Jesus Manifested In Us

Always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, 

that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 

- 2 Corinthians 4:10 - 

 In our times of need, we saw Jesus in friends.

Sometimes others can see Him in us too.

Paul spoke of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

He confessed: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

But Paul also understood that different circumstances can be opportunities for the life of Jesus to be manifested in our body (2 Cor. 4:10).

Let the indwelling Christ express His love through us by meeting other person’s needs.

Real love is helping others for Jesus’ sake even if they can never return the favor. 

 

Hope

But if we hope for what we do not see, 

we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 

- Romans 8:25 -

Hope is a powerful motivator.

What we love, we pay attention to it.

But what we hope, we motivate ourselves in that direction. We see to it that it happens the way we want.

When hope is beyond our control, we will still pray for it, wish for it, or worry about it.

Hope is a longing, a desire, or an expectation of fulfillment.

It can be passive or intensely active.

It can be for evil or for good.

Let us be sure we have the right hope.

Be Faithful

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
that it was pleasant to the eyes,
and a tree desirable to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate.
She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
- Genesis 3:6 -

The first humans failed their test of faith. They trusted what they saw rather than believing what God said. They chose to walk by sight rather than by faith.

Humanity has followed this example ever since.

What were the consequences of faithlessness?

Adam and Eve's sin of faithlessness destroyed the close relationship they had with God.

Adam and Eve chose to follow the faithless Satan rather than the faithful God. Satan persuaded them to focus on what they could see rather than what God said.

The strategy was so successful that Satan has consistently used it on humanity.

Be faithful because God is faithful.

Be The Channel Of Grace and Truth

From the fullness of his grace
we have all received one blessing after another.
- John 1:16 -

Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.

Christ came down from heaven.

The Apostle John describes Jesus’ glory as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The greatest in the kingdom of God is the one who serves.

Grace is Christianity’s best gift to the world.

Let us be like Jesus, full of grace and truth.

Well Prepared

You also be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an hour
you do not expect. (Matthew 24:44)

We must prepare ourselves spiritually.

We must put on spiritual armor to protect ourselves from spiritual attack (Eph. 6:10-20).

We must prepare our minds for holy living (1 Peter 1:13).

We must be prepared to answer questions about the reason for the hope we possess (1 Peter 3:15).

We must be ready for the promised return of Jesus (Matt. 24:44).

How well prepared are we for what lies ahead?

Let’s ask the Lord for His help and guidance.

Spiritual victory comes only to those who are prepared for battle.