We continue this week with the story of the sick man healed at the Pool of Bethesda. [John 5:1-15].Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:5-6, NKJV)
Life and living are all about the picture (nature) we see of our self. [Proverbs 23:7] If you see yourself as your lower nature, guess what? That is “who” you will produce. If you see yourself as your higher nature, that becomes the person your life grows towards. It’s a no-brainer. You grow into the picture you place before you. So, when we celebrate who we were before the cross, rather than the person the cross has made of us, guess who we will produce? Your guess is just as good as mine. Yet, we keep hitting our heads against the wall wondering why we are no better than we are. The scriptures tell us,
“Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! [Let the picture of your new nature be burned deep within you] Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.” (Psalm 107:2, NLT, emphasis, mine)Stop celebrating who you were before the cross. If the cross has made an impact upon your life, celebrate that impact. You don’t have to crucify Christ Jesus all over again. It is finished was His cry. Our place is to walk in that which He has already done. Our place is to have the picture of Him and all He's done in front of us. That is the very essence of communion - doing it in remembrance of Christ. Our place is to grow into Christ in all things. [Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 4:15; Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 12:2]
"The Cross to me is certain salvation. The Cross is that which I ever adore. The Cross of the Lord is with me. The Cross is my refuge." (Thomas Aquinas)Our place is the place of victory. [1 John 5:4; Ephesians 2:6] And, that needs to be our focus. [Philippians 4:8]
Is it your focus?
© 2017 Akin Akinbodunse
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