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God has called you, to bless you, that you may be a blessing and as we continue to meditate upon His word of promise, may you hear His voice speaking to you relevantly and specifically into your life, as it stands today – The Lord bless you from Zion; and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem, all the days of your life. [Psalm 128:5] His love is the source of it all; the great love that He has lavished upon you, that you may be called a child of God. [1 John 3:1] It is a wonderful change in your status for you are no longer in slavery to fear, in bondage to sin and the evil one. As you receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, the love of God is poured into your heart by the Holy Spirit. And –
a] He gives you the realization that you are a child of God, as He bears witness with your spirit to authenticate the truth of it. [Romans 8:15] And by it, many fears and doubts in you are stilled, for you know that your Heavenly Father knows what you need, and they will be added unto you, even as you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. And –
b] He produces in you the attitude of a child of God. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba Father’. So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then a heir through God. [Galatians 4:6,7] You are a slave no more. And it is not in the future, for, you are His child, a heir of God now, no matter what. It is the truth in which you can approach and deal with the circumstances of your life now, even if they are challenging or painful. The key lies in the fact that you now belong to God, for the Spirit of Christ resides in you. [Romans 8:9]
Belonging & behaving –
When you belong to God, with His Spirit in you, it is more than merely having an outward resemblance. For, it is a transformation in you, as the Holy Spirit begins to develop your character in your inner being, with the Spirit of the Son, producing the attitude of the Son, in the hearts of the sons and daughters, the children of God. The apostle Paul paints the picture of what needs to happen in you – Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 2:5] And though it may not be the place you are in right now, in an ongoing process by the Spirit of God working in you, it need not remain unattainable in the body of believers. For the church is not a showroom, but a workshop, where you and I, as vehicles that need mending and repairing are under construction and are being perfected to arrive at our divine destiny. And to give up on it, due to irritants within and without would be only satisfying the enemy’s desire to throw a spanner in the works.
Joy made complete –
But the truth remains that the Spirit of God is continually developing your character to take you to the place where you need to be as Paul describes his joy being made complete. by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind. [Philippians 2:1-4] Irreconcilable differences is the harsh reality that describes many broken relationships today. But, it need not find a place in your life and mine, for, you and I are children of a God who has reconciled the whole world unto Himself in His amazing grace and overwhelming love. The question is, ‘Do you wish or desire to be reconciled?’! If so, begin with the basic premise that you are a child of God. And you have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling inside you, and He is your ever-present Helper, in whose wisdom and strength even the impossible becomes possible.
Not rivalry or conceit, but humility:
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. [Philippians 2:3] The ways advocated by the world around you would be invariably rooted in egoistic selfishness. ‘What do I get out of it?’, could be the motivating and deciding factor. But God is a God who gives all out of love, willingly, sacrificially and unconditionally, no questions asked. It is why Christ, the sinless One became sin on the Cross of Calvary. And His Spirit dwells in you, to develop in you His attitude, that you may be conformed to His image in your being and behaving. It is with pride that contention comes. And pride and envy are two sides of the same coin, for being proud of what you have, makes you envious of what you do not have. It is not comparing or competing, but fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, to run the race that has been specifically allotted for you that is the will of God for you. And it comes by having in you the attitude of Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit who now dwells in you.
Humility never brings you down –
People can humiliate you; but to become humble is what you need to do. It was what Joseph, the patriarch was able to do, after much struggles that tested him. But he remained steadfast, for the Lord was with him, and he was at the end of it all, lifted up by Him to a place of high honor, second only to the Pharoah, the ruling monarch. You are blessed, to be a blessing! Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. [vs 4] You are blessed by God, blessed to be a blessing in the lives of others. He satisfies your need, that by it, you may satisfy the needs of others. But this is always a struggle, owing to the selfishness that is inherent in the sinful human nature, that makes you unable to bring about a change in your own strength.
Not I, but CHRIST –
But Christ made the difference, even as He went to the Cross that His Father may be glorified, and not to satisfy His own will. And you can therefore overcome being focused on your own self, and include the interests of others by Christ in you and through you. For, He humbled Himself and tasted death to bring many sons to glory. For it was fitting that He, for whom, and in whom, all thugs exist, in bringing many sons to glory should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering; For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why He is not ashamed to call them brothers. [Hebrews 2:10,11] Peter was the disciple who fiercely denied that he knew the Lord. But the attitude of the Lord, having risen from the dead called him His brother, and together with it, gave him the responsibility, of caring for His sheep. He was blessed so that the blessing of God may flow through him to bless others. It is what the grace of God can accomplish even in you. For He died, He rose again, and is now in you, that the attitude of the Son may be the attitude of His sons and daughters.
As HE is, so are you –
By this love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement as He is so also are we in this world. [1 John 4:17] As He is, so are you, even in this world, for, God can bring about a change in you, by the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. And you can show people who trouble you, who He is, through you, as He continually works His grace in you. And by the Spirit reigning in you, you can keep silent when reviled, for the character of the Son can be in you. Not depending on your own strength, go to Him, as you are, in your struggles, asking the Lord to show who He is, in you and through you, to bring about a blessing that only He can bring about, as you pray, Lord, we submit ourselves into your loving hands, for we need your strength, your wisdom and grace. And we can do all things as you strengthen us, for You are living in us, developing us, that our attitude may be Yours, to shine for Your glory. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
