November 6, 2024

Second Chances

May 20, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

As we walk through life, we are given chances to begin again.  God knows we are not perfect.  We strive every day to be better.  With the help of the Holy Spirit we will do more and more for the Kingdom.

I was listening to someone this week talking about bearing fruit for the Kingdom.  If you have been serving in a certain area, and you feel God is closing that door, it is not always a bad thing.  You have to cut away some of the bad (or simply unnecessary) things to let the good enter into your life.

While David was living his life, he did not know what he was going to be or where God would have him.  He served God in the areas where he was needed.  From being a shepherd in his father Jesse’s household to showing up where his brother’s were serving in the king’s army.  I am certain David did not plan on slaying a giant that day!  But David did what was asked of him.  David was not perfect.  But he did do what was required of him to serve God and His people.

Can you and I have a relationship like David did with God?  Of course we can.  God will always be there for us to call upon Him and for us to talk to Him.  All we have to do is trust Him and believe God wants the best for us.  Why else would God send His Son Jesus to live among us? Why would God sacrifice his only Son?  Because He loves us.  As our Father, He disciplines us, loves us, hugs us and holds our hands all throughout our lives.  All we have to do is reach for Him.

God knew what Peter would do. Jesus knew what Peter would do. Under pressure and full of fear, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times.  Would we deny knowing Him if we were in similar circumstances—under pressure and fear-filled?  We do not know.  Just as Jesus restored Peter after His resurrection, I would hope and pray that Jesus will restore us if we are faced with such an occasion. Our Heavenly Father loves us.

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Father, thank You for loving us.  Thank You for showing us how Peter was forgiven and restored so that he could proclaim the words and ways of Jesus.  Help us to be bold and able to speak on Your behalf when we need to.  Let the power of the Holy Spirit speak through us.   Thank You!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Good Works

May 19, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For we are God’s workmanship
created in Christ Jesus to do good works
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2: 10

I am reminded of Jeremiah 1:5…

Before I formed you I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart.

This just shows us how we were created.  In Genesis 1:26-28 God said, “Let us make man in Our image and Our likeness…”  You will notice God was giving power to man to have dominion over things and what distracted is the sinful nature of man.  However God’s compassionate love gave us Christ Jesus in Whom we are born again.  Now that we are born again, what is required of us?

1. Go back to the drawing board and see the purpose of God over our lives

2. Appreciate God for giving us the second chance

3. Fulfil the call that we have without murmuring or blabbing

The anchor Scripture for this week says we were ‘created to do good works.’  What then are the good works, those that God prepared for us to do in advance?

  • Matthew 5:16
    In the same way let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
  • 1 Timothy 6:18
    Command them to do good to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share.
  • Titus 2:7
    In everything set them an example by doing what is good.  In your teaching show integrity seriousness.
  • Hebrews 10:24
    And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds.
  • James 2:17
    Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by good deeds, is dead.
  • James 2:18
    But someone will say you have faith I have deeds show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith but I do.

Brethren, as we are doing good works it is not unto man but it is unto God (according to the Scriptures).  Let us take up this noble call with our whole hearts and pursue the calling.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, we thank You for You knew us for all times.  We thank You for You predestined us and You knew our roles on earth for each one of us.  May we come to a full understanding of the good works that we are to do.  Use us to the maximum and all to the glory of your Holy Name.  Open our eyes of understanding to see the best inside us and how we should take action.  On our own we can hardly manage; we need the Holy Spirit—Christ in us—for this to be undertaken.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

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Finding Purpose

May 18, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For we are God’s workmanship
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

What is my purpose?  This is a question that everyone has to answer.  People struggle with answering this question…people die trying to answer this question…people search their whole lifetime trying to answer this question.  Some of us start asking this question at a very young age; some have just always known.

I have never been one of the latter.  How lovely it would be to know what you want to do with your life from a young age.  I am one of those people who, well into my late twenties, am still trying to figure out my purpose.

I can’t say for sure what the big picture is, but I can say that focusing on the end game has caused me to miss out on a significant amount of present time.  I believe that yes, a goal should be in mind; but when you don’t know what the future holds (which is often), you should do what you know to do right now.  Doing nothing is a waste of time.

For instance, I have had quite a few jobs in my working career and just about each one I have treated as a means to an end.  I do my job and I do it well.  I excel in the actual performance but my attitude has not always been the best.  Instead of going in with the mindset that this job is what is paying my bills now, I go in with the mindset that this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, so it’s not important.  Have you ever tried to do a job that you didn’t think was important?  Coupled with the fact that I’ve always had the mindset that there are always more jobs…disaster is what occurs.  And I’m not a bad employee.  It is just the way that I approach the job that is the problem.  I feel that ‘If this were my purpose, then I would be happy doing it.”  Ha! Being content is something that is cultivated, it doesn’t just happen because the circumstances are good.

So, your purpose? Well, your purpose can be in the moment. Your purpose doesn’t define your worth. Your worth is always found in God himself. Your purpose is simply the role(s) you are in at any given moment. Your attitude during any season determines whether you see you in your purpose. Purpose isn’t just a one-time ultimate goal. It shifts. God has “good works” for us. Not just one single work /purpose.

Make sure that you are mindful of your current purpose…and not blinded by your end game goal.

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Paint Your Picture

May 17, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For we are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Julie Myers, singer / songwriter
*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   * 

Pick me up like a paintbrush, God
Dip it in the colors of my life
Paint Your picture, Father
And fashion a heart that is wholly Yours

Take Your fingers, God
Master Potter, come mold the clay
Tell Your story ss You mold me
Fashion a heart that is wholly  Yours

And write your name
Write Your name in the clay
And sign Your name
Sign Your name on the picture

Take all I am
Take all I have
I am Yours forever, forever

 

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This Week…Galatians 2:20

May 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NIV

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, our sisters have reminded us again and again of this truth.  Here are a few highlights from the devotionals that Ann, Ahmee, Cynda and Tina wrote earlier this week.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

In The Great Exchange, Cynda brought our attention to the truth of what Christ accomplished for us.

“I know Christ was crucified for me. But I never thought about what that really means.

  • Christ swapped places with me
  • We exchanged lives
  • He became the sinner, I became the sinless

Even as I type this…I cannot comprehend the full impact of that statement.

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ?  Galatians 5:24 NLT puts it like this:

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed
the passions and desires of their sinful nature
to His cross and crucified them there.

Quite an exchange, isn’t it?  Why would Christ sacrifice Himself in exchange for me?  Romans 8:37 NLT holds the answer “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”  Christ loves us and wants us to be victorious. He laid down His life in exchange for ours, so we could spend eternal life with Him.  He chose to die for me.  Now that is amazing love.”

❦

In Living A New Life, Tina shared some important points of the Apostle Paul’s (formerly Saul) conversion.

“Paul was freed from the Law.  He was freed from the rules the Pharisees had created for the Jewish people to follow, making the burden impossible for everyone to come close to God.  With Paul’s conversion and baptism, he could speak to the Jews and the Gentiles with authority and eloquence.  He learned about faith.  He learned about Jesus’ love for everyone, not just the Jewish people but also for the Gentiles.

I am glad Jesus recruited Paul for the Gentiles.  He is a great example of what Christ did for you and me.  He sacrificed for us His life to give us the gospel.”

❦

In So Wait…Who Am I Then?, Ahmee shared some thoughts concerning her purpose and place in God’s eyes.

“One of the first things I had to learn to do was die to myself.  This is something that has to be done daily.  I hesitated.  If I was to let go of who I had always been, then who would I be?  How could I be me and not be me at the same time?  To me this seemed impossible. God was going to change me into someone different, someone I didn’t know. And the last thing I wanted to do was give up my uniqueness.  It took some time, but God showed me that he did not want to eliminate me…He was proud of creating me.  What he wanted was to improve me. When you improve something, the original is there, but its been made better and that was God’s plan. The angry Ahmee would be kinder, gentler Ahmee. All the while my uniqueness is still present just more Christ-like.

I was then who the world made and influenced me to be.  I am now who my Father says I am.  Each day I am growing and changing to be more like the person God intended me to be.  All the while I am and will always be the only Ahmee He ever has made or will make.  Why not be the best version of me?”

❦

And in Dying With Christ, Ann reminds us of our new life…Resurrection life!

“As Christians we have died to the Law as a means of salvation and now live through Christ for God.  Sin no longer has control over us.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,
why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?
Colossian 2:20

As Christ was risen from the dead we also now live with Him in Resurrection life.  Christ and His Strength lives within us becoming the Source of all life and the center of all our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.  It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ’s risen life is  continually communicated to us.

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3″

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The Great Exchange

May 14, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion];
it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me;
and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in
(by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
Galatians 2:20 AMP

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I know Christ was crucified for me. But I never thought about what that really means.

  • Christ swapped places with me
  • We exchanged lives
  • He became the sinner, I became the sinless

Even as I type this…I cannot comprehend the full impact of that statement.

What does it mean to be crucified with Christ?  Galatians 5:24 NLT puts it like this:

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed
the passions and desires of their sinful nature
to His cross and crucified them there.

The AMP version calls it our ‘godless human nature.’  Our sinful nature and desires have been exchanged for Christ’s holy and righteous one.  Life in the flesh is no longer life AFTER the flesh.  I Peter 4:2 AMP says we “…can no longer spend the rest of his {our} natural life living by his {our} human appetites and desires, but [he {we} lives] for what God wills.”

The NLT translates it like this…

“You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires,
but you will be anxious to do the will of God.”

How is this possible?  Colossians 3:3 AMP states, “For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Romans 6:8 NLT tells us “And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him.”  A brand new life in Christ…in exchange for our old life with all its flaws and failures.  We are simply managing this new life given to us by Christ.  But how on earth can we manage this new life any better than the old one?  Faith.  It can only be done by living it by faith.  Faith intimately connects us with Christ.

Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction)
by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor)
in which we [firmly and safely] stand.
Romans 5:2 AMP

Faith is how we access God’s grace, His guidance, His directions.  In order to live by faith we must live as Jesus describes:

 …even so whoever continues to feed on Me
[whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me]
shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.
John 6:57b AMP

Quite an exchange, isn’t it?  Why would Christ sacrifice Himself in exchange for me?  Romans 8:37 NLT holds the answer “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.”  Christ loves us and wants us to be victorious. He laid down His life in exchange for ours, so we could spend eternal life with Him.  He chose to die for me.  Now that is amazing love.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, I am so thankful and grateful You chose to exchange Your life for mine.  I cannot fully comprehend the depths of Your love for me.  Help me live by faith so that I may manage this new life in a manner pleasing unto You.  In Your Holy name, I ask – Amen, It Is So!

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Living A New Life

May 13, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I have been crucified with Christ
and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body,
I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NIV

Paul had such passion and understanding for the Word of God.  He allowed God to use him in whatever way he was needed.  Jesus knew the character of Paul.  He knew that if he called upon Paul to serve, Paul would be ready.

Due to Paul’s early training as a Pharisee, he was well-versed in the Scriptures.  He would have been knowledgeable of the prophecies about Jesus’ coming and about the Law.

Paul would have known about Jesus’ teachings and been a witness to many of them in Jerusalem.  Because Paul would have been so immersed in the teachings of the Law, there would not had been room for the Holy Spirit.  When Paul was visited by Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul was given a gift—he was given a second chance to win others to Jesus, the only way to God.

Paul was freed from the Law.  He was freed from the rules the Pharisees had created for the Jewish people to follow, making the burden impossible for everyone to come close to God.  With Paul’s conversion and baptism, he could speak to the Jews and the Gentiles with authority and eloquence.  He learned about faith.  He learned about Jesus’ love for everyone, not just the Jewish people but also for the Gentiles.

I am glad Jesus recruited Paul for the Gentiles.  He is a great example of what Christ did for you and me.  He sacrificed for us His life to give us the gospel.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for the people You have recruited to spread the Gospel.  Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to create for us a way into Your Kingdom.  We thank You for the Jewish people who have made it possible for us to know You.  Help us have the courage of Peter, Paul, and the others to share the good news of Jesus.  Let us be bold to stand for what is right.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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So Wait…Who Am I Then?

May 12, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 

 My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 NLT

Galatians 2:20 says that our old selves have been crucified with Christ. When I first got saved all I knew was that the darkness that once consumed my mind was gone.  For the first time I had hope and the now believable notion that my life really did have a purpose.

My initial conversation with the God was a slap in the face.  I accused God of not caring anything about me and not doing anything for me. His response was, “Why should I care about what you have going on, when you don’t care about what I have going on?”  This was an eye-opener for me.  (I am not saying that God did not care what I had going on, but I see things better when I’m not focused on myself.)  The truth is God has always cared about me, and what I do, and how I am.  I am the one who cared nothing for Him and what He had going on.  He was pointing out that we had a one-sided relationship—His side.

Somewhere along the line, I began to hate God and was determined that He was against me.  I approached God with the notion that He was my enemy and not my friend.  And, yes, some part of me knew different or else I wouldn’t have bothered at all.  Months later, after laying some Scriptural foundation, He tugged at my heart again.  He wanted my life.  He wanted me to live for Him not just with Him.  He invited me to a deeper relationship to explore Him and learn His ways.

I feel He did this to prepare me to help others like I had been.  One of the first things I had to learn to do was die to myself.  This is something that has to be done daily.  I hesitated.  If I was to let go of who I had always been, then who would I be?  How could I be me and not be me at the same time?  To me this seemed impossible. God was going to change me into someone different, someone I didn’t know. And the last thing I wanted to do was give up my uniqueness.  It took some time, but God showed me that he did not want to eliminate me…He was proud of creating me.  What he wanted was to improve me. When you improve something, the original is there, but its been made better and that was God’s plan. The angry Ahmee would be kinder, gentler Ahmee. All the while my uniqueness is still present just more Christ-like.

I was then who the world made and influenced me to be.  I am now who my Father says I am.  Each day I am growing and changing to be more like the person God intended me to be.  All the while I am and will always be the only Ahmee He ever has made or will make.  Why not be the best version of me?

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DYING WITH CHRIST

May 11, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live,
but Christ lives in me.
The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

In this Scripture I hear Paul telling us that those who have faith in Christ live their lives in intimate relationship with their Lord—both in His death and Resurrection.  As Christians we have died to the Law as a means of salvation and now live through Christ for God.  Sin no longer has control over us.

Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world,
why, as though you still belonged to the world, do you submit to its rules?
Colossian 2:20

As Christ was risen from the dead we also now live with Him in Resurrection life.  Christ and His Strength lives within us becoming the Source of all life and the center of all our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.  It is through the Holy Spirit that Christ’s risen life is  continually communicated to us.

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3

Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with Him,
we will also live with Him;
2 Timothy 2:11

Our sharing in Christ’s Resurrection is appropriated through faith.  The confident belief, the love, the devotion, and the loyalty we have in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us (John 3:16).

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, we thank You, we bless You for Your grace and lovingkindness.  We bless You because You are a good God, who loved us unconditionally and let Christ die for us Whose death paid the highest price of our sins.  His death gave us salvation which is the biggest testimony every Christian believer has.  We thank You for this price—the greatest price ever paid—for mankind.  We honor You for everything, Lord.  Help us, Lord, to appreciate this love for us by loving You back, Lord.  For as we love You, we cannot do anything that You do not want us to do but always we strive to please You.  We pray for Your grace so that we can be in an intimate relationship with You always and obey Your commands.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Crucified With Christ

May 10, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

My old self has been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God,
Who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

When I look back on what I thought was living
I’m amazed at the price I choose to pay
And to think I ignored what really mattered
‘Cause I thought the sacrifice would be too great

But when I finally reached the point of giving in
I found the cross was calling even then
And even though it took dying to survive
I’ve never felt so much alive

For I am crucified with Christ and yet I live
Not I but Christ that lives within me
His Cross will never ask for more than I can give
For it’s not my strength but His, there’s no greater sacrifice
For I am crucified with Christ and yet I live

As I hear the Savior call for daily dying
I will bow beneath the weight of Calvary
Let my hands surrender to His piercing purpose
That holds me to the Cross yet sets me free

I will glory in the power of the Cross
The things I thought were gain I count as loss
And with His suffering I identify
And by His resurrection power, I am alive

And I will offer all I have so that His Cross is not in vain
For I found to live is Christ and to die is truly gain

Phillips, Craig, and Dean
written by Randy and Denise Phillips, Don Koch, Dave Clark

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