The normal Christian life is a victorious, holy, faith-centered, Spirit-empowered, Christ-dependent, surrendered, fruit-bearing, broken, overcoming, sustained life. The normal Christian life is another way of describing abiding in Christ. This life is an on-going conversational relationship with Christ that is maintained by faith through gratitude toward life disappointments, dependence on the Spirit, and acknowledgment of my numerous weaknesses and failings. The normal Christian life is daily experiencing the presence of Christ and allowing him to live his life in and through me. Christ lives the Christian life in me because by my efforts alone I cannot live the Christian life.
~Major Ian Thomas
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
~ 2 Cor 2:14
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 8:37-39
This is not a squeaker-type win beloved.
This is a slam dunk. This is a blow-out.
Jesus! King of the the Universe has brought us into unity with Himself. We were buried with Him in His death, and raised with Him in His resurrection. He (this King of Kings) crashed out of the grave with the greatest strength in all creation. This is a strength born of Love, and now full from simply being back in the Presence of His Father.
JOY! His Joy, is our strength – and He is in us, and we are in Him. We (those who truly believe) have been given total, inestimable freedom from our old selves. We have become fully accepted in the Beloved. We are taking on His likeness. He is giving us His mind. We are totally new.
Are we catching this?
All is well. All is well, and will ever be well.
This is very good news!
So, what is the point? Everything is different in our lives now. Everything is working together for good. Everything is going in the right direction. Fear, anxiety, sin, anger, worry, lust and all of these things are just voices from our past lives screaming out for attention. And yeah, we can (and sometimes do) listen to these voices. BUT (as in a really big BUT!) we absolutely, positively do not have to listen to our old flesh or the evil one launching fiery darts our way.
We are utterly one with the One who does not sin, and cannot lie. And He is, by His own Word, making us into His likeness. He, by His own work, has paid for our sins. And He, by His own intercession, is channeling the absolutely joyful (read powerful) Love of the Father into our lives.
Correction. This is audaciously epically, verily very good news!
Why do we ever worry? What if we just chose to take on the mind He is already giving us? What if we just began to actually trade on the truth that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life – and that we are one with Him? What if we simply chose to Live in the truth that we have already found the Way, already found the Truth, already have His Life in us – and ours in His?
Might our lives be characterized by exactly what His Word says? Might we, in fact, be MORE than conquerors? Might we, in truth, become people with whom the devil messes with less and less, simply because it is not worth his time?
Would that we all would embrace this tonight! His yoke is easy. His path is clear. His Word is true. His Joy is our strength. The end-game is over, and it is simply time to start living in the victory He has already accomplished.
Look in, and see Christ’s chosen saint In triumph wear his Christlike chain; No fear lest he should swerve or faint; His life is Christ, his death is gain.
~John Keble (1792-1866)
