Apicontent

Day 26

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2) 

When we receive Jesus, our spirit is born again. God’s Spirit now lives in our spirit. In union with God, we share in the Trinity’s eternal life. 

But we can still think we are separated … and therefore live like it. Just because we have accepted Jesus does not mean we automatically become the people God intends. 

What is our problem? Once saved into the Trinity’s life of love, why can’t we live the life we see promised in Scripture? Why do we still struggle so much to be “good” Christians? 

Our spirit isn’t the problem; it is born again. Our body isn’t the problem; it simply reflects the thoughts and feelings of the soul. Our soul is the problem! Our mind, will, and emotions are not in agreement with God. 

Proverbs 23:7 tells us, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” Thinking wrongly causes us to live wrongly. Even as believers, we don’t make known—we don’t “prove”—“the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” because we think of ourselves as less than we are and we think of God as less than He is. 

When we are young and vulnerable, Satan begins planting twisted thoughts in our minds. The enemy knows that the core need of every person is to be cherished and adored. So, in order to steal, kill and destroy us human beings created in God’s image, the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10) fills our souls with wrong thoughts and feelings. He uses life experiences and traumatic events to keep us from seeing ourselves as treasured and valuable. 

The lies he plants might be something like: “You are not loved because you are _____. And then the blank is filled in with words such as: “unwanted,” “not as good as your brother,” or “not smart enough.” Or perhaps the lies take the form: “You need to _____ in order to prove your worth.” And then the blank is filled in with something impossible to do, such as: “obey the Ten Commandments,” “please your mother” or “be tougher.” 

It is not easy to recognize these twisted misconceptions. They hide in wordless silence beneath the radar of conscious thought, deep in the foundational structure of our mind, will, and emotions. Recurrent, distressing feelings (such as anxiety, terror, hopelessness, or separation) are the voice of your soul crying out, “Help me.” “Things aren’t right.” “I’m hurting.”

We weren’t taught the lies that manifest in these distressing feelings; it is more like we caught them. We caught them in the context of family, culture, and upbringing. 

Based on our interpretations of our experiences in the world, we form assumptions about ourselves, God, and others. 

But what if these assumptions are false? What if you are worth more than you can comprehend? What if God values and adores you, not as the world values you, not because you do “good” things, not with the underlying motive of changing or improving you, but just because you are you? 

There is hope. In keeping with God’s Word, the Spirit reveals truth to us. We grow in agreement with truth as we grow to know Jesus in the ongoing relationship of eternal life. And so we bring ourselves as hurting, vulnerable people in desperate need and let the Spirit reveal Jesus to us. We welcome Him to search and cleanse our souls. Even in difficulties, we trust Him and accept His ways of renewing our minds. 

What God says about you is true. You are His “very good” of creation. He fashioned you in your mother’s womb. He rejoices over you. He delights in you. 

God is working with you and in you to renew your mind so you become the person He created you to be. You are designed to express—to “prove” to the world—“the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

When do you tend to experience recurrent emotions you know aren’t healthy? 

What untrue thoughts about yourself, God, or others might underlie those emotions? 

Imagine what it might be like to have your mind renewed so that you think of yourself as God thinks of you.

Day 27

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16–17) 

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus heard these words as a man when he was baptized in the Jordan River. He heard these words as a person who, as far as we know from Scripture, had done nothing noteworthy in life up to that point. He heard His Father’s words before He had a single follower, taught a single lesson or did a single miracle. 

Jesus was born in an animal shed to a poor, unmarried girl. Soon after His birth, His family had to flee as refugees to a foreign land because authorities were trying to kill Him. Jesus was a 30-year-old carpenter living in an insignificant, little town when His heavenly Father spoke over Him, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

Despite worldly evidence to the contrary, Jesus believed those words; He knew them as His identity. 

Immediately upon being baptized, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted to do something to prove the identity just spoken by His Father, “This is My beloved Son.” Satan tempted, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread…. If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.…” (Matthew 4:3–6). 

Adam and Eve had been similarly tested. They were created in God’s image. God had said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). But Satan tempted: “In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God….” (Genesis 4:5). Humankind already was like God; we were created according to His likeness. 

But the serpent deceived: “Do this and make yourself better.” “Make yourself like God.” So the first couple did something they thought would make them become who (God had said) they already were. They ate the fruit .… and completely lost sight of their God-given identity. 

Satan’s temptation is still the same today: “Prove yourself.” “Do something grand and eye-catching.” “What God says about you isn’t true.” “You aren’t enough.” Satan tempts us to do something God hasn’t asked of us—to step away from the Spirit’s leading and follow the leading of our independent soul. 

Being believers doesn’t exempt us from this deception. Rather “the father of lies” (John 8:44) adds new twists. “Follow these Christian guidelines and improve yourself.” “You need to expand your ministry.” “Prove yourself by doing miracles.” 

But trying to become prevents us from simply resting in who we already are. In Christ, there is no need to work for approval, rather, our good works come from the foundation of experiencing His approval. 

Jesus didn’t try to prove Himself. He only did what His Father gave Him to do. He said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does” (John 5:19–20). Jesus’ life flowed out of believing His Father’s words and knowing He was the beloved Son. At every step, He was led by the Spirit and walked in agreement with—in obedience to—His loving Father. 

We were created to do the same—to be led by the Spirit and walk in obedience to the love of God. Jesus is our example. He isn’t an example we get to try to copy in our own strength; He is the supreme example we get to believe in! In His death, Jesus regained for us our God-given identity stolen in the fall. He made a way for us to be like Him. 

You don’t need to do anything to prove your identity. As a beloved son/daughter, the works God chooses you to participate in flow out of your relationship with Him. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Have you thought you needed to do something more to prove your identity in Christ? Explain your answer. 

In Christ, you are accepted and adored. Write a sentence or recall a Scripture that reminds you personally of this truth. 

Day 28

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.… As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.” (John 15:4–5, 9) 

Jesus’ analogy of the vine and the branches paints a beautiful picture of our life in union with Him. Think of a flourishing grapevine; in Christ, our lives are vibrant and bountiful like the branches of that grapevine. 

Jesus is the vine; He is the root, trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. He is the entire vine and we are part of Him. The vine is the whole and we, the branches, are an integral part of that whole. 

The vine and the branches are of the same substance. There is no separation between them. The same sap runs through both. We fit together perfectly with Jesus; He is a part of us and we are a part of Him. He lives in us and we live in Him; we abide in His love. 

When the branch is connected to the vine, it flourishes. The life of the vine flows through the branches and produces grapes. Apart from Christ, we are lifeless branches. 

But we can be fooled. The limbs of a dead Christmas tree can be hung with pretty ornaments. We can decorate ourselves to fit people-pleasing norms. From the outside, ornaments look “nice,” but only fruit carries the seeds of life. The independent soul is capable of making ornaments, but it is not capable of producing fruit. 

Fruit doesn’t come from being “nice” or religious. Apart from God, our thinking, our studying, our hard work, even our prayers, can’t produce fruit. No matter how well-intentioned our efforts be, fruit of the vine—fruit of the Spirit—is not “fruit of our effort.” Fruit of the Spirit comes as we are led by the Spirit in ongoing relationship with God. 

Fruit of the Spirit differs from gifts of the Spirit. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 believers waiting in Jerusalem and they received gifts of the Spirit. Still today the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we receive gifts of the Spirit including speaking in tongues, prophecy, words of knowledge, and the working of miracles. 

But fruit of the Spirit comes from a deep, abiding relationship within. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22). Fruit are traits of Christ’s nature which bubble up from within us.

Fruit is evidence of His life in us. It comes naturally as we rest in Jesus just as a branch abides in the vine. We are full of love, joy, and peace because Christ in us is these things. “Abide in Me.” “Abide in My love.” These words hold the key to our life in Christ. Fruit comes naturally as we rest in God’s love. 

Branches can’t produce fruit without being part of the vine and the vine can’t produce fruit without its branches. Jesus gives us a vital place in His life and work. We are wanted and included in God’s plan to share His goodness with the world. We are His open arms. We are his mouthpiece speaking words of truth and encouragement. He has chosen to show His goodness to the world through us. We are fruit-bearing branches overflowing with His life. 

You, my friend, are an integral part of the greatest love the world will ever know. God’s nature is reflected through the earthen vessel of your humanity. Life on earth is your opportunity to bring to others, the goodness of God … so that they too can be an integral part of the greatest love the world will ever know. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Picture a flourishing grapevine with branches overflowing with grapes. What does this image portray about your life as a vital part of Jesus, the vine? 

Recall a particularly memorable time when you were able to care for someone with extraordinary kindness and compassion. Record your experience. 

Day 29

But God who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6) 

Three times in this passage Paul repeats the word “together.” God has “made us alive together with Christ.” He has “raised us up together.” He has “made us to sit together in the heavenly place in Christ Jesus.” “Together.” “Together.” “Together.” The bond is sealed tight. There is no separation; we are one in Christ. 

God’s purpose was not just to create us. It was not just to help us live a better life on earth. It was not just to welcome us to heaven when we died. It was not just to give us a glimpse of the Trinity’s glory. His purpose was to unite us with Christ so that we are together with Him in the intimate, vibrant, eternal life the Trinity enjoy. 

But how could God accomplish this? We were dead in our sin. We had completely missed the mark of living in unity with Him. In the fall we had sunk into the trap of doing our own thing apart from God. We had lost sight of who God was. And the Old Covenant was proof that we couldn’t obey our way out of it, work our way out of it or earn our way out of it. 

So, the Father sent His Son. In the form of a person like us. Jesus came down from the light of heaven and descended into our darkness. He took our sin; He took our blindness of not seeing God’s goodness and our messed-up thinking (that we were fine without Him). Jesus entered into our human nature; He was tempted as we are—with sin and unbelief. 

Jesus became one with us. When He died on the cross, all of our sin—all of our blindness, unbelief, and disunity with God—died too. Jesus took our Adam-nature—our old way of thinking and being—to the grave. 

But He didn’t stop there. Jesus rose in resurrection life! He ascended to the Father and when He did, He carried us with Him! When He rose, we rose—to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Jesus’ oneness with His Father became ours. 

Two thousand years ago, Jesus accomplished this for us. It is done. Today we get to live knowing and believing the truth: we get to live and knowing and believing Jesus. 

But what compelled Jesus to do what He did? Why did He do it? What is His heart for us? How does He really feel about you?

This Scripture makes clear the answer to these questions. God is “rich in mercy.” He made us alive together in Christ “because of His great love with which He loved us.” 

Jesus did what He did because He loves you and me. He treasures you. He values you. He doesn’t just love you because He is good and that is what He is supposed to do. He doesn’t love you grudgingly out of duty. God adores you extravagantly. He actually enjoys you and wants to be with you. He delights in you like a good father delights in his child. 

And His love is backed by action. He doesn’t just say what you want to hear. He would do anything to help you become your very best—your true self as He created you to be. 

Jesus carried you all the way into the Father’s embrace. The cross isn’t just about your sins being forgiven so you can go to heaven when you die; the cross is also about living in oneness with Jesus—in the acceptance and adoration of the Trinity—surrounded and infused with the relational rightness your soul craves. 

In Christ, you are alive together, raised up together, seated together. You are eternally together with Christ “because of His great love with which He loved us.” 

Ponder for a Moment 

What thoughts or feelings of God’s great love come to mind when you think of yourself as “together with Christ”? 

Day 30

Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him saying, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?”
And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:34–40) 

Have you ever wondered, How do I love God? How does God want me to show that I love Him? Is it through singing songs of praise? Will He know that I love Him if I obey the Ten Commandments? Does He want me to shout into the sky, “I love You, Lord”? 

Jesus’ description of the King and his kingdom answers these questions. God wants us to demonstrate our love for Him by loving others. He accepts our love for others as our love for Him. 

The Old Covenant contained two great commandments: “You shall love the LORD your God …” and “You shall love your neighbor …” (Matthew 22:37, 39). But Jesus gave us a single command: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Jesus’ command does not mention loving God. Only one command is required because by loving others we are loving God. There is no need for two commands; both are contained in the one. 

God is intimately connected to His people. When Saul (who became Paul) was blinded by a bright light on the road to Damascus, Jesus spoke to him, “Saul. Saul. Why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). After Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, the Lord took the fisherman aside and asked him three times, “Peter, do you love Me.” And each time, after Peter responded, “Yes,” Jesus said, “Feed My lambs.” “Tend My Sheep.” “Feed My sheep” (John 21:15–17). 

Jesus is so closely identified—so in union—with His followers that it is as if He is saying, “Every act of kindness you do for another you are actually doing for Me.” “As you care for others, I feel your love.” 

Hands-on, human acts of goodness, give us a picture of what heavenly love looks like on earth and they satisfy the heart of God. When you treat others with compassion, you are showing Him compassion. When you stop for a homeless person, you are stopping for Him. When you feed the hungry (physically or spiritually), you are feeding Him. When you comfort a friend in a difficult place, welcome a stranger or visit one who is sick, you are caring for Him. 

God is pleased when you give people the love their soul so desperately desires. When you treat others with loving kindness—as the treasured people they are—they begin to realize they are valued. In loving others, you reveal to them their own inherent beauty and declare to them their own incredible worth. Oh, the joy this brings to Jesus. 

You, my friend, were created to know God’s love and let it pour out of you to others. God gave you your unique place in the world to love those around you. In the wonderful way God made His kingdom, He accepts your love for others as your love for Him. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Who has God placed in your path to treat with lovingkindness? How might you best care for that person today? 

How might it change your attitudes and interactions to realize that in caring for someone, you are caring for Jesus? 

Day 31

God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) 

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” What does it mean? 

When we hope for something, we wait for it with eager expectation. We look forward to it with longing hearts. We have hope because of Christ in us. 

But what is glory? What are we hoping for? 

On Mount Sinai, Moses said to God, “Please show me Your glory.” And the Lord replied, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.” (Exodus 33:18–19). Moses asked to see God’s glory and God showed Moses His goodness. God’s glory and His goodness are one and the same. God’s glory is His nature of loving kindness. 

After Moses encountered God on Mt Sinai, his face shown with glory. But the glory of the New Covenant is meant to exceed that. “If the ministry of death [the Ten Commandments], written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?” (2 Corinthians 3:7–8). God’s design is that we radiate His goodness that does not pass away. 

“Christ in you” is the basis for our hope. Our hope begins with God in our spirit. God lives in us—in our spirit. “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). Christ in you—the Spirit hidden away in your spirit—is the foundation upon which our hope rests. 

But “hope of glory” isn’t meant to be the end point. The actual glory is Christ through you. It is Christ in your spirit filling and renewing your soul and flowing out through your body for others to experience. The glory manifests when our soul is caught up in knowing and seeing God and our body expresses it for the world to see. 

When our soul is permeated with the nature of Christ—when we are led by the Spirit—our body radiates the glory of God. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). When our soul comes to rest in agreement with the Spirit, we will be sons/daughters of God—fashioned after the image of the firstborn Son. You were made to be like Jesus and resonate with His divine nature.

God gives Himself to you in love so that you might share in His goodness—so that every bit of you is flooded with Him. Glory radiates through you when the nature of God—His love, joy, peace and kindness—pours out for the world to see. Glory is the fruit of the Spirit manifested through you in hands-on, earthly, relational ways. 

Glory was the “clothing” Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden before their covering fell away and they saw that they were naked. This is the glory Jesus paid for on the cross. The Spirit wants to burst forth from you in full, vibrant, abundant life. God’s desire is to be made known and visible to the world through you. When your spirit and soul are in agreement with Him, the goodness of God—the glory of God—is free to express itself through you. 

God is glorified when we express His glory. The glory of God is humanity fully alive. 

Just think of it. God created you—imperfect, unique, valuable, treasured you—to share His glory with the world. From the inside out—from spirit, to soul, to body—you were designed to radiate the nature of God! God’s glory—God’s lovingkindness—enlivens you and comes forth through you. You are God’s chosen vessel to enjoy His goodness and share it with the world. 

Ponder for a Moment 

For the rest of today, put yourself in Jesus’ sandals. Let His glory—His nature of lovingkindness—express itself through you as you go about your everyday life. 

“The glory of God is humanity fully alive.” What do these words mean to you? 

Day 32

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:43–44, 46–48) 

Jesus tells us, “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” But how can we possibly be perfect like that? Don’t Jesus’ words just set us up for failure? What does He mean? 

Webster’s Dictionary defines perfect as “being entirely without fault or defect, flawless … having excellence in every part … as in an unattainable state.” The world tells us “perfect” is being at the top of the class. It is breaking the track record each time you run a race. Religion drives us to think “perfect” involves obeying every law in the rulebook. 

And so we work hard for good grades. We strive for fast race times. We try to obey the rules, especially the ones we feel are most important. And when we succeed, we are praised. Teachers, coaches, bosses, friends, and family give us approval, and we feel valued … conditionally … for a time. 

But when we inevitably fall short, we feel less-than. How easy it is to believe Satan’s lies that because we don’t achieve some high standard, we are defective and unacceptable. 

You and I were not created to be “perfect” in the way the dictionary defines the term. Being “perfect” by the world’s definition is actually a denial of our humanity. 

The Greek word for perfect, teleios, actually means living out the goal set for each of us by God. Teleios is not an end to be reached; it is a way of continual life. It does not imply that we are without sin. Rather teleios refers to a condition in which we imperfect, messed-up humans are in ongoing relationship with our perfect Creator. 

On the cross, Jesus took our sins and imperfections; we are complete in Him. The Father sees us wrapped in the perfection of His Son. We are perfect when we give up our own striving to be perfect (by the world’s definition) and rest in the perfection of our Savior. 

We were not created to live as independent beings. The world and religion say, “I can do it. I can pull myself up to that standard.” Satan said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). But our soul—the I of us—was created to be led by the Spirit. We were created to say, “O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You. I will praise Your name” (Isaiah 25:1). 

Acknowledging Jesus as our Savior—exulting our Lord—gives Him proper place in our lives. Being perfect—living life as God created you to—comes from accepting yourself as you are and living in ongoing surrender and obedience to the perfect One. He welcomes you and cherishes you as you are. 

God’s definition of “perfect” is based in His perfect love. He is the source of the love that makes us perfect. Jesus’ love goes beyond loving your neighbor. It blesses those who curse you. It is kind to those who hate you. It prays for the ones who abuse and persecute you. God’s love extends even to your enemies. 

It isn’t in you or me to love like that. Maybe a good person could love a neighbor … but to love an enemy? Only God can do that. You are perfect when you live in Christ and let His love radiate through you to all, including your worst enemy. 

Ponder for a Moment 

How might you have tried to make yourself “perfect” in the past? 

How might embracing God’s definition of “perfect” change your opinion of yourself? 

How might it change your opinion of God? 

Day 33

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19) 

What a prayer! Paul knows the One to whom he prays; he feels the Trinity’s passion to share God’s life of love with us. 

Paul bows his knees to the Father and these words gush out. He knows that the answer will flow out of the riches of God’s goodness. So he asks that the Spirit strengthen us. From deep inside, the Spirit works to reveal truth and give us understanding. 

Growing to know Christ is like a dancing with a lead partner. God leads and we follow. Like a willing dance partner, we don’t know what the next step might be but, by faith, we follow His promptings. We trust in what we do not see and move in sync with Him. As we do this the dance that is eternal life unfolds before us. 

We express the faith God gives by trusting the Faithful One. We trust that He is who He says He is and we trust that we are who He says we are. By faith we welcome Him to dwell in our hearts and know that we are His born-again children. The dance that is eternal life begins and continues by faith; we trust in His goodness—that He will not fail to lead us in lovingkindness. 

God wants each and every one of us to know the fullness of life in fellowship with Him. But we can’t know it unless we believe. Expressing the faith God gives—following His lead—is a choice. We have free will. We don’t have to let Him be our lead partner. 

God’s love is the firm foundation for our life in Christ. His love is the soil into which our roots sink deep. We are established—we are “rooted and grounded”—in love. 

But our knowing God and His love doesn’t stop there. Love is like an ocean. You can stand on the shore, wade in the waves or swim out beyond the breakers and experience its beginning, but you can’t know its end. 

God’s love is stronger than we can think or imagine. It is endlessly powerful and good. It doesn’t follow the rules of our world. The love of Christ gives without thought of getting. It doesn’t love because; it loves in spite of. It exceeds any definition words can express. Our minds cannot grasp it … but still you were created to comprehend it in deeply soul-satisfying, relational ways. 

“The love of Christ which passes knowledge” has expression in the width, length, depth and height of the cross. Width and length—the stretching wide of Jesus’ arms on the cross to encompass the expanse of the world. Depth—the descent of Jesus leaving heaven, becoming a man and taking our sins with Him to the grave. Height—the ascent of Jesus to the Father where we are seated with Him in heavenly places. 

Such love exceeds factual knowledge, but it is here for you and me to know in personal relationship. Experiencing the extravagance of Jesus’ love for us allows us to know the extravagance of the life He has secured for us. Progressively coming to know the riches of Jesus’ love changes you into the image of the One who created you … until you come to be “filled with all the fullness of God.” 

Every bit of Paul’s prayer is God’s desire for you today. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Read Paul’s prayer again as if you personally are the one Paul is praying for. 

Read Paul’s prayer again, this time making it your prayer for someone you know. 

Day 34

Let us exult and triumph in our troubles and rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that pressure and affliction and hardships produce patient and unswerving endurance. And endurance develops maturity of character. And character produces joyful and confident hope of eternal salvation. Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3–5, AMPC) 

“Triumph in our troubles”? “Rejoice in our sufferings”? Why would we do that? When troubles strike—sickness, lawsuits, war, natural disaster, persecution, famine—they unsettle us. Our natural inclination is to avoid hardships, not rejoice in them. 

Our souls want peace and rightness … because we were designed for these things. And so we pray that our difficult circumstances would change, and sometimes they do. But, in the vulnerability of trials—when we do not understand and cannot control the suffering—we have the continual opportunity to trust God … and find peace and rightness, not in circumstances, but in the assurance of our Father’s love. 

Please don’t think for an instant that your problems are signs that God is displeased with you. Problems are not punishments. The enemy may use hardships to tempt you to think that God has forgotten you, but that is not true. 

In suffering, we are tested. Do we want God only on our terms—for the “good” we desire? Or will we trust Him regardless of our trials? Will we cling to Him in assurance that, even though we may not understand the reason why He allows the suffering, He is working for the deep, eternal good of the people He loves? 

Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” When I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I clung to hope in that Scripture. “All things work together for good,” I told myself. “I will be healed.” “We will become a missionary family.” But my definition of “good” didn’t happen; God had something deeper in mind. 

God’s definition of “good” is found in the next verse. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). 

And slowly I began to see: God works through difficulties and trials of every sort—through all things—so that we come to be “conformed to the image of His Son.” “Good” is our character be coming like His. “Good” isn’t the absence of external, stressful circumstances; it is the presence of internal rightness with God. 

Whatever has happened or is happening, Jesus is right there with us in the midst of the storm. As a human being tested and tried in all ways even as we are, He relates to us in our suffering. Just as a good friend would suffer with you in your hardships, Jesus hurts with you. His heart overflows with empathy and compassion for you. He shares your pain. 

Even if you cannot feel His nearness, He is with you. In the Old Testament, we read how Job, in all his sufferings—having lost children and earthly possessions, tortured with sickness and the false counsel of others—had no understanding of the reason for his afflictions and no assurance of the Lord’s presence. Yet Job did not give up on God. I stand in awe of those I know today who, in the face of overwhelming trials, devoid of understanding and of God’s felt presence, refuse to give up on God. 

Hold on my friend. Hold on to the hope that does not disappoint. Believe in the good of God. In your suffering, He is molding your character to match His. He will pour His love into your heart. This is His promise to you—His beloved. 

Ponder for a Moment 

Consider God’s definition of “good” for your life and how it may differ from your own. Record your thoughts. 

Can you think of a time when suffering resulted in your knowing God in a deeper way? If so, tell of that time. 

Day 35

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) 

This Scripture sums up how Paul lives life. But what does it mean? What is Paul actually saying? 

He begins, “I have been crucified with Christ.” Paul knows it has already been done; when Jesus was crucified, he was crucified with Him. When Christ died, Paul’s old/Adam nature died too. 

Paul knows the old Paul is dead. He says, “It is no longer I who live.” Although Paul would still have been tempted to think, feel and act like he used to, he is aware that he is dead to the old way of living. No longer is he being led by his independent soul—his mind, will, and emotions separated from God. No longer is he held captive to his old way of thinking based on the Old Covenant law. 

Paul says, “But Christ lives in me.” He has come into agreement with Someone greater than himself. Now Paul is being led by the Spirit. 

Rehabilitating the old nature was not an option for Paul; neither is it an option for us. Religion is forever telling us that we can and should be rehabilitated. It seeks to provide ways that the “good” self might help fix up or control the “evil” self. But that is not God’s way. The freeing truth is to know that when Christ died, we died too. 

In Adam, all sinned and fell into the old nature born of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with the soul in charge. But when Jesus died on the cross, He took our old nature with Him to the grave. And when He rose, we rose with Him in His new nature of life being led by the Spirit. Romans 6:5 says, “For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.” 

Paul encourages, “Put off the old man with his deeds, and put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3:9–10). He encourages, “Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind, and … put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23–24). 

We believe what God says about our union with Christ in His death and resurrection. We give ourselves to God in faith and let Him lead us in the transforming work He wants to do in and through us. We “put off” and “put on” by welcoming truth and letting God’s thoughts and feelings renew our souls. We “work out [our] salvation” (Philippians 2:12) by letting the life of Christ in us work its way out for the world to see in our God-given humanity. 

But we can’t trust someone unless we know they love us. We can live by faith only when we are confident of God’s love for us. Paul says, “And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” 

“Who loved me,” that is the key. Paul knew Jesus’ love deeply and personally. 

Life in our new nature hinges on knowing God’s love for us. You can’t live by faith—you can’t give yourself totally to Him for His transforming work—unless you know that He loves you —you personally. Love isn’t love until it is given away and Jesus gave Himself totally, unreservedly for you. The Son of God died for you to give you His full, abundant life. 

Ponder for a Moment 

What does it mean to you that you have been “crucified with Christ”? 

What does it mean to you that your life is now defined by Christ’s life in you?