Trent's weekly muse - 25th November - The Start will Determine the End
The start will determine the end
God has deposited you in Christ Jesus, For our benefit God made Him to be wisdom itself.
Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin.
1 Cor 1:30
Read that again – what an amazing description of where you now live. You have been deposited in Christ. Not only that, He has made you pure and holy and free. That is not some future state for you to try to attain – that is who you are . That is your identity.
And I believe that is crucial we get this – that we MUST live from that position, from that identity. The Father is calling us afresh to think afresh about our identity in this spiritual journey and to live from that place always.
The old nature is dead and we are to consider it so for the rest of our lives (Rom 6:11). We are now engaged in practicing a life that is only alive to God and focused on our truest identity in Jesus.
Col 3:1-3 says
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Jesus is to become our all in all. We are now raised up with Him so that we may continue seeking a perspective and lifestyle that comes from another dimension, Our thinking is set from this place.
We always move and live from the place of Christ within (Acts 17:28).
We fight from victory, not towards it (2 Cor 2:14), so that victory is guaranteed (1 Cor 15:57).
Where we start from is vital. We are already in Christ by an act of God. We are learning how to stay, dwell and remain in that place.
As we learn to face every issue from the place of indwelling Presence, our perceptions undergo a radical transformation. Christ in us, the hope of glory; the confident expectation of something excellent occurring.
The old man is dead; we are a new creation in Christ. That is our starting point. We don't need counselling for our old man - we need schooling on our real identity in Christ. We never start life in God with a deficit. The Cross and Baptism in water was the absolute end to the life that we once lived and that did not work. Now we have a new life and each day we refresh ourselves in newness of life (Rom 6:4) and serve in newness of spirit (Rom 7:6).
When we face an issue in Christ, we learn how to see the end from the beginning. The outcome beckons us forward. 2 Cor 2:14 says "Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ” Listen - we are never staring defeat in the face- it is the enemy that is constantly in that place of defeat.
2 Cor 2:14 goes on to say “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.”
What a great result – Christ ALWAYS leads us in triumph and as we learn to live out of the abiding presence we will manifest the sweet aroma of Him in every place .
Wow what a great assignment
Let me finish with a quote from Graham Cooke on how we do this practically
"On this journey of life, we have choices to make in terms of how we are going to show up. We can choose, for example, optimism or discouragement. In my own walk with the Lord, I am dedicated to remaining positive. It is better to say, "I am quietly hopeful," than to say "I'm really down right now." This is more than just a change of language. It is a change of outlook."
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Let the indwelling presence of Christ always be your starting place. As we practice newness each day it becomes our richest experience. Living one day at a time and rejoicing in Christ within. |