Treasure from God today

Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra (December 30th)

More on Walking with Jesus the Way We Received Him.

As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

The manner in which we received the Lord is the very same manner in which we are to walk in Him. "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him."

We received Him by grace, we must walk by grace.

We were born again by the Spirit, we must walk by the Spirit.

Furthermore, when we first received Christ, He was our only hope. Now, we are to walk with Him the same way.

It is good to recall how Jesus was the focus at the beginning of our walk with Him. When we received Him and His forgiveness, we knew He had to provide all that was needed for our salvation. We agreed with the word of God that there was no other hope than Jesus. "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'… Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (John 14:6 and Acts 4:12). We knew that we could supply nothing ourselves. We were spiritually dead, having no righteousness at all: "dead in trespasses and sins…all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags" (Ephesians 2:1 and Isaiah 64:6). We had entered the blessed condition of being convicted of our own spiritual bankruptcy. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). Jesus was our comprehensive focus, our only hope. This is how we are to walk in Him today. We need the Lord Jesus as much now for living the Christian life as we needed Him at the beginning to be born again into it. For growth and victory and fruitfulness, He is the one upon whom we must focus. "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving." We need to be rooted in Him, reaching out by faith to Him for nutrition and strength, even as the roots of a tree reach into the soil. We need to be built up in Him, having our lives developed by His work in us. We need to be established in the faith, allowing Him to stabilize us through the study of His word. This will lead us to overflowing appreciation and gratitude that "Christ is all and in all" (Colossians 3:11). Truly, we need the Lord Jesus as much now for living the Christian life as we needed Him at the beginning to be born again into it.

~ Lord Jesus, my all in all, You were my only hope for beginning a new life with You. Today, You are my only hope for growing in this life with You. Please remind me that my need for You never diminishes. It is constant and comprehensive. Thank You for always being available!

Treasure from God today

1 Thess 5:23-24

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

Faithful is He 

Do you ever feel that you are stuck in your walk with God? That you are stuck in your sin in your selfishness, in your self-reliance, in your own ways?

In these verses Who is doing the sanctification? Who is doing the changing work in you? 

The God of peace Himself! How incredible is that?

Paul didn’t say the Almighty God, the All-powerful, All-knowing God, or the Sovereign God but Paul refers to Him with His peace.

It is in His peace with us, in His peace toward us that He works out our sanctification. It’s not with an iron rod; it’s not with guilt. It is through His peace.

God in His peace toward us restores us, sanctifies us, and changes us into Christ’s image. 

He even stirs up my desire for Him. 

It is all Him!!!

So why do I think that this is it; He had enough of me, of my selfishness, of my laziness? 

Why do I think that He is not going to help me anymore; that He is going to leave me here?

God called me to Himself. On top of that He is going to do the rest of the work too. He is going to do whatever it takes to make me pure and wholly consecrated to Him (thank you, Lord) while I am here on earth, but He is making sure that I will be found blameless when Jesus comes back, or my life ends with death. Unbelievable!!!

It just blows my mind away! Why would He do that? He is Holy, He is Perfect, He cannot stand sin. Why would He want to do anything with me? I don’t get it. 

But I praise God that I don’t need to understand it in order for it to be true. 

This is what God says so that is enough!

     Lord, please separate me from all profane things that are removing me from Your closeness. All the things that are keeping me from living fully for you, all the things that are keeping me from experiencing You and Your peace. All the things that I think are pleasing me, all the things that I think I need but ultimately are separating me from Your closeness; from Your sweet presence.

     I praise You Lord; that it is ALL about You! My right standing with you does not depend on what I am doing or not doing. It all depends on what You did and what You are saying to be true!

Treasure from God today

Colossians 3:1-3, 5

If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

And set your minds and keep them set on what is above [the higher things], not on the things that are on the earth.

For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. 

So, kill [deaden deprive of power] the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]; sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry [the deifying of self and other created things instead of God]

Do you realize that you have a completely new life if you are in Christ? Our goal is not to improve our life (which has died when we received Christ), but to live in that new life which Christ gave us at the moment we surrendered our lives to the finished work of the cross. 

This entirely new life has nothing to do with the old. The old has ceased to exist all together. 

So why do we try to improve that which is nonexistant? 

Instead let’s put our time and energy and focus on learning about this new life and living in it. What is Paul’s exhortation for us? Aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above.

Put all you have 

While we are focusing on learning about these rich and eternal treasures, what else does Paul exhort us to do? We are to kill [deaden deprive of power] the evil desires that are still part of the old self; the part that will not cease to be until we die physically. 

So how do you kill your evil desires?

You choose God; you choose all that He has for you.

You choose those rich, eternal treasures instead of the things you think would give you pleasure, satisfaction, or contentment.

         Lord, help me to realize that what You have for me is rich and eternal; something that can make my life rich, satisfied, and abundant. Lord, open my eyes to see and recognize those treasures and teach me how to live by them instead of what I think would give me fulfillment.

          I praise You Lord, that You have rich and eternal treasures for me to live by. Thank You, Lord that You are not giving me what I deserve; which is Hell, eternal separation from You, or Your judgment. But instead You want me to live by Your treasures. You want to bless me with everything I need here from Heaven. You are so amazing! There are no words to describe my thankfulness.

Treasure from God today

Matthew 6:25; 27; 30b; 33-34

I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy {anxious and worried} about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater {in quality} than food, and the body {far above and more excellent} than clothing?

And who of you by worrying and being anxious can add one unit of measure {cubit} to his stature or to the span of his life?

…will He not much more surely clothe you, o you of little faith?

Seek {aim at and strive after} first of all His kingdom and His righteousness {His way of doing and being right}, and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.

So, do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.

Are you an anxious person? Do you worry about your future; your kids’ future? Are you worried about your health, about where this life is going? Are you looking at the things that are not going right in your life; the things that you are missing; that you don’t have? Are you looking at the difficulties and hardships in your life so much that it takes over your judgment? Are you a person that is complaining all the time; sees what they don’t have, meanwhile missing out on what they have?

Worry, anxiety can be a big part of our lives. Some of us are ruled by both. Are you?

If this description is correct, then you need to confess it to God and ask Him to set you free from this wrong way of thinking. Ask Him to set you free from this bondage that is keeping you in slavery.

What does God say about all this? What does He want you to be concerned about? Just one thing: seek Him, His kingdom, His righteousness. 

What promise is He giving us if we do this? Then all these things taken together will be given you besides. I can pursue only one thing at the time; it will be either trying to solve all my problems; trying to provide for all my needs; trying to make sure everyone and everything is taken care of OR I can leave all these concerns to God (since He promised to take care of all these things). 

Of course, this doesn’t mean that I am going to sit in my comfy chair and wait for God to do everything miraculously. Many times, I should be an active participant in how God is taking care of everything. But this is talking about my attitude—where my focus needs to be. Not on my needs but on Him, His righteousness, His kingdom.

    Lord, help me to keep my eyes on You, on Your kingdom, on Your truth instead of being consumed with all the needs and worries of life.

          I praise You Lord, that You can take care of me, my family and that You want to take care of everything. That is Your heart. Thank You, that You have so much more for me than the wasted times of worrying. 

Treasure from God today

 John 17:3 

And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent.

What is eternal life?

Are you living in eternal life today?

Do you know and understand the only true and real God? 

Are you becoming more acquainted with Jesus as the Anointed One, the Messiah?

Philippians 3:8

Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be mere rubbish (refuse, dregs), in order that I may win (gain) Christ (the Anointed One).

Do you consider knowing Christ as a priceless privilege? Or has it become too familiar or routine that you can have a relationship with Him?   

Do you recognize the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage of that privilege that you can know Christ?

When I lose the preciousness of my relationship with Him, when I am too used to the fact that I can come into His presence any time I want to or need to, when my walk with Him becomes dull then I go back to the cross.

When I think through what I deserve without Jesus’ finished work on the cross; when I come afresh and look at His holiness then I sense again what a privilege it is that I can know Him. 

You and I, we deserve God’s wrath and His judgment. But if you are in Christ then you receive His presence; you gain the benefit of being His child instead. 

     Lord, forgive me that I take You for granted so many times. Forgive me when I forget what an incredible price You had to pay so that I wouldn’t need to pay. Forgive me that in the busyness of life I allow things to become more import than the cross; that I forget that it is a privilege that I can have a relationship with You at all. 

         I praise You, Jesus, that You made it possible for me to have a relationship with You.

          Lord, help me in my relationship with You; that it would be the most important thing for me.