Andrew Murray- The Holy Spirit shows us the work and nature of the mighty power dwelling within us. It is the power of God,
"according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand"
(Ephesians 1. 19-20). (Google image)
This power works in us who believe and raises us from the power of death to a life in the glory of heaven. By the greatness of his power, our daily life may be lived in fellowship with the Son of God.
God raised Christ from the dead because His death on the cross exhibited deep humility and perfect obedience. Because Jesus yielded Himself unreservedly to the power of God, He was raised from the dead and given glory.
When we give ourselves over to die with Christ to sin and the work in humility and obedience, God will make us partakers of the resurrection power and of the Spirit of glory.
The life of the believer as an exhibition of the greatness of God's power is a theme that runs through all the writings of Paul. In his prayer for the Colossians, he asks that they may
"walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the
knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might
according to his glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness: (Colossians 1:10-11).
As one thinks of the life of devotion which Paul describes—always worthy of God and pleasing to Him—one feels that the standard is impossible. But then the thought comes in, "Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power," and we say, "No, if this is true, if God works this, the life is possible."
These same thoughts occur in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory."
These words lift our heart to believe and expect something far beyond what we ask of think. The life we are to live is to be a supernatural one—the resurrection life.
We experience the heavenly life of Christ in glory maintained in us by the same working of the strength of His might which raised Christ from the cross to the throne.
The same almighty power which raised Christ from the dead as the conqueror of sin and death is the power that works in our hearts to give us victory over every sin.
To believe this with our whole heart will immediately bring a sense of our own weakness, but we will also know with divine certainty that God will fulfill His purpose in us.
(Chapter 6, pp. 32-34)
"according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand"
(Ephesians 1. 19-20). (Google image)
This power works in us who believe and raises us from the power of death to a life in the glory of heaven. By the greatness of his power, our daily life may be lived in fellowship with the Son of God.
God raised Christ from the dead because His death on the cross exhibited deep humility and perfect obedience. Because Jesus yielded Himself unreservedly to the power of God, He was raised from the dead and given glory.
When we give ourselves over to die with Christ to sin and the work in humility and obedience, God will make us partakers of the resurrection power and of the Spirit of glory.
The life of the believer as an exhibition of the greatness of God's power is a theme that runs through all the writings of Paul. In his prayer for the Colossians, he asks that they may
"walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the
knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might
according to his glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness: (Colossians 1:10-11).
As one thinks of the life of devotion which Paul describes—always worthy of God and pleasing to Him—one feels that the standard is impossible. But then the thought comes in, "Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power," and we say, "No, if this is true, if God works this, the life is possible."
These same thoughts occur in Ephesians 3:20-21, "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory."
These words lift our heart to believe and expect something far beyond what we ask of think. The life we are to live is to be a supernatural one—the resurrection life.
We experience the heavenly life of Christ in glory maintained in us by the same working of the strength of His might which raised Christ from the cross to the throne.
The same almighty power which raised Christ from the dead as the conqueror of sin and death is the power that works in our hearts to give us victory over every sin.
To believe this with our whole heart will immediately bring a sense of our own weakness, but we will also know with divine certainty that God will fulfill His purpose in us.
(Chapter 6, pp. 32-34)
by Andrew Murray
Copyright © 1984
Copyright © 1984
by Whitaker House
Used by permission
Let's pray-
Father, Your Spirit shows us the work and nature of the mighty power dwelling within us. This power of Yours, that you wrought in Christ Jesus, when you raised Him from the dead, and then seated Him at Your own right hand.
We find that this greatness of Your power enables us to live our daily lives in fellowship with Your Son, Jesus.
As one thinks of the life of devotion Paul describes—always worthy of You and pleasing to You—we may feel that the standard is impossible, until we remember that Your Spirit is given to us to be able to please You.
Our hearts are lifted by Your Word, that we can believe and expect something far greater that what we can ask or think of; our lives to be supernatural ones—the resurrection life.
This same almighty power which raised Christ from the dead as the conqueror of sin and death, is the same power that now works in our hearts to give us victory over every sin.
We are aware of our inability to be faithful to always see victory. We admit our great need of the divine certainty that You will fulfill Your purpose in us.
We pray in Jesus' name for Your Spirit to help us in our walk with Him. May He help us better understand what it means to look intently into your Word and to live out what we read.
Amen
We find that this greatness of Your power enables us to live our daily lives in fellowship with Your Son, Jesus.
As one thinks of the life of devotion Paul describes—always worthy of You and pleasing to You—we may feel that the standard is impossible, until we remember that Your Spirit is given to us to be able to please You.
Our hearts are lifted by Your Word, that we can believe and expect something far greater that what we can ask or think of; our lives to be supernatural ones—the resurrection life.
This same almighty power which raised Christ from the dead as the conqueror of sin and death, is the same power that now works in our hearts to give us victory over every sin.
We are aware of our inability to be faithful to always see victory. We admit our great need of the divine certainty that You will fulfill Your purpose in us.
We pray in Jesus' name for Your Spirit to help us in our walk with Him. May He help us better understand what it means to look intently into your Word and to live out what we read.
Amen
Today's Bible verses-
God, who began the good work within you, will
continue his work until it is finally finished on
the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Jer. 17:7-8 "But blessed is the one who trusts in
the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will
be like a tree planted by the water that sends out
its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat
comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries
in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”
John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: love
another. As I have loved you, so you must love
one another. By this everyone will know that you
are my disciples, if you love one another."
Words of wisdom-
~ Our challenging times wake us up for our awareness of needing the Lord's help. Our steps with Him are designed for our dependency on Him. He will give us strength.
~ Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. It is possible, then, to be content in any and every situation. We're to connect our joy with His precious promises found in the Bible.
What's inside of us? What are we dealing with?
Looking inside of ourselves, we'll discover what it is that we're attracted to, and what draws us. Are we looking for personal praise from others, or from the Lord? When we say we wouldn't do something we know is wrong, and find ourselves drawn to doing it, may we realize that what we dishonor will go away from us. What we honor will become our way of thinking. What we do tells what we're drawn to.
Drawing near to God is the only way we can change our thinking and actions, for we will make poor decisions at times. There are consequences to our decisions, good and bad. May we make good choices because we want to, not because we have to, for we know we'll be held accountable for them. Asking for God's guidance in our decision making will help keep us thinking like Him, and make things go more smoothly.
Today's quote
~ Arthur Jackson- "Have you ever been convicted by Scripture that you read or heard but found it difficult to carry out? You're not alone. It's easier to read and listen to God's Word than to obey it. That's why James's challenge is so fitting: 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says' (James 1:22).
His mirror illustration makes us smile because we know what it means to observe something about ourselves that needs attention. But we're deceived if we think that observing alone is enough. When James nudges us to '[look] intently into' and '[continue] in' God's truth (v. 25), he encourages us to do . . . it. God's Word calls for it, and He deserves nothing less." (Our Daily Bread devotional for 10/6/19)
~ Arthur Jackson- "Have you ever been convicted by Scripture that you read or heard but found it difficult to carry out? You're not alone. It's easier to read and listen to God's Word than to obey it. That's why James's challenge is so fitting: 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says' (James 1:22).
His mirror illustration makes us smile because we know what it means to observe something about ourselves that needs attention. But we're deceived if we think that observing alone is enough. When James nudges us to '[look] intently into' and '[continue] in' God's truth (v. 25), he encourages us to do . . . it. God's Word calls for it, and He deserves nothing less." (Our Daily Bread devotional for 10/6/19)
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Helpful ways the Lord helped me in my marriage
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