the prayers of His Son, and if the Son of God has been formed in me (see Galatians 4:19) the Father will always hear my prayers. But I must see to it that the Son of God is exhibited in my human flesh. “…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit…” (1 Corinthians 6:19), that is, your body is the Bethlehem of God’s Son. Is the Son of God being given His opportunity to work in me? Is the direct simplicity of His life being worked out in me exactly as it was worked out in His life while here on earth? When I come into contact with the everyday occurrences of life as an ordinary human being, is the prayer of God’s eternal Son to His Father being prayed in me? Jesus says, “In that day you will ask in My name…” (John 16:26). What day does He mean? He is referring to the day when the Holy Spirit has come to me and made me one with my Lord.
Is the Lord Jesus Christ being abundantly satisfied by your life, or are you exhibiting a walk of spiritual pride before Him? Never let your common sense become so prominent and forceful that it pushes the Son of God to one side. Common sense is a gift that God gave to our human nature— but common sense is not the gift of His Son. Supernatural sense is the gift of His Son, and we should never put our common sense on the throne. The Son always recognizes and identifies with the Father, but common sense has never yet done so and never will. Our ordinary abilities will never worship God unless they are transformed by the indwelling Son of God. We must make sure that our human flesh is kept in perfect submission to Him, allowing Him to work through it moment by moment. Are we living at such a level of human dependence upon Jesus Christ that His life is being exhibited moment by moment in us?

[USMC87]

Amen, This is my prayer every day!

[Blackwater]

Being moved to make a contrite confession and verbally giving our lives to God, but that's when the hard part is just starting. And it follows us all the days of our lives. It's very hard, today, with all the secular people and behaviors around us, and all their temptations, but the rules of living for Christ have never changed, and never will. We daily fight the "good fight," just to follow our Lord. And remember, Christ never promised us an easy life if we came to Him. He just promised He'd be with us all the way, through whatever challenges may face us. And our weaknesses are founded in that part of our souls that dearly WANT to follow Satan's many, many temptations. Yet, if we have real faith, a faith of substance, and not just words, we CAN follow Him just as He wants us to go. The only question is whether we'll follow OUR wants and desires, or His. And brothers and sisters, that ain't easy either. But it's always doable. It's just up to us to decide. And if we falter, it's good to know that if we confess and repent, we can be forgiven, and restored into God's Grace. What a wonderful Lord we serve!