Thoughts for Life: The Greatest Mystery

Xochitl Dixon- Before I came to faith in Jesus, I'd heard the gospel preached but wrestled with His identity. How could He offer forgiveness for my sins when the Bible says only God can forgive sins?

I discovered I wasn't alone in my struggles after reading J. I. Packer's Knowing God. Packer suggests that for many unbelievers the "really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man . . . as truly and fully divine as He was human." Yet this is the truth that makes salvation possible. (Google image, Jesus with crown of thorns)

When the apostle Paul refers to Christ as "the image of the invisible God," he's saying Jesus is completely and perfectly God—Creator and sustainer of all things in heaven and earth—but also fully human (Colossians 1:15-17).

Because of this truth, we can be confident that through Christ's death and resurrection, He's not only carried the consequences for our sins but has also redeemed human nature, so that we—and all of creation—can be reconciled to God (vv. 20-22).

In an amazing, initiating act of love, God the Father reveals Himself in and through Scripture by the power of God's Holy Spirit and through the life of God's Son. Those who believe in Jesus are saved because He is Emmanuel—God with us. Hallelujah!

Let's pray-

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself and reconciling us through Jesus!

571-575- one-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

571- Ps. 47:6 "Sing praises to God, sing praises: Sing praises unto our King, sing praises."

572- 1 Kings 8:60 "That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else."

573- Ps. 30:2 "O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me."

574- Acts 2:21 "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

575- Ps. 98:4 "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."

Our Ambassador to Israel, Michael David Evens' comments:

"If we want our prayers to be answered and our lives to be blessed, we must focus on obeying what God has told us. Disobedience is one of the main hindrances to prayer."

Joshua 1:5-7 "I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage; for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest."

Quote for today-

~ Bill Johnson- "As people begin to grow in their understanding of their identity in Christ, the growth often comes in phases, just as when we were children. One of the most constant mistakes is when people grow in their identity through a title or how they function in a spiritual gift. I am not my gift or title. I am a child of God. Period. . . We are stable only when we see ourselves as a child of God." [Taken from p. 47 of THE WAY OF LIFE]

Words of wisdom-

When we pray for others' needs, we are to believe that the Father hears our requests, and that He is already busy creating answers for them. He knows just what they need, so has been working on the problems, so you'll see His handiwork become evident, if you are persistent.