Verse of the Day - weekend 5/14

Through the Bible - 1 Kings 6-9, Matthew 7-8:17

 

Good morning,

I read the following quote on Ray Ortlund's blog.  It was from a sermon that his dad gave back in 1975.  What jumped out at me was when he says, "face life with all you have in Christ".

 

"Jesus wants to express his fullness through you.  Always begin your thinking and your planning and your deciding from the standpoint of Jesus' fullness in your life.  Always begin with the plenty of God.  Face life with all you have in Christ.  Never face life from the standpoint of all the problems and all the needs and all the difficulties.  Always begin with your standing in Christ.  You have rivers of living water, Christ in you, fullness of grace and truth.  That's what Jesus gives us!"

 

I thought that it tied in well with our consideration of Jacob and Israel this week, the challenge to be see through-ers in life.  The thoughts brought me to a favorite passage in Ephesians 1 where Paul tells of the many things we have "in Christ".  Today's verses come from that passage.

 

Ephesians 1:11-12 (The Message) ^11-12It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

 

There are so many people all around us who are trying to find out who they are and what they are living for.  If we begin our thinking and planning and deciding based upon what these verses say we'll be better off.  We'll face the challenges of life with greater confidence, with greater hope, with deeper joy.  It starts with turning away from the things of this world and turning to Jesus.

 

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

• Refrain:
  Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
  Look full in His wonderful face,
  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.

Check out the Third Day rendition of this hymn at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08a6wc3Z7ZE&feature=related

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Ephesians 1:3-14 (English Standard Version)

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

 ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵ he predestined us foradoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us inthe Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

 ¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance untilwe acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.