[Following are a series of posts I placed on my Facebook page over a few days in November 2014. I pray that you will be blessed by these few thoughts]
10th November
‘This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but
you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do
according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have success.’ [Joshua 1: 8]
‘And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying,
“THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE
LORD: I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE
THEM,” He then says, “AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO
MORE.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any
offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the
holy place by the blood of Jesus…’ [Hebrews 10: 16 – 19]
I recently quoted this great passage from Hebrews 10 in one
of my Facebook posts. I like to call this the terms of the New Covenant of Grace. If you
want to draw a comparison you can read Exodus 20 where we see the terms of the
Covenant of Law and you will see that the terms of the Law covenant are about
what we will do, or not do; Law equals demand.
But the terms of the New
Covenant are all about what God will do; ‘I will put My law upon their heart,
and on their mind I will write them.’
One thing that I often say to people is this; when you read
your Bible you must make sure you read it with eyes of Grace. You must view
scripture, this side of the cross, through the cross. Grace eyes are
cross-shaped. Especially when reading the Old Testament you cannot read it
without cross-shaped eyes, like the verse I quoted from Joshua 1, or it may
confuse you. There are many, many verses that read entirely differently
depending on the eyes we read them with.
These verses are a good example
primarily because they mention the word ‘law.’ Many people read them and
believe that the law they refer to are the laws of the Covenant of Law and with
them written on our hearts and minds that we are to apply our energy to keeping
them.
Not so. Law demands, Grace supplies.
So what laws are referred to here?
Let me share something
wonderful with you. The law God will put on your heart and mind are the law of
Righteousness, the law of Liberty, the law of Faith and the law of Love. And
then we are to meditate on them. In many of the religious systems they have a
practice of chanting scripture. This may come from the fact that in the Jewish
religion the Torah, the word of God, is spoken or muttered, not just ‘thought’
about and the word translated meditate in Joshua 1 : 8 actually means to speak
or mutter. So we are to speak out the laws that God is writing on our hearts
and on our minds. It is good to meditate in silence but better to speak out His
word. Power is released, life comes, creation happens, the enemy trembles at
the mention of His word. If you don’t know a verse to speak then just speak the
name of Jesus, every knee bows to that name; His name is above every name
[Philippians 2: 9 – 11]
I don’t have space to share my thoughts on the laws God is
writing on our hearts and minds here so perhaps I will share on these over a
few days as you rest in Jesus, your mediator of a new and better covenant.
To close today let me share something from the Passion
translation of the Psalms.
‘But let them all be glad, those who turn aside to hide
themselves in You. May they keep shouting for joy forever! Overshadow them in
Your presence as they sing and rejoice, then every lover of Your name will
burst forth with endless joy. Lord, how wonderfully you bless the righteous.
Your favour wraps around each one and covers them under Your canopy of kindness
and joy.’ [Psalms 5: 11 – 12]
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
11th November
'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS
I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]
What laws?
Firstly, they cannot be the law of the covenant of Law. The
Bible identifies this Law as the 'tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be
justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a
tutor’ [Galatians 3: 24 - 25]. The Bible also says that this covenant of Law is
'obsolete' [Hebrews 8: 13] and the requirement of it has been fulfilled to the
letter in us because God sent 'His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as
an offering for sin' [Romans 8: 3 - 4]. Jesus Himself said that He 'did not
come to abolish but to fulfill' [Matthew 5: 17]. He did not abolish it but,
rather, He fulfilled every jot of its requirement on our behalf and as we
accept Him in faith then we are released into the newness of the Spirit-life
having 'died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in the newness of
the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter' [Romans 7: 6]
So it can't be that Law! So, then, what laws will God
'write' on our hearts and minds?
The first, I believe, is the law of righteousness. I have
spoken much on this in recent days. It is important to receive as it is the
bottom-line, the foundation stone of the covenant of Grace. The New Covenant of
Grace in Christ has its basis in the 'term' that God, righteous, holy God,
declares that 'AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE'
[Hebrews 10: 17].
The 'law' God wants to write on your heart and mind is the
truth that ALL that separated you from Him has been dealt with in full in the
person of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is by believing and receiving this truth in
your heart that you can speak with authority the declaration of freedom and
blessing, "I am the righteousness of God in Christ" [2 Corinthians 5:
21]. Declare it now!
'What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who did not
pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is
by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that
law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by
works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone...' [Romans 9: 30 - 32].
Today, don't stumble, walk in the sunshine of the blessing
of the covenant that Jesus established on your behalf. Receive by faith, just
believe, His righteousness and be free in the newness of Life, Holy Spirit Life
found only in JESUS. God wants this written indelibly on your heart and mind.
He will do it. Will you receive it?
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
12th November
'This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but
you shall meditate on it day and night...for then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have success.' [Joshua 1: 8]
'Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be
taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes
that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him.' [Mark 11: 23]
God is good. You know I am proof that if we position
ourselves to listen He will speak to anyone, even me! I want to encourage you
with that!
We are considering the laws God writes on our hearts and
minds under the New Covenant of Grace [Hebrews 10: 16]. I will return to the
laws of Grace, I promise and yesterday we briefly considered the 'Law of Righteousness.'
This morning I just 'feel' to share this with you.
Yesterday I spent the day considering why God would put His
laws on our hearts AND write them on our minds and He showed me something. We already
saw a few days ago that the word 'meditate' in Joshua 1: 8 means to mutter or
speak and then God shows me another verse I have read many times in Mark 11: 23
where Jesus is encouraging us to believe and to speak to the mountains and they
will be cast into the sea. Notice 'believing' is a one-time thing but 'saying'
it is more than once. And then the Lord reminds me of another verse that I love
from Romans (take out your Bible and read that great gospel verse, Romans 10:
9) but my thoughts went to the following verse 10 where it says that 'with the
heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he
confesses, resulting in salvation.' What are we to confess resulting in
salvation? Well, according to verse 9, that 'JESUS IS LORD!'
What does it all mean, Lord?
He writes His laws of Grace on our hearts and minds because
He wants us not only to believe in our heart but to speak out His word with our
mouth, constantly! We believe once, we speak more and the mountains move! We
believe that Jesus is alive, that He is our righteousness and this results in
our righteousness (We are the righteousness of God in Christ [2 Corinthians 5:
21]) and we confess that He is Lord (JESUS IS LORD) resulting in salvation,
every day, every time, in every circumstance. As I shared yesterday if you
shout your own name (as wonderful and as important as your name is) the earth
does not tremble nor the enemy bow down but if you shout the name JESUS every
knee bows, in heaven, on earth, under the earth and God is glorified!
[Philippians 2: 9 - 11]
Wow! So much to say, so little space!
I trust you understand what I am trying to say. God writes
His laws of Grace on our hearts and minds because He wants us to believe (our
hearts) and confess His truth (our minds) and then the mountains tumble, and
our way is prosperous and we have good success. Awesome, hey?
Next time, the law of liberty.
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
13th November
'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS
I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]
God says He will put His laws upon our hearts and He will
write them on our minds…laws to believe, receive and declare. As we have seen
these are laws that are to be believed, received and declared as they are put
in our hearts and written on our minds. It follows then that the laws of Grace
are for believing, receiving and declaring…not doing!
But what laws? These
cannot be the laws of the old covenant of law as we have already discussed so
what laws are they?
Two days ago we talked of the ‘Law of Righteousness.’ I won’t repeat what I shared but perhaps just
summarise this law in this way – ‘Jesus says, I am your Righteousness; in Me
you declare ‘I am the righteousness of God in Christ’ and ‘blessings are on the
head of the righteous’ [Proverbs 10: 6].’
This morning we consider the Law of Liberty.
‘But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of
liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an
effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.’ [James 1: 25]
The book of James is probably one of the most misunderstood
of all the New Testament but that’s a post for another day. Many read it with
law eyes and misinterpret it, believing it speaks of doing, doing, doing.
What is the perfect law of liberty?
The Bible says this in 2 Corinthians 3: 17 that ‘the Lord is
the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’ We have
shared at length in the past thoughts on the purpose and work of the Holy
Spirit. In John 16 Jesus Himself declares the ‘job description’ of the Holy
Spirit sent to indwell us when we believe with the purpose to ‘guide you into
all the truth’ by taking of Jesus, who receives all from the Father, and
disclosing it to you [John 16: 13 – 15]. The Law of Liberty is to receive the
Spirit. Having received Him, there is liberty. In Galatians 2 we see believers
being compelled to be circumcised, to re-embrace law, but Paul says it was
‘because of false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out
our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage
[Galatians 2: 4].’ As Paul says, ‘…we did not yield.’ Neither should we!
Beloved, the doing of James is to look intently and abide by
the perfect law of liberty. Do not be drawn in to doing in our own strength but
rather believe, receive and declare the Law of Liberty, the truth of the
indwelling Christ. Can you grasp the wonder of this truth? The believer is
indwelt with the Spirit of Christ and as Colossians 1: 27 says it is ‘Christ in
you’ that is your ‘hope of glory.’ If we receive this truth how can our lives
not step into the realm of glory? When we believe and receive the Law of
Liberty then we believe and receive the revelation that He freely discloses to
us of the wonder and beauty and majesty and glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Saviour, and we declare His wonders, declare His beauty, declare His majesty
and declare His glory. This is the supreme place of our purpose, to glorify His
name.
The Laws of Grace.
Law of Righteousness – you are righteous in Christ, not in
your own works, but in His finished work alone. Declare it; the enemy hates it
when you do but God loves to hear it because by it He is glorified, which is
His rightful place!
Law of Liberty – you are indwelt with the filling to
overflowing Holy Spirit, Jesus freely sent Him to you so that you might receive
revelation of Himself. Declare His wonder; the enemy hates it when you do but
God loves to hear it because by it He is glorified, which is His rightful
place!
Next time, the law of faith.
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
14th November
'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS
I WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]
We are sharing about the laws God wants to put on our hearts
and write on our minds. We have discussed the Law of Righteousness and the Law
of Liberty; perhaps if you would like you can look back on my Facebook page to
see my thoughts on these. (Can I just say that I only have space to share a
little; my hope is that these will encourage you to look and seek and receive
for yourself and that my thoughts will be an encouragement for you to do that.
God is good; He speaks to us all.)
We have considered very briefly the Laws of Righteousness
and Liberty and this morning we think on the Law of Faith.
‘Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of
law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.’ [Romans 3: 27]
Romans 3 speaks of our justification. It establishes early
that our justification is ‘apart from the Law’ [Romans 3: 21] and so it has
nothing to do with our works. It then clearly declares that we who believe are
‘justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ
Jesus whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith’
[Romans 3: 24 – 25].
Then it asks, ‘Where then is boasting? In works? No way! By
the law of faith.’
What then does this law require? The Grace Law of Faith, put
on our hearts and written on our minds, requires that we believe and receive
the completeness, the finished work of Jesus and abandon completely any notion
that we contribute by our law keeping. The Law of the Old Testament Covenant of
Law are not nullified by faith, rather, in Jesus every letter of the Law was
established, on our behalf, perfectly and completely in the person of Jesus
[Romans 3: 31].
What then are we to declare? In what are we to boast? In the
truth that we are what we are completely because of Jesus, no input from us,
and that He, our Lord, is EVERYTHING!
(Are you relishing in the freedom of the Laws of Grace? Can
you declare of a truth that ‘it was for freedom that Christ set us free’ and
never, never, never again will we be ‘subject again to a yoke of slavery?’
[Galatians 5: 1] I pray that you are!)
Next time, the mountain top, the law of love.
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
15th November
'...I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART, AND ON THEIR MINDS I
WILL WRITE THEM...' [Hebrews 10: 16]
For a few days we have been sharing on the laws God wants to put on our hearts and write on our minds. We have discussed the Law of Righteousness, the Law of Liberty and the Law of Faith; perhaps if you would like you can look back on my Facebook page to see my thoughts on these.
This morning we think on the Law of Love.
‘And He (that is, Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’” [Matthew 22: 37 – 39]
In my posts and blog I have shared many times that this Law, which comes directly from Torah, a direct quote from the Ten Commandments, no longer applies to us this side of the cross of Jesus. I stand completely by that statement on the basis that of all scripture these verses are read and misinterpreted by precious people when read with law eyes…you MUST read this commandment with grace eyes, looking perfectly through the cross of Jesus. If you don’t you risk missing the mountain top of the Grace Laws God is putting on your heart and writing on your mind. You must…please ask now that the Holy Spirit, the discloser of Jesus, will open grace eyes in you to see the most wonderful, beautiful truth on which rests all the wonder and glory of God.
Many people when reading these verses burden themselves with the perception that it is commanding us to love God more. When people say that to me I cannot help but ask them, “How is that going for you?” If we have a desire to love God more there is only one way, receive more of His love. If we have a desire to love others more there is only one way, receive more of His love. We cannot generate love ourselves, that is the requirement of law. It isn’t wrong, just unattainable. But what is attainable is to receive His love because He has already declared it and it is freely given in the person of Jesus, and then we can love, because He first loved us. It is the only way, because He is the only Way! You see, I believe, that these words from the mouth of Jesus must be seasoned with all that HE is; He is Grace, and we need to see not a requirement on us but we must see His blessing upon us. I trust the Holy Spirit will show this to you.
This may be the most important post I ever write…maybe having written it I will stop and release you from my daily journal…but, seriously, this is the single most important truth we will ever receive; this is the mountain top of truth.
Where do I start?
‘God is Love’ [1 John 4: 8]. Not just God loves; He IS Love!
‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life’ [John 3: 16}…You want proof of God’s love? Look at Jesus. He is the ‘radiance of God’s glory’ [Hebrews 1: 3].
What does this mean for you and me?
I am the favoured child of God; God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, supreme being, majesty of all majesty, wonder of all wonder, the great, complete, King of all kings and Lord of all lords He, GOD, is my Father! Did you get it?
HE IS OUR FATHER! Abba Father. Dad. Daddy. Your Father! I am His favoured child! You are too!
(I could write forever!)
What does this Law of Grace require of you? Believe and receive His love for you. Believe and receive JESUS.
What is your declaration? I am His favoured child!
‘What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Please read on in Romans 8: 33 – 34) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ [Romans 8: 31 – 39]
Ephesians 3: 14 – 21
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day
For a few days we have been sharing on the laws God wants to put on our hearts and write on our minds. We have discussed the Law of Righteousness, the Law of Liberty and the Law of Faith; perhaps if you would like you can look back on my Facebook page to see my thoughts on these.
This morning we think on the Law of Love.
‘And He (that is, Jesus) said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’” [Matthew 22: 37 – 39]
In my posts and blog I have shared many times that this Law, which comes directly from Torah, a direct quote from the Ten Commandments, no longer applies to us this side of the cross of Jesus. I stand completely by that statement on the basis that of all scripture these verses are read and misinterpreted by precious people when read with law eyes…you MUST read this commandment with grace eyes, looking perfectly through the cross of Jesus. If you don’t you risk missing the mountain top of the Grace Laws God is putting on your heart and writing on your mind. You must…please ask now that the Holy Spirit, the discloser of Jesus, will open grace eyes in you to see the most wonderful, beautiful truth on which rests all the wonder and glory of God.
Many people when reading these verses burden themselves with the perception that it is commanding us to love God more. When people say that to me I cannot help but ask them, “How is that going for you?” If we have a desire to love God more there is only one way, receive more of His love. If we have a desire to love others more there is only one way, receive more of His love. We cannot generate love ourselves, that is the requirement of law. It isn’t wrong, just unattainable. But what is attainable is to receive His love because He has already declared it and it is freely given in the person of Jesus, and then we can love, because He first loved us. It is the only way, because He is the only Way! You see, I believe, that these words from the mouth of Jesus must be seasoned with all that HE is; He is Grace, and we need to see not a requirement on us but we must see His blessing upon us. I trust the Holy Spirit will show this to you.
This may be the most important post I ever write…maybe having written it I will stop and release you from my daily journal…but, seriously, this is the single most important truth we will ever receive; this is the mountain top of truth.
Where do I start?
‘God is Love’ [1 John 4: 8]. Not just God loves; He IS Love!
‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life’ [John 3: 16}…You want proof of God’s love? Look at Jesus. He is the ‘radiance of God’s glory’ [Hebrews 1: 3].
What does this mean for you and me?
I am the favoured child of God; God Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, supreme being, majesty of all majesty, wonder of all wonder, the great, complete, King of all kings and Lord of all lords He, GOD, is my Father! Did you get it?
HE IS OUR FATHER! Abba Father. Dad. Daddy. Your Father! I am His favoured child! You are too!
(I could write forever!)
What does this Law of Grace require of you? Believe and receive His love for you. Believe and receive JESUS.
What is your declaration? I am His favoured child!
‘What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Please read on in Romans 8: 33 – 34) Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?...But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ [Romans 8: 31 – 39]
Ephesians 3: 14 – 21
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day
16th November
‘…God raised up His Servant and sent Him to bless you by
turning every one of you from your wicked ways.’ [Acts 3: 26]
This is amazing! This is grace defined. God raised up Jesus
and sent Him to bless you. When you turn you turn to blessing. We know the
truth of the return of Jesus for His church but we sometimes wonder when that
will be. In this preaching by Peter in
Acts 3 we see a wonderful indication. In verse 19 Peter says that we are to
‘repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away…’ This speaks of our
worth…we are the righteousness of God in Christ. But Peter goes on, ‘…in order
that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.’ This is
the blessing that comes from believing. This is the receiving of grace. But
there is more yet. Peter goes on to say, ‘Jesus, the appointed One…whom heaven
must receive until the period of restoration of all things…[Acts 3: 21]. Many
will say that Jesus must come soon. They base this on prophecy surrounding the
state of the world in the last days. But there is a better indication of the
return of Jesus than this, one we can embrace by stepping into grace,
discarding law and its requirement, and embracing Jesus our Grace.
Beloved, the enemy has stolen from us and we have the right
to expect the restoration of all things. It is certain in the person and work
of Jesus Christ…God sent Him to bless you! And what a blessing! In Zechariah 9:
12, the prophet declares, ‘Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the
hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you’
[Zechariah 9: 12]. We have the HOPE, His name is JESUS!
Oh what a blessing! In Jesus we have the right to claim the
restoration of all things but not just restoration. His work, finished at
Calvary, restores double to us. Will we claim our right? And then we read the story of Job and in Job 42
we read ‘The Lord
restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord
increased all that Job had twofold.' [Job 42: 10] Consider this; if the
restoration of Job under the covenant of Law was twofold how much more is our
restoration under the new covenant of Grace in the finished work of Jesus?
‘Never
doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. (You need to
read Ephesians 3: 16 – 19 to see the ‘this’.) He will achieve infinitely more
than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your
wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for His miraculous power
constantly energises you.’ [Ephesians 3: 20 – Passion translation]
Embrace the truth.
Jesus is Grace.
Law can’t help because we can’t do it.
The Way is a way of grace, we must believe and receive.
It is the truth…’Your
Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
17th November
‘But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…’ [2
Corinthians 4: 7]
Restoration, transformation, change, breakthrough; we all
desire it.
Often people say to me, “I need to love God more.” Or they
look at a verse like John 14: 15, Jesus speaking, “If you love Me, you will
keep My commandments” but they look with law eyes and they see commandment but
don’t see the Love. The Love is what we need to see. I often say to people when
you read your Bible you must look for one thing, Jesus, it’s all about Him,
there is nothing else, He is everything. I talk about much about the great
conundrum of law and grace and people get frustrated with me. It is the subject
of much of the epistles of Paul. It is the great challenge that the Jesus
people, those that believe in Jesus, face. Law is not wrong but when it becomes
the means of restoration, transformation and breakthrough then it becomes
bondage. This is truth. The enemy wants you to stay in that place of applying
Law because he knows that is a place of bondage and he is ‘in’ to your bondage.
He likes to steal, kill and destroy [John 10: 10]. He doesn’t want you to know freedom because
freedom is in Christ. You may believe in Jesus and there is nothing he can do
about that but he can still keep you from receiving Jesus and so you remain
without the freedom of Christ. What, then, is the key?
A few days ago I was talking about the great mountain top
law of the New Covenant of Grace – the Law of Love. I said that if you feel
that you need to love God more then there is only one Way, you must receive
more of God’s love for you. It is eminently simple – who is the expression of
God’s love? It is Jesus! There is no other way. You can’t work your way into
loving God more – that is the Law way. Transformation from the outside in; it
will not work. You may see temporary short-term change but it will not last. I
know, I’ve tried.
We are all earthen by nature. The fall-out of this is we do
‘earthen’ things. When we do earthen things we get disappointed. Our earthen
reaction is to apply more Law. We say to God, “Lord, help me with this…” On the
face of it that isn’t a bad prayer but it is a self, law based prayer. Today,
we can look with grace eyes and see the most wonderful thing!
GRACE. JESUS.
He is treasure; He is THE TREASURE and He is in earthen
vessels – You and Me. He is the ‘Christ in you, the hope of glory’ of
Colossians 1: 27. This is the most wonderful key. It is glorious beyond
description. I said we all want restoration, transformation and breakthrough.
This is it. See Jesus in you. When we do
an earthen thing then our prayer becomes, “Thank You Lord, You are in me, and
you are my …love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control – put in what you need to put in, put in Jesus, He is
EVERYTHING – and wonder of all wonders He is in you.
See Him. This is having an unveiled face, seeing not law but
seeing the glory of the Lord, JESUS, and seeing Him the Bible declares you will
be transformed into the same image from glory to glory, from the Lord, the
Spirit [2 Corinthians 3: 18]. The Spirit, He is ‘Christ in you, the hope of
glory.’ The Spirit’s job is to disclose Jesus and the disclosing brings Jesus,
and Jesus is restoration, transformation and breakthrough. Treasure in earthen
vessels; Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is immense. This is wonderful.
It is the truth…’Your Word is Truth.’ [John 17: 17]
Have a great day.
