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Scripture for the day: Luke 1: 74,75 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
Thought for the day: "It's so hard to be a Christian." How many times have I heard that statement from some well-meaning brother or sister in the Lord. How many times have I either thought it or said it myself when I thought no one was listening? Too many, I'm afraid. But if it's true that we all struggle with the Christian life, with living our lives so as to please the Lord, what can be the reason for that struggle? Could it be, as we so often say, that "we're only human" and thus doomed to sin every day? Is there no escape from such a hopeless way of life? Does the blood of Jesus, shed on that cross, have the power to save only from the penalty of sin and not deliver us from the power of sin as well? The great, Good News is today that, if we are willing to accept it, Jesus provided a means by which we can be free from the control of sin in our lives and live each day in a manner that is pleasing to Him (notice I didn't say we'd ever be free from temptation, only from the need to give in to it). Zacharias predicted, as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit, such freedom would come through Jesus Christ; the He would enable us to serve Him in holiness, God's original purpose for His creation, all the days of our lives.
Ezekiel predicted, again through the Holy Spirit working with him, " `For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws" (Eze. 36:25-27). Could this be any clearer? God intends, demands, and provides the means by which we can serve Him in holiness and righteousness each moment of each day. So again, why do we struggle so?
I think there are two reasons. First, we struggle because we profess something we don't possess. I'm not talking about salvation; that's a different topic for another time. I mean the presence of the Holy Spirit in power within our lives. We too often claim His presence without having asked Him to fill us with that presence. We too often assume He's at work when we've not taken the time or been willing to submit to His leadership.
Second, and probably more often the case, we try to do it on our own, by our own will and sense of determination. "I'm going to live for Christ today if it kills me!" Careful, it just might. What we need to understand and accept because there's no other way to live in harmony with the Lord, is that we can't live for Christ for five minutes if left to our own devices. We will, precisely because we're fallen sinful creatures, abandon Him at the slightest provocation, just as Peter did in denying Him three times in spite of his boasts to the contrary. We're no stronger than Peter and won't fare any better. The only way past this is complete and utter abandonment of ourselves to the Holy Spirit whom God has placed within us, to let Him live our life for us. God said through Ezekiel, "I will cause you to walk in all My statutes." He didn't say He'd help or guide but that He would cause it to happen, through His power, His ability and His watchcare over us.
Do we have any part in living for Jesus then? Of course we do. He doesn't erase our personality or make us into some holy robots. Our part is submission to His will, in asking for and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit as the disciples did at Pentecost and each day as we face new challenges and trials. Holiness is a life, not just a concept. And a lifestyle requires daily attention and the determination to maintain that lifestyle each moment, not to slip back into old habit. The only way is through the positive act of submission to the Spirit.
There's good news today, my friends, and that is we don't have to struggle to live for Jesus; we only have to cease our struggles and let Him live His life through us. "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me."
Now go take on your world. - Bill