Category: April

Daily Light – Apr 30, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:  
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)
 
 
Today’s Daily Light
 
Continuing…The Search For Significance, by R. McGee
 
The Holy Spirit is Our Agent of Change
 
(We ended last week with… “the love of Christ flows through us and produces spiritual fruit”…let’s continue…)
 
Obviously, this fruit is not always evident in the lives of Christians, but why not?  As we all know, the Christian life is not an easy one.  It is not simply a self-improvement program.  True, we may at times be able to make some changes in our habits through our own discipline and determination, but Christianity is not merely self-effort.  The Christian life is a supernatural one in which we draw on Christ as our resource for direction, encouragement, and strength.  In on of the most widely known metaphors of the Bible, Christ described the christian life in John 15, using the illustration of a branch and a vine.  He said:
 
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser…Abide in (live, grow, and gain your sustenance from) Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.  (John 15:1, 4-5).
 
 

Nothing?  Yes, nothing in terms of that which honors Christ, is spiritually nourishing to us, and ins genuine Christian service.  Anything done apart from the love and power of Christ amounts to nothing.  Although we may expend tremendous effort at a great personal cost, on that which is done for Christ’s glory in the power of His Spirit is of eternal value.  The very power of god that was evident when Christ was raised from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-21) is available to every believer who abides in Him, who desires that He be honored, and who trusts that His Spirit will produce fruit in his or her life.  

 
Just as the cross of Christ is the basis of our relationship with God, it is also the foundation of our spiritual growth.  Christ’s death is the supreme demonstration of God’s love, power, and wisdom.  The more we understand and apply the truths of justification, propitiation, reconciliation, and regeneration, the more our lives will reflect His character.  Spiritual growth is not magic.  It comes as we apply the love and forgiveness of Christ in our daily circumstances.  It comes as we reflect on the unconditional acceptance of Christ and His awesome power and choose to respond to situations and people in light of His sovereign purpose and kindness toward us.  
 
Father…I pray for all of us in this new week…that we will discipline ourselves to practice spending more time with You in Your word and in Your presence ‘so that’ we will experience the eternal rewards that come from ‘abiding’ in You….’so that’ we can bear eternal fruit for Your kingdom.  Amen

 
 
Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
If you have not visited our blog, the web address is    lettherebelight.blog

Daily Light – Apr 27, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)

Today’s Daily Light

Continuing…The Search For Significance, by R. McGee

The Holy Spirit Our Agent of Change

The truths we have examined in this book can have tremendous implications on our every goal and relationship, but now we need to understand how actually to implement them in our lives.  How can we begin to experience positive change?  Jesus answered this question in His last time of intimate instruction with His disciples (John, chapters 13-16).  He told the that he would soon be put to death but that they would not be left alone:

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16).

That Helper is the Holy Spirit, who came some fifty days later to direct and empower the believers at Pentecost.  The same Holy Spirit indwells all believers today and serves as our instructor, counselor, and source of spiritual power as we live for Christ’s glory and honor.

Who is the Holy Spirit, and why did He come?  The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the trinity, is God and possesses all the attributes of deity.  His primary purpose is to glorify Christ and bring attention to Him.  Christ said, “He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you” (John 16:14).  The Holy Spirit is our teacher, and He guides us into the truth of Scriptures (John 16:13).  It is by His power that the love of Christ flows through us and produces spiritual fruit within us (John 7:37-39;  15:1-8).  This spiritual fruit is described in many ways in the New Testament, including intimate friendship with Christ (John 15:14); love for one another (John 15:12); joy and peace in the midst of difficulties (John 14:27; 15:11); steadfastness (Ephesians 5:18-21); and evangelism and discipleship (Matthew 28:18-20).  (con’t tomorrow 😊).

Father…ending this week….I simply bow on my knees and praise you.  Your ways, Your plan, all so amazing…I am thankful that you gave us Your Word …and that You gave us Your Spirit to live inside us.   Thank you that you want us to ‘know’ You.  Thank You even more that You want to know us.  Amen

Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
If you have not visited our blog, the web address is    lettherebelight.blog

Daily Light – Apr 26, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:  
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)
 
 
Today’s Daily Light
 
Continuing…The Search For Significance, by R. McGee
 
The Agent of Change (con’t)
 
The moment we trust Christ, we are given everything pertaining to life and godliness (2 Peter 2-4).  Immediately, we become His sons and daughters, with all the provisions He has graciously given us.  As we allow Him to reign over the affairs of our lives, He transforms our values, attitudes, and behavior ‘so that’ we are able to glorify Him more and more.  Of course, we are still chained to a mortal body, but we are reborn in righteousness and holiness of the truth.  We have within us the Christ who has authority over Satan.  Christ has triumphed over him by the power of His blood to pay for sin and by the power of His resurrection to give new life (Col. 2:15).  
 
Now redeemed, our rightful purpose to rule in life will only be denied if we continue to allow Satan to deceive us.  If we fail to recognize our true position of worship and to exercise our new power and authority, we will remain trapped in the world’s system.  Satan’s lies and schemes are designed to keep us from recognizing and experiencing these wonderful truths.
 
In order to overcome Satan’s lies and begin to enjoy freedom from false beliefs, we need to have a clear understanding of what Christ has done for us through His death on the cross.  The more fully we understand the implications of Christ’s sacrifice, the more we will experience the freedom, motivation, and power God intends for us.  God’s Word is the source of truth;  the truth about Christ, the cross, and redemption.
 
The apostle Peter wrote that the cross is not just the beginning of the Christian life, but it is our constant motivation to grow spiritually and to live for Christ:
 
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.  (2 Peter 1:5-9).   Wow!!  
 
This passage clearly teaches that the absence of spiritual growth can be traced to a lack of understanding or a failure to remember the implications of Christ’s forgiveness.  The cross is central to our motivation and development.
 
Dear Jesus…Thank You for what YOU have given me and provided me in Your death and resurrection.   Thank You that you have been faithful to continue loving me and drawing me to Your truth and changing me.  Thank You that YOU have given me a hunger for Your Word… ‘so that’ Your Word can do its work in me..to change me and cause me to bear fruit…to be light.   Thank You for forgiving me when I fail You and when I sin.  Thank You for always moving me forward ‘in’ You.  Thank You.
 
 
 
Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
If you have not visited our blog, the web address is    lettherebelight.blog

Daily Light – Apr 25, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)

Today’s Daily Light

Continuing…The Search For Significance…by R. McGee

The Agent of Change

Our redemption was made complete at Calvary.  When Jesus lifted up His eyes and cried, “It is finished!”  (John 19:30), He told us that the provision for man’s reconciliation with God was complete.  Nothing more need be done, because the Word of life had been spoken to all mankind.  Man needed only to hear the Word, accept it, and place his hope and trust in Christ.

But, if the redemption we enjoy is complete, why do we so often fail to see the changes we long for in our lives?  Why do we wrestle day after day with the same temptations, the same failings, and the same distractions we have always fought?  Why can’t we break free and move on toward maturity?  

Christ illustrated the reasons for our lack of fruitfulness in the parable of the sower in Mark 4:3-20.  In agriculture, productivity depends on the fertility of the soil, the climate, and the presence or absence of weeds.  The reasons Christ gave for lack of fruit in the believer’s life were Satan’s taking away the Word of God, persecution, and the worries of the world.  For most of us, the worries of the world are the primary culprit for our lack of growth.  Jesus described it this way:

And others are the ones on who seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the Word, and the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.  (Mark 4:18-19)

In the context of honesty, affirmation, and patience, we can focus on the forgiveness we have received and reject the deception and worldly desires that choke out the Word of life.  We need to base our lives on God’s Word and allow His character to be reproduced within us by the power of His Spirit:

And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the Word and accept it, and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.  (Mark 4:20)

Father…I pray that you will transform us into ‘good’ soil…from the inside out….through the work of Your Spirit…’so that’ we will bear eternal fruit.  Amen

Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
If you have not visited our blog, the web address is    lettherebelight.blog

Daily Light – Apr 24, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment

Today’s Daily Light

Continuing…The Search For Significance…by R. McGee

Today… Summarizing what we have learned thus far….      What did God provide/do ‘for us and to us’ in His plan for our ‘salvation’ in the redemptive act of Jesus the Son when Jesus died for us on the Cross?  (Please read the question again..and capture the main points).   We studied the answer to the question for the past few weeks…now…let’s summarize what we have ‘in Christ Jesus‘.….the four great doctrines from Scripture that we have learned thus far that are God’s solution to the ‘four false beliefs’:

(force yourself to memorize the scripture contained herein…and then regularly meditate on them…commit them to memory, make them your own 😊)

Because of Justification, you are completely forgiven and fully pleasing to God.  You no longer have to fear failure.

 

2 Corinthians 5:21, He made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.      

Romans 5:1-2, Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Because of Reconciliation, you are totally accepted by God.  You no longer have to fear rejection.   

Colossians 1:21-22, And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.     

Colossians 2:13-15, When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ.  He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations that was against us and that stood opposed to us;  He took it away, nailing it to the cross.  And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Because of Propitiation, you are deeply loved by God.  You no longer have to fear punishment, nor do you have to punish others.

1 John 4:9-11, By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.       

Romans 5:7-11, For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.  And no only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.  

Because of Regeneration, you have been made brand-new, complete in Christ.  You no longer need to experience the pain of shame.

Titus 3:3-7, For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, who He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Ephesians 4:22-24, That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.  

Friends…I pray that our Great God, who is our ‘Father’…manifests Himself to us in a deeper way….a way that further transforms us and motivates us to be light to the world.   Amen

 

 

Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
If you have not visited our blog, the web address is    lettherebelight.blog

Daily Light – Apr 23, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:  
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)
 
 
Today’s Daily Light
 
Taking from … The Search For Significance…R. McGee
 
Continuing with ..God’s Answer to Shame and Sin:  Regeneration
 
When we trust Christ and experience new life, forgiveness, and love, our lives will begin to change.  Still, regeneration does not effect an instantaneous change in the full realm of our performance.  We will continue to stumble and fall at times, but the Scriptures clearly instruct us to choose to act in ways that reflect our new lives and values in Christ.  As Paul wrote the Ephesians:
 
That, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.  (Ephesians 4:22-24)
 
We are to put on, or envelop ourselves in, this new self that progressively expresses Christian character in our attitudes and behavior.  We are marvelously unique, created to reflect the character of Christ through our individual personalities and behavior.  In a different and  special way, each believer has the capability to shine forth the light of God.  No two will reflect light in exactly the same way.  
 
The truth of regeneration can dispel the specter of the past.  Our sins have been forgiven, and we now have tremendous capabilities for growth and change because we are new people with the Spirit of God living in us.  Yes, when we sin we will experience it destructive effects and the Father’s discipline, but our sin will never change the truth of who we are in Christ.  
 
When we do sin, we should follow King David’s example.  When Nathan confronted David about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba, David confessed his sin to the Lord (2 Samuel 12:1-13).  David did not run from his sin or its consequences. He married Bathsheba, and God was merciful:  He enabled Bathsheba to give birth to Solomon, the wise king of Israel.  Certainly, God could have brought Solomon into the world another way, but perhaps as a message to us, He chose Bathsheba.  What a message!  Confess your sins, worship God, and get on with your life.  You can experience the mercy of God not matter what you’ve been through.
 
Father…thank you that You seek to, want to, desire to, are willing to, and capable of, forgiving us and restoring us when we fail.  Thank you.  How loving and kind Your are.  And thank You that when we do turn from You, when we Sin, that you love us soo much and You are soo faithful that you discipline us ‘so that’ You can forgive us and reconcile us back into that abiding place with You which is the ‘only’ place where we can find consistent and true joy and peace and contentment.  Help us to recognize when Satan comes to deceive us…when he comes to pull and tug at the lusts of our ‘old’ self.   Help us to shine forth Your light to others who are trapped in the darkness.  Amen
 
 
 
 

 

 



 
Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
If you have not visited our blog, the web address is    lettherebelight.blog

Daily Light – Apr 20, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:  
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)
 
 
Today’s Daily Light
 
Taking from … The Search For Significance
 
Continuing with … God’s Answer To Shame and Sin .. REGENERATION
 
Regeneration is the renewing work of the Holy Spirit that literally makes each believer a new person at the moment trust is placed in Christ as Savior.  
 
In that wondrous, miraculous moment, we experience more than swapping one set of standards for another.  We experience what Jesus called a new birth (John 3:3-6), a Spirit-wrought renewal of the human spirit, a transforming resuscitation that takes place so that theSpirit is alive within us (Romans 8:10).
 
Through the gift of God’s grace, we are spiritually alive, forgiven, and complete in Him.  Paul wrote the Colossian Christians:  “For in Him (Christ) all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority” (Col. 2:9-10).
 
In the church at Colossae, false teachers taught that ‘completeness’ came through a combination of philosophy, good works, and other religions, and Christ.  Paul’s clear message was that we are made complete through Christ alone.  To attempt to find completeness through any other source, including success, the approval of others, prestige, or appearance, is to be taken captive through philosophy and empty deception (Col. 2:8).  Nothing can add to the death of Christ to pay for our sins and the resurrection of Christ to give us new life.  We are complete because Christ has forgiven us and given us life and the capacity for growth and change.  
 
According to the theologian Louis Berkhof, “Regeneration consists in the implanting of the principle of the new spiritual life in man, in a radical change of the governing disposition of the soul, which, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gives birth to a life that moves in a Godward direction.  In principle this change affects the whole man:  the intellect…the will…and the feelings or emotions.”   (con’t next week 😊)
 
Precious Father, Lord Jesus, and wonderful Holy Spirit …there is nothing more in life that I treasure more than You/Your presence.  That ‘internal’ knowing/awareness that You are ‘in’ me…that You will never leave me…that You are at work inside me …transforming me into more of a person that can better reflect your divine nature… ‘so that’ I can be light to those who are lost in darkness.   Amen

Daily Light – Apr 19, part 2

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
This is from my friend and pastor David, from his S.O.A.P. time this morning.  (Study, Observe, Apply, Pray).  I thought it such a meaningful addition and deeper enhancement of the context in this morning’s Daily Light.
 

 

Subject: 4-19-18 1 John 3:6-18 Less sin, more love

4-19-18  1 John 3:6-18   Less sin, more love
 
6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. … 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, … The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. …  ESV
 
We all know that we should not sin. John goes beyond that and says those who are born again will not continue in sin. But we must remember his words in Ch 1 that if we claim we have no sin we lie, and we call Jesus a liar because He knows we do sin. John says those who continue with lives like before they believed in Christ do not know Christ but are still “children of the devil”. Strong words!
 
And he is not just telling them to exert more will power, because will power can never make us like the Lord Jesus. It takes a new birth, being born again and His life in us for us to live the Christian life. We need more than a new purpose or new effort, we need new life and new power – His life and His power. Christians are not sinless, but they sin less, because He gives us new desires and new ability to accomplish those desires. Children of the devil would never enjoy yielding their lives to Christ, but those who have been born again have wonderful delight in walking in the Light.
 
We all know John 3:16; so let that help us remember today’s passage, 1 John 3:16  “ By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.   ESV
 
Speaking of the woman who anointed his feet with perfume Jesus said “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” (Luke 7:47) A person who recognizes the forgiveness and grace of God in his/her life will want to show that same love to others – and John writes of compassion for basic and obvious needs – food, clothing, shelter. But if someone has no desire to show love, it is strong indication they have never understood their true need for a Savior or God’s grace. If a person understands John 3:16, they will also understand 1 John 3:16. If they don’t manifest 1 John 3:16, they probably have never understood the gospel.
 
Lord, I realize we do not come to a full understanding of this right away. Growth (sanctification) takes time – a lifetime. Thank You for Your patience with me and that I have greater joy in serving You and showing compassion to people now than ever before. I am truly thankful for the desire and joy You have been nurturing in me. Again, I pray You would use me to help others find this same joy, and that many would hallow Your name.

Daily Light – Apr 19, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:  
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)
 
 
Today’s Daily Light
 
Taking from…The Search For Significance, by R. McGee
 
Today…God’s Answer to our Sin and Shame – REGENERATION
 
Which is more powerful; your sin or God’s ability to overcome your sin?
 
Can man’s sin be superior to Christ’s payment for that sin?
 
Can God, who spoke the universe into being, make a difference in your life?
 
So here we go 😊  By now I hope you understand that nothing can come between what you do and God’s love for you as one of His children.  To overcome shame, you must accept how completely God desires to make changes in your life that will free you from your past.
 
Perhaps we wish that during ‘regeneration’ God had turned us purple or given us yellow spots.  At least then we would see a difference in ourselves.  However, God has gone to the trouble of communicating that He has made us brand-new ‘inside’.  And now it’s up to us to take Him at His Word.
 
Perhaps no passage in the bible better illustrates God’s regeneration than the story of Zaccheus In Luke 19:1-10.  Zaccheus was a tax collector, despised by the people for overtaxing their meager earnings.  There were few in the Roman world more despicable than tax collectors, who obtained their wealth at the expense of others.  One day, Zaccheus learned that Jesus was visiting his town, and he climbed a sycamore tree to get a good look at the man who reportedly loved even sinners and outcasts.  Jesus saw him in the tree and, to the astonishment of all, including Zaccheus, invited him to come down.  Then Jesus even went to his house to eat with him!
 
During dinner, Zaccheus experienced the unconditional love and acceptance of Christ.  As a result, he became a different person.  His self-concept was radically changed from a swindling, loathsome tax collector to a person who knew he was loved by God.  His actions reflected this dramatic change.  He pledged to repent of his sins and repay fourfold those he had swindled.  He also promised to give half of his possessions to the poor.  Through Christ, Zaccheus developed a new self-concept, new values, new goals, and new behavior.  
 
Regeneration is not a self-improvement program, nor is it a cleanup campaign for our sinful natures.  Regeneration is nothing less than the impartation of new life.  Paul also wrote about this incredible transformation process in his letter to the young pastor Titus:
 
For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.  But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (Titus 3:3-7)
 
Wow!!   Please reread the Titus verses again and again until the ‘mountain of truth’…until the arrows of God’s truth..penetrate deep into your spirit-mind ‘so that’ this ‘truth’ can begin to have its work ‘in’ you through the work of God’s Spirit which lives in you.   When you mediate on God’s Truth…you are feeding your spirit-mind…you are feeding the ‘new life’ that God imparted to you..feeding ‘spirit’ food to ‘spirit’ mind.   This is how we assist with the transformation process that God began in us through the new life He imparted ‘to’ us at the time of our coming to Christ.  Eating spiritual food, regularly, spending time with God/Jesus in prayer…is ‘how’ the ‘mind’ of Christ…’how’ the divine nature grows in us… ‘so that’ we can show the light and love of Jesus to the world.  😊    Ahhh…isn’t our heavenly Father wonderful.  (Regeneration…con’t tomorrow).
 
Wow
 
 
Oh friends…my prayer this morning is that you will study this verse off and on all day…all week…and reflect back on the ‘    Please feel free to forward Daily Light to those that you feel would benefit from receiving it.  To receive Daily Light, simply send us your email address and ask to be added to the mailing list. Send address to p314go@outlook.com.   Email addresses will not be shared and all recipients are blind copied.  
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Daily Light – Apr 18, 2018

On By Don HesterIn April, Let There Be Light ArchivesLeave a comment
Your daily goal:
Philippians 3:14  “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”   
(Monday-Friday, from my daily study time, I will write a short thought for that day which I pray God will use to motivate you to ‘GO’ for that day.  Your objective is simple…to GO…to GO OUT and share the love of Christ with someone in that day….to GO and bear fruit …to be light to the world.)

Today’s Daily Light

Taking from… The Search For Significance..by R. McGee
 
Continuing with ‘Shame’.   (I Am What I Am. I Cannot Change.  I Am Hopeless.)
 
Shame usually results in guilt and self-depreciation, but it can also lead us to search for God and His answers.  Our inner, undeniable need for personal significance was created by God to make us search for Him.  He alone can fulfill our deep need.  In Him, we find peace, acceptance, and love.  
 
Through Him, we find the courage and power to develop into the men and women He intends us to be.  Although Satan wants to convince us that we will always be prisoners of our failures and past experiences, by God’s grace we can be freed from the guilt of our past and experience a renewed purpose for our lives.
 
Shame can have powerful effects on our self-esteem, and it can manifest itself in many ways.  The following is a brief list of common problems associated with shame:
Inferiority
Habitually Destructive Behavior
Self-Pity
Passivity
Isolation and Withdrawal
Loss of Creativity
Codependent Relationships
Despising Our Appearance
 
Con’t tomorrow…with…God’s Answer:  Regeneration 😊 😊
 
Father…how excited I am…to study and then share about Your plan for us to be ‘regenerated’ … ‘so that’ we can share in Your nature…. ‘so that’ we can live our lives to please you and enjoy true peace and joy that last into eternity.  I pray for ‘us’ today as we have another day to live our lives in regard to You.   Amen
 

 

 

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