Ministry

In Christ: I Am Made Alive
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In Christ: I Am Made Alive

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 17 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day sixteen with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been made alive.

I Am Made Alive

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.“
Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

Are there activities or events that you participate in that make you feel more alive than at other times?  How often do you think about your sin bringing death into your life?  Do you know people who have normal vital signs yet live as if they’re dead?  Are there times when that describes you?  How often do you just slide into the motions of doing life without living as one who is fully alive?

Many people develop habits and routines that become so automatic that they slide into a lifestyle that would be described at best as ordinary with no indication of being fully alive.  In Christ we have been lifted out of the ordinary and made to be fully alive!  As you pray, ask God to help you live as one who is fully alive even in the midst of the normal and ordinary tasks of life.  Pray that you would be filled with hope as you realize that when you are dead in your sins, Christ has come to make you alive.  Pray for the courage to make the most of being alive in Christ as you interact with people who still need to know Him.  Pray that they too would be made alive in Christ.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Am Redeemed
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In Christ: I Am Redeemed

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 18 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day fifteen with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been redeemed by God.

I Am Redeemed

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.“
Ephesians 1:7-8 (NIV)

Have you ever lost something that you had to pay someone else for in order to get it returned to you?  Have you had a car impounded that required you to pay to get it back?  Perhaps a lost or runaway pet that you had to redeem from the pound in order to make it yours again?  How do you feel when you have to pay again for something that had already been yours?  How do you feel when you finally get it back?

While many don’t like to admit it, every person belongs to God from the beginning of life due to His role as creator.  Yet each one of us has gone astray and left the home and authority of our Father to serve a different master.  In His great love, God has paid the price to buy us back through the blood of Jesus.  As you pray, thank God for the great desire He has for you to be His child, that He would redeem you from the bondage of sin.  Pray that you would experience the fullness of God’s grace as one who has been bought back from sin.  Pray that the people around you would accept God’s desire to redeem them.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Have Been Adopted
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In Christ: I Have Been Adopted

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 19 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day fourteen with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been adopted into God’s family.

I Have Been Adopted

“In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will — to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.“
Ephesians 1:5-6 (NIV)

How do you feel about the family you are a part of?  How do you think they feel about you being part of the family?  What do you think your family members would say about your desire for them to be part of the family?  What do you think of when you hear the word adoption?  How would knowing that you are wanted make you feel?

Most of us know families, perhaps you are one of them, who have gone to great extremes to adopt a child.  Their desire and love for that child has no limits and they do whatever it takes to make them part of their family.  God has that same abounding love for us that He would spare no expense in adopting us into His family!  As you pray, ask God to help you understand the greatness of His love and desire for you.  Pray for a greater acceptance of the love God has for you that He longed to adopt you in Christ.  Pray that you would value your adoption and live as a true child of God.  Pray that the people around you would accept the love God has for them as they see that love expressed in God’s adoption of you.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Have Been Chosen
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In Christ: I Have Been Chosen

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 20 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day thirteen with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been chosen by God.

I Have Been Chosen

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.“
Ephesians 1:4 (NIV)

Do you remember the choosing of teams in childhood sporting contests?  Were you one that was chosen early or passed over until the captains were left with little choice?  Do you ever feel unappreciated or unwanted?  How does it feel when you are asked to do something special or chosen to be a part of a prestigious group?

There are probably times when every one of us has felt left out or unwanted.  We feel like we are on the outside looking in and wonder what it would be like to be included.  In Christ we have the wonderful identity of being chosen by God!  As you pray, ask God to help you grasp the great love He has for you.  Pray that He would fill you with a sense of value and purpose as one who has been deliberately chosen.  Pray for a greater understanding of being chosen by God to be holy and blameless in Christ.  Pray for a continued growth in becoming what you already are in God’s sight.  Pray that the people around you would come to know the joy and fulfillment that is found when you are chosen in Christ.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Have Every Spiritual Blessing
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In Christ: I Have Every Spiritual Blessing

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 21 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day twelve with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing.

I Have Every Spiritual Blessing

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.“
Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

What first comes to your mind when you think of blessing?  Are those thoughts different if you consider spiritual blessings?  How often do you think you have every spiritual blessing that you would desire or need?  How would being blessed “in the heavenly realms” be different from what you might normally think of blessings to be?  Are there ways that it would be the same?

Far too often when we hear the word blessings, someone is talking about receiving some type of physical possession.  While it is true that “every good and perfect gift comes from above”, including all material possessions that would fit that category, how often do you consider the greater blessings that exist for those in Christ?  As you pray, ask God to help you see greater value in the spiritual blessings you receive than you do in temporary ones.  Pray that you would make the most of the spiritual blessings that God has poured out in you.  Pray that you would not be distracted from the greater blessings by the allure of the lesser.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Have Been Crucified
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In Christ: I Have Been Crucified

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 22 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day eleven with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been crucified with Christ.

I Have Been Crucified

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.“
Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

When you think about where you were before you knew Christ, how often do you think about that transition to being in Christ involving your death?  What active part does a dead person usually have in decision-making and life choices?  What does being crucified have to do with living by faith?  How much of your life does God require in order for Christ to live in you?

For most people, death is something that we don’t like to think or talk about.  In death we often see the permanent end to something while failing to see the new beginning of something else.  In Christ, the old must die in order for the new life to begin.  As you pray, ask God to help you surrender to the crucifixion of your old life in order for your new life to begin.  Pray that being crucified with Christ would put Him in the decision-making role in your life.  Pray that the new life you live would be lived fully for Christ.  Pray that the people around you would no longer see the life you lived, but they would see Christ living in you.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Am Declared Righteous
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In Christ: I Am Declared Righteous

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 23 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day ten with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been declared righteous.

I Am Declared Righteous

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.“
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

How often are you right?  How often do you think you are right?  Is there a different answer to those two questions?  What does it take for you to admit that you are wrong about something?  How hard is it to take back the wrong you’ve committed against someone?  What if that wrong was done against God?  Is there a way you can make it right?

As much as we would like to be right about everything, the truth is there is no one who is right all the time, no not one!  Because of our sin, all of our good deeds and right living will never be enough to make us right with God.  That is why a very important part of our identity in Christ is that we are declared righteous!  As you pray, acknowledge your sin and wrongdoing while thanking God that Jesus was willing to take on your sin so that you could be declared righteous in Christ.  Pray that your life would reflect the righteousness that God has given you.  Pray that the people around you would see in you a righteousness that far exceeds any trace of goodness you may think you have.

In prayer,

Tom  

In Christ: I Am a New Creation
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In Christ: I Am a New Creation

It is always good to be reminded of who we are in Christ, especially when we find ourselves living in a world filled with chaos and confusion.  Over the next 24 days I will be sharing the devotions from my book, “In Christ Alone”.  Each devotion is designed to help us look to Christ for our identity in the midst of a myriad of sources trying to define who we are.

Here is day nine with an important reminder that in Christ you, and those around you, have been called to be a new creation.

I Am a New Creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!“
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

What do you like the most about new things?  What do you not like about new things?  How easy/hard is it for you to take hold of new things if the old are still available to you?  If there was one area of your life that you could make completely new, what would it be?  What would it take to do so?  Do you believe people can change?  Do you believe you can change?  Why or why not?

Many of us live with an internal tug-of-war where we like new things but are far more comfortable with many of the old things that define who we are.  For example, I tend to buy new shoes but will rarely wear them until I actually throw the old ones out.  As you pray, ask God to help you see any areas of your old life that you tend to cling to instead of claiming the new life that He gives.  Pray that you would have the courage to always put away the old life and live as the new creation you are.  Pray that you would trust God’s ability to make not only you, but those around you, into a new creation when you are in Christ.

In prayer,

Tom