Good Morning Friends,
Good and evil, light and darkness are opposites. They seem to have nothing in common with each other except that they are examples of what happens in our brain when we are deciding and discerning or even experiencing cognitive dissonance. It is also what might happen when we in believe. It is like facing the connection between faith and doubt. A neuron either fires or it does not fire. It is as if there is a battle going on in my brain and perhaps yours too that divides things not so easily divided. So too God’s word judges and divides in much the same simple manner. But then it also redeems and shows forth God’s Grace. Maybe that is why Jesus said that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Hopefully our mind and body are eventually unified in the truth. Still ultimately, people seem to be either for God or against God. We see this in Jesus’ life. And we may see this in our lives and culture as well. But then we do not see as God sees. Thankfully, if we are identifying with Christ, we can begin to understand how our choices and decisions come together to help us live a more abundant life. We begin to piece things…peace things… together for a purpose more like triumphantly bearing fruit than working and struggling for an outcome. So, Do You Know How To Live Victoriously?
Scripture: I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:19-23 (NRSV)
“I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Luke 12:49-53 (NRSV)
Message: Just saying that Jesus is your Lord does not make you a follower of Jesus. You must follow Jesus, doing the will of the Father. That is the way of living victoriously. It is not just at conversion but ongoing experience of God. And every time someone believes it is one more victory. And as with many aspects of our faith, there is a both/and connection we must have toward God that helps us live in the paradox of life victoriously. So, we look to God with awe and reverence, and we look to God with affection and joy. We look to God with fear and love. And so too, we are baptized with water and with fire. So, the message here is that we are to experience the fullness of the Gospel in both our conversion and sanctification. And the fusion of these two strands of thought DNA and spiritual DNA is what I am getting at. The whole idea of dividing and breaking and reconnecting into one is at play here. And so, I guess I would count it a virtue this infusion of the Holy Spirit into our hearts so we can think more clearly each day. For this is not a once and done deal but a gift that we are to practice every day as we take what has been broken and reconnect it into a new victory for God’s glory. Though the Bible presents the Devil as a powerful and cunning opponent that lulls us to sleep and enslaves us by anesthetizing us in weak moral systems and a desensitized conscience, it also tells us that Christians can have victory over this enemy. Paul describes it as putting on the full armor of God and fighting the good fight. But sometimes we are our own enemy. That is why it is important to learn who we are and to be intentional about understanding our identity in Christ. We are to awaken to our purpose and mission and commit to growth, seeking wise counsel and choosing to connect with the power of God through our imagination and love. In this regard too few understand that the development of character is more important than achievement. We get it backwards. That is why Jesus flips everything around in the sermon on the mount. Ultimate victory here is in learning the truth about what it means to be human with God’s help.
And So, the Bible’s teachings remain relevant and offer meaningful guidance for today’s rapidly changing world that helps people to believe and live victoriously. It is a casebook of advanced moral teaching that was radical for its time but has an enduring impact even today. Not only has Holy Scripture been translated into more languages than any other book, reflecting its universal appeal and message, it has wisdom literature that resonates with modern thinkers and philosophers. Countless testimonies exist of individuals experiencing profound personal transformations inspired by Biblical teachings. What goes on in your brain may not seem as miraculous as the events have occurred in line with Biblical teachings and prophecies and yet when you believe it is nothing short of the victory of Jesus reflected in you. God is in charge, but you have a choice. Perhaps you were moved profoundly by art, literature, music, and culture with a basis in scripture. Many figures mentioned in the Bible previously doubted by sceptics, have been confirmed by external historical sources. Even some skeptics have become believers. Maybe it is the unified message of hope. That the Bible exists at all…that we exist at all… is a miracle of meticulous preservation and a testament to its enduring significance that has the hand of God on it. That God has influenced modern law with Biblical principles of justice and morality is another example of victory. Even though it is not a book of science, much of its scientific understanding aligns with modern scientific understanding. The Bible makes it clear that hygiene and a balanced diet is connected to health, that life is in the blood, that the impact of genetics is important. Scripture describes the water cycle and has archeological support for its storyline, and I share all that because when we encourage each other to believe it is also a sign of victory. Friends, when we become Christians, we are set free from our bondage to sin, but we must then strive to be slaves of righteousness helping others to be victorious. In this regard everyone either serves sin or God. And so, we are at war and the battle is inside each of us that is a baptism of fire and firing neurons. Victory is in Jesus and in us if we would just let the light of Christ shine in and through us in the corner of the world in which we live so others might catch fire in the Spirit. Because Jesus is the truth and the war is all about what is true, we are to find strength in shining the light and fire of optimism and cheerfulness while providing a helping hand for those in need. Victory is in Jesus because he was and is the master of Himself, never losing his head. He was and is the master of circumstances and the master of men, teaching each of us how to master our lives with God’s help becoming who we were designed to be. We were made to be victorious.
Pray we live victoriously. Pray we are daily soaking up the truth of scripture. Pray we read scripture clearly and fully. Pray we are real and honest about the experience. Pray we seek God’s answers to our questions and put them into a daily routine in your life. Pray we realize that God’s Word divides believers and unbelievers. Pray we do not delude ourselves into thinking we are in control of our own lives and our own destinies. Pray still that we will make good decisions. Pray that all the factors that influence us converge in a way so that Christ would be glorified in our lives. Pray we are sanctified. Pray we replicate holiness by identifying with Christ at his death, burial, and resurrection. Pray we multiply God’s love for us by taking what is broken and divided and joining it together in a new way. Pray we are living on the foundation of Christ’s faith in a way that helps us to live a victorious life in the Spirit of Christ. Pray we realize that we live victoriously when we help pass on the message.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 