Follow Up on Last Sunday's Message

I received this from Nate Kugler this week and thought it was really good and I wanted to pass it on to all of you:

As a PS to your message, you said ‘Heart work’ is God’s work but we have an important role.

For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?  But we have the mind of Christ.  (1 Cor. 2:16)

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor. 3:16)

Keeping this in mind that we have the mind of Christ and that the Holy Spirit lives permanently in us,

1. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies to make you obey its passions.

2. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness,

3. but preset yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to live and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.  But put on  the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.  (Rom. 13:14)

But it is impossible to live the Christian life in my own strength.

It is common for people to seek to gain salvation through good works.  It is also common for Christians to seek to gain favor with God through good works.

However we read in Col. 2:6, 7 that just as you have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him.  Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught.   Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.  (NLT)

We received Christ by faith and so we need to live the Christian life by faith depending on having the mind of Christ and remembering that the Holy Spirit dwells permanently in us.

I can do all things through him [Christ] who strengthens me.  (Phil. 4:13)

Put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.  For God is working in you giving you the desire to obey him and the power to do what pleases him.  (Phil. 2:12b, 13 NLT)

So if I am

        not letting sin reign in me

        not presenting myself as an instrument of unrighteousness

        but presenting myself as an instrument of righteousness

        putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and

        making no provision for the flesh

I do so because I have the mind of Christ and

the Holy Spirit dwells permanently in me

and it is God who is at work in me

        giving me the desire to obey him and

        giving me the power to be able to do what pleases him.

So I am thankful for what he has done, and give him the praise instead of wanting God to love me more because I am such a good person.