OUR LIVES CAN BE MORE ENJOYABLE BECAUSE JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God—that is,
our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”
(1 Corinthians 1:30)

MEDITATION:
Even though we feel a yearning to have Christ in our life,
we may not fully understand the magnitude of what He
did for us. Our salvation is available as a result of the
sacrifice Jesus willingly made for us on the cross.

When Jesus went to the cross, He wasn’t fighting the battle
for Himself. He didn’t need to overcome Satan. The victory
He won on the cross was for us. He fought it on our behalf.
Jesus became the atonement of our sins, so that we might
become a child of God.

The church is not an organization with Jesus Christ as its president.
The church is made up of people who love and follow Jesus Christ.
We are in Him and He is in us (these words may sound strange, but
it is vital to understand this in order to have a relationship with the Lord).

Redemption is our eternal benefit of surrendering our lives to the Lord,
but what about the day to day benefits? Because Jesus lovingly gave His
life for us, we can receive wisdom from God (which is far greater than
our own). His wisdom helps us to better understand His Words, and the
more we understand the scriptures, the better we can apply them to our
daily lives. The more we apply God’s Word to our lives, the more we can
enjoy life.

Jesus also opened the doors for us to experience righteousness and holiness.
These two gifts assist us in organizing our lives in a manner that helps us
to cope with the stresses of life, to become more loving and encouraging
to others, and to be more pleasing to God.

ACTION:
Jesus took your sins, so that you might wear His innocence.
He became guilty, so that you might become acquitted.
He was filled with despair, so that you might be filled with joy.
He took your shame, so that you might wear His glory.
He suffered the pains of hell, so that you might know the joys of heaven.

We often think that salvation comes from the inside out, (because
we ask Jesus into our hearts), but it is equally correct to say that
we are saved from the outside in.
    For you died, and your life is now
    hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

Just as Noah was saved by being in the ark, we are saved by being
“hidden with Christ in God”. Being “in God”, gives us the ability
to
    “set our hearts on things above” (Colossians 3:1),
    and to “set our minds on things above” (Colossians 3:2)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your gift of salvation
because Jesus gave His life for me. Thank You, not only
for my eternal redemption, but also for the blessings I
receive now. Help me to realize that salvation means
being with Christ in me, so that I can refocus my heart
and mind on things above, instead of things of the earth.
I know that when my focus changes, life will be more
enjoyable and I will become more loving and encouraging
to others. My desire is to please You in all I do.”

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