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Receiving the riches of His abundant grace, a gift of the undeserved favor of God, may you hear His voice speak to you specifically and relevantly, through His word of promise, The young lions may suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord, will lack no good thing. [Psalms 34:10] It is also written in the scriptures that, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights above. [James 1:17] The ultimate gift, is the gift of salvation, that you receive by faith. [Ephesians 2:8] And it is the sum total of all the blessings of God in Christ. It is the fruit of the finished work of Christ on the Cross. God has demonstrated His grace through salvation, to raise you up together with Christ. And if you have Christ in your life, you have all that you need in your life, in Him, as He Himself becomes your wisdom, strength, and peace., in every circumstance of your life. Therefore, how Christ was lifted up is the path you need to tread, for it is how God is going to raise you up too. For, it is not wrong at all, to desire a rise in your standard of living, through a job that is good. But, it need not be a rat race, which is what it is, in the corporate world right now! Rather, it begins with your mind, its attitude, and what it needs to be. [Philippians 2:5]
The mind, the attitude of Christ:
Who though He existed in the nature of God, Did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, [Verse 6] He gave up His right, so that you can be made right with God, having the right to become children of God. [John 1:12] He gave up His privilege so that you and I can enjoy a godly privilege. And the word of God bids you to arm yourself with the same attitude, so that you may experience and express the fullness of the gift of salvation, that is yours. For, the attitude of Christ was one of willingness. He was not forced or forced Himself to go to the Cross. The Father’s love, who so loved the world, is the love that the Son has for you.
Crucified for your sin:
I have been crucified with Christ. And it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. [Galatians 2:19,20] The words of the apostle are yours and mine this day. It is no longer you, but Christ who lives in you. He gave up His rights and privileges, to come down, loving you, to give you the gift of salvation. And you may have to experience lowering yourself in love, for the wonder of salvation, to become your personal experience.
He loved you, gave Himself for you:
Loving could involve, giving up your rights and privileged position. You and I were Gentiles, who did not enjoy the right of entering the inner court of the temple in Jerusalem, to worship the Great I AM. But now, because Christ loved you, and gave Himself for you, your body is the very temple of the Holy Spirit. It is what Christ did, He loved you, and He now lives in you, because of the Cross. And the love of God can only be experienced.
Experiencing & expressing HIS love:
Love does not insist on its own way. [1 Corinthians 13:4,5] It is why, it has been said that marriage is the antidote for selfishness. The unholy trinity of ‘I, me, myself’, has no rightful place in a godly marriage, and it is experiencing the love of Christ that will enable you to express His love. And, behold, how great is the love, the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called the children of God, writes the apostle John. It is an everlasting love, with no beginning or ending, for He Himself is love, and it needs to become your experience, in order to be expressed. And it is also why, God needs to do His work of grace in you – That you may have the same attitude, and same mind in Christ Jesus, so that you may not merely look out for your own interests, but also help others, especially those who are working for the increase of the kingdom of God, together with you. [Philippians 4:3]
Loving God & loving others:
God has been mindful of us, though you and I have not done anything to gain His attention. He chose to come down, lay His life down on the Cross, all because of who He is, His words, ‘Love God; love your neighbor as yourself; and ‘do unto others, what you would have them do unto you’, exemplifying it all. And what is impossible in your own strength, becomes possible by His limitless grace demonstrated in you, that you may experience His amazing love, to express it in a hurting world that desperately needs to hear the good news of the Savior, who came down from heaven, to seek and save the lost. It was how the Moravian brothers, many years ago, were able to go to an island far away, to minister the gospel to a colony of lepers, whose hearts remained sensitive, unlike their disease-ridden skin, not counting the cost that it entailed, of not returning to their homes, or seeing their loved ones, again, on this side of heaven. And it is a truth that needs to be experienced and expressed, even in a family setting.
Remembering those who invested in you:
Nobody is a self-made person. Therefore, you need to be reminded of the many people, primarily your parents, who though not perfect maybe, but have invested much, went out of their way, to see you settled in life today. And it should result in you expressing the love of God towards them. The One who enabled you to experience will also enable you to express it to them, as God’s love flows in and through you, to touch their hearts, flooding them with joy. And standing in awe, in the presence of the Holy God, unto whom all praise is due, may your prayer be Father, Words are not enough, to describe the love, so immeasurable, that caused You not to spare Your own Son, who gave up His right so willingly in love, to come down, lay down His life for us, that we may be restored, rightly related, to Thee. And, even as our hearts are laid bare in thanksgiving and gratitude, drive away anything petty and selfish that lingers in it. And, instill in it we pray, Your love, and Your grace, that we may experience it and express it more and more, to be a blessing in the lives of others. In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
