CHRIST IN US

To live the Christian life is to allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.

Every parent at one time or another has seen their child struggle with something they so desperately wanted to free them from.  Whether it’s the struggle of the teenage years or just the process of growing up.  We have all seen those who we dearly love, struggling and some how we would like to have been able to walk into their life and release them from their struggle so that they could again enjoy life to the fullest.

But this very thing is what Jesus Christ offers to every one of His followers.  Many Christians however, miss out in living an abundant (John 10:10) and victorious (1 John 5:4) life because they are hanging on to their life!

They attend church and read their Bibles occasionally and pray from time to time.  They may even be moved to take on a ministry assignment at their church.  They’re going through the motions of a Christian but deep within they know that they are missing out in the joy, peace and power they know should be there.  This is not the life that Jesus envisioned for His followers.  Rather it was to be a life lived above the world.  A life of joy, faith, hope and trust.  A life of abundant living as a victor.

So what is the problem?  They have not come to that place in which they themselves have been crucified and thereby allowing Jesus to live in them and through them!  For they are still in control and have not come to that place of surrendering it completely to Christ! They in essence are living the desert life. (see Deuteronomy 2 ff) They were God’s people, He looked after them but they never experienced the promised land life.

When the Christian places self will, self desires, self assurance, self dependence and every other self upon the cross of Christ; He then becomes their life.  It is no longer their life; it’s His life.  In this life relationship you now listen to Him; live for Him and walk according to His will.  It’s a complete passing of control from yourself to Him!

If self continues to rule your life then you will be in bondage to it.  It remains your master.  Jesus Christ calls us to give it over to Him.  Christ is calling us to crucify it so that a new resurrected life of Christ would rise up in us!

The Apostle Paul was able to say, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;” Galatians 2:20a (NKJV)

In your life today is it still “I not Christ’ or are you able to say “Not I, but Christ”.  If you cannot yet say the latter; then pray now and ask Him to show you and help you to die to self and to the notions of what you think the Christian life should be so that you can experience promised land life in Him!

Read: Colossians 3:1-11 & Galatians 2:20

SIGNIFICANCE

It’s significance in life that makes a lasting impact.

How do you live a significant life?  The kind of significant life that God wants us to live?  Peter, at the end of the book I Peter, in a few short verses sort of gleans a lot of what he learned of how to live the significant life from Jesus Christ.  He says, here's what I learned from Him about significance that can happen in your life.

At the end of His life, Jesus Christ was able to say, in John 17, a prayer the night before He died on the cross, He prayed, "Having finished the work that you gave Me to do, I brought you glory on the earth."  Even when He was on the cross with His last dying breath, Christ was able to say, "It's done.  It's complete." 

Wouldn't you like to be able to end your life that way?  With a real sense of I finished it, it's complete?  Peter shows us some things about Jesus Christ.  He saw how Jesus Christ lived significantly in His relationships with other people.  He shares with us some of the ways you and I can learn from Him.

Significant living happens when you……

Start Serving.  Matthew 23:11 (NIV) The greatest among you will be your servant.

That's simple isn't it?  Simple clear, to the point.  If I'm going to be the greatest, I have to be a servant.  If you really want to have a significant life one of the questions you have to ask yourself is this, "Where can my life have the most impact?   How can I best use my time?"  Jesus said to be the greatest, be a servant.

Servants choose desire over duty.  1 Peter 5:2a (NIV), serve as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be;

Duty doesn't work to impact other people, but desire does, and a willingness does.  If we want to have a significant impact on people we have to change all those "shoulds" we have in our lives into "wants".  Four words that never will change the world:  "if I have to".   It takes desire to change the world.  Can you imagine Columbus talking to the Queen of Spain who's saying "I want you to go to the other side of the world and find this new country or a way to China" and Columbus say, "I'll go, if I have to".  Or Neil Armstrong getting ready to step out on the moon and calls back to Mission Control, "Do I have to?"   Desire is what makes the difference in life.  The ability to say, "I have a willingness to do this.  "If I have to" can be a very dangerous way of thinking. 

How do you change "shoulds" into "wants"?  How do you change those duties in your life into desires?  You can begin to want to love your kids again or want to love your wife again.  You can begin to want to serve God again.  That can happen.  How do you do it? 

Pray, "God, I'm willing to be made willing."  This makes God your partner.  All of a sudden you're not in it alone.  You're asking for His help to change your heart.  You can't change your heart by yourself anyway.  Whatever you're struggling with, look to God and say "I'm willing to be made willing".  Choose desire over duty.

Servants choose giving over getting. I Peter 5:2b "Don't be greedy for money, but be eager to serve."  In other words  "Don’t ask: `What can I get?' but rather ask: `What can I give?'"  Are we more naturally interested in getting or giving?  Giving has power that we don't recognize sometimes.  Getting sometimes seems like the answer.  It can seem so important to us but Peter reminds us here that you don't make a lasting impact by what you make.  You make a lasting impact by what you give in life. 

We tend to equate having money with having influence. Is having money the problem?  No.  You can use money to give to others.  It's greed that's the problem.  Don't be greedy for money.  It's the unquenchable desire to get more that's the problem.  Greed keeps you from being satisfied with what you have.  You're always reaching for more.  Money can be very deceiving.  It looks like you're making an impact when all you're doing is building a bank account. Peter says instead of focusing on that, be eager to serve.  Be chomping at the bit to make a difference in other people's lives.  Giving, through serving, is where it's all about. 

Servants choose to be an example over being in control.  1 Peter 5:3 (TEV) Do not try to rule over those who have been put in your care, but be examples to the flock.

Don't be like a ruler over people you're responsible for, but be a good example to them.  You don't make a lasting impact by telling people what to do.  You make a lasting impact by showing people how to do it.  Would you agree that the world certainly doesn't need more people to tell us what we should do?  It needs more people to show us how to do it.  You can say "Do as I say, not as I do" as many times as you want.  But guess what they're going to do?  They are going to do as you do.  Our example is what has power. 

Mahatma Gandhi the political and spiritual leader in India during their independence movement commented once about Christianity: “I like what I see in Jesus Christ but not what I see in his followers.”  Do you want to be a Christian of significance?  Be a great example.

Read: Psalm 145:1-21 & 1 Peter 5:1-7

FORGIVING

Freedom comes to the offended when we forgive the offender.

When we are unwilling or unable to forgive someone; it places us in bondage!  In this state we carry the pressure and weight of un-forgiveness within us.  The crime of the offender continues to hurt us because we have not released it!

How do we forgive someone?

1.  Realize how much forgiveness we ourselves need.  By understanding the depth of our own sinfulness and the cost of the sacrifice paid by Jesus Christ helps put it into perspective.  Comprehending the depth to which we have been forgiven; gives us no reason to not forgive others.

2.  Surrender the debt we feel owed to us; giving it all to Christ.  In this way we release the offender by giving it to Christ.  Simply put we pour out our case with all the facts, feelings and emotions directly in conversation with our Lord.

3.  Release others from any responsibility to meet our needs.  This is about accepting people the way they are.  When others do not treat us or respond to us the way we expect them to,  we get hurt.  We can overcome this kind of interaction by never putting our expectations upon others.

4.  See others that we have forgiven as instruments God uses to teach us.  God uses people to stretch , grow and mature us.  Ask anyone who has raised children!  Even Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers was able to say to them many years later: ²⁰ But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20 (NKJV)

5.  Do what you can to restore the relationship.  This may require us to contact them and offer an apology.  There are times we’re not even sure what we did; in which case just explain it as such offering to make amends.

What if it happens again?

We need to remind ourselves that forgiveness is an act of the will and that it is for our benefit.  All the feelings of the past hurts will probably rise with you.  Don’t give Satan this ground in your life.  Stand firm in your commitment to forgive and forgive again if necessary.  The person offending you may never change and it’s God’s business to change them.  Our part is to be free from the bondage of not forgiving.  As we focus on the One who has forgiven us, it in turn will set us free.

Read: Matthew 18:23-35