Day 25 - Power of the Spirit In You

Day 25 – Power of The Spirit In You

Alright everyone.  It’s the last day!  But this last day is powerful so strap on your boots because the truth bomb is about to explode in Romans 8.

Take this passage slowly and to heart and feel the power pour into your soul.

• Reading: Romans 8:1-39

On Day 24,  we read we belonged to Christ.  We are his.  And since we are his, he has given us the Holy Spirit . And it’s the power of the life giving Spirit that has freed us from the power of sin and death. And when we live by the spirit, the Spirit leads to life and peace.

Can I get an amen?

The thing is, in this life we are always going to battle sin.  Selfishness, pride, arrogance, sexism, racism, lust, hate and the list goes on, sin will always be a part of our world.  It will be a part of us.  Yes, if we are honest with ourselves, those icky, nasty sins are in us.  But when we decide to follow Christ, the Holy Spirit is also a part of us.  And it’s this Spirit as we’ve read before that helps renew and shape us. It helps transform us to be more like Christ.

And if you think you have a sin to deep for God to overcome.  Simple put... you’re crazy.  The same God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and just as Jesus was given life; you will be given the same life giving Spirit. For there is no condemnation for those who belong to our Father! For you are His heirs, we share in his glory.  But as Romans 8:17 states if we share in His glory, we will also share in his sufferings.

Suffering and its work in our lives is another 25 Day Reading Plan ;)  But let’s just all agree to save on time that suffering is a guarantee in the Christian life. We will suffer. You will have trials.  We will come upon hardships.  Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory revealed to us later (v18) We are given an eternal hope for when we are joined with God the Father as his adopted heirs receiving every spiritual blessing. And until then we wait... and we wait patiently and confidently.

Ugh... patiently.  No one likes to wait patiently.  And confidently?  How do we wait confidently?

• By letting the Spirit continue to work in you.
• By trusting in his plan.
• By relying on God’s perfect timing.
• By putting faith in His infinite wisdom.
• By studying His Word
• By getting to know your God, your Father.
• By spending time in His goodness.
• By communing with other believers

And by realizing the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.  The Holy Spirit knows our hearts even if we don’t confess.  It knows our stumbles, anxieties, and fears.  I know God loves me and I love him with all that I am, but I personally still fear the unknown.  It’s my struggle.  I feel the fears rise as to what eternity really looks like. And when these fears start to surface, so does the life giving Spirit.  He begins to assure me. He breathes truth back into me.  Because the unknown of the Creator is also what assures me of his existence and power.  Why would I serve a god I know everything about?

Then I worry that God will shame me for my fears...

Enter Romans 8:31-39.  Read this passage again.  Trust me you’ll want to.

Nothing can ever separate us from the love of our Father.  He loves us so much he gave up His Son for us. He has given us right standing with him.  He has given us life. We have victory in Him.

“Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither fears for today nor worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

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I pray that after these 25 days you’ve realized how cool the Bible is and how amazing it all ties together in one complete story – God’s story.  We’ve learned a lot over this last month and I pray it stirs your heart to go deeper into your relationship with God.  Because that relationship is more important than any other relationship that exists.  He loves you deeply.  So deeply that He defeated death, so you could have life. He gave up His one and only Son, as a perfect sacrifice, to make you righteous and just before him.  He has adopted you as His own and made you His royal heirs.  

Live loved.

Day 24 - Seal Of Our Inheritance

Day 24 - Our Inheritance

Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 2:1-10

Let me just start by saying, Ephesians is one of my favorite books in the Bible.  It’s my go to.  Especially the passages we read here.

Ephesians 1 starts off by telling us we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.  Think about that.  The heavenly realms.  That’s a pretty amazing and powerful place and we have all the spiritual blessings from there!  And it’s all because we have been united with Christ.  We are one with God the Son. The Branch. The Messiah. The Savior of the world.  And we didn’t choose this. God did.  God chose each and every one of us.  He didn’t only choose us, he loves us.  He loves us so much that he’s adopted us into his family.  And not because he had to, but because he completely and utterly wanted to!  It even makes sure to point out that loving us, choosing us, and adopting us brings him great pleasure.

So if you’ve ever wondered if you’re loved by God.  Blow up this passage and put flashing neon lights all around it.  You my friend... most certainly are loved by the Almighty Himself.

Then the passage moves from His love to his grace towards us.  God’s merciful grace.   A grace that purchased our freedom with the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin. But it was all in His mysterious plan.  A plan we’ve read about back in Genesis.  A plan he was working together all throughout the Old Testament.  A plan that is perfectly timed out as we’ve seen through all the fulfillments of scripture.  A plan that unites us with Christ to receive our inheritance from God.  Jesus is the one in whom we have or inheritance.

God had a plan ya’ll and it was to bless our socks off.

But there’s more, there is a guarantee of this inheritance. And it’s the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our seal of the promise God is making to us. God himself in us, transforming us, renewing us, making us His masterpiece, a new creation.

And as you read in Ephesians 1 and 2, this inheritance is a gift from God.  It cannot be earned or worked for. It’s is by his grace that we receive it.

So live as an heir to the eternal throne. The King of Heaven and Earth chose you.  He gives you the gift of salvation and you now live life eternal united with Christ blessed with every spiritual blessing.

But may I also point out, the King who so selflessly and sacrificially gave us this glorious gift asks us to selflessly and sacrificially love others to bring them to understand and receive this gift as well.

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“If you think little of what God has done for you, you will do very little for him; but if you have a great notion of his great mercy to you, you will be greatly grateful to your gracious God.” (Spurgeon)

Day 23 - The Holy Spirit Comes, A Consuming Fire

Day 23 - The Holy Spirit Comes, A Consuming Fire

Reading - Acts 2:1-47

Jesus’ ascended into the Heavens 40 days after his resurrection.  Acts 2 starts out telling us it was the day of Pentecost.  Pentecost was held 50 days after the Passover and Jews from all over would come.  It was a festival to celebrate the first fruits and give back to God the first fruits of the harvest.  In the Old Testament they also recognized this as the day the Law was given.  I doubt it was by coincidence that God sent the Holy Spirit to be received by his followers on a Festival that was known for his followers to receive that Law.  God also amazes me at his perfect timing as Jews came from all over thus Peter essentially preaching to an international audience creating a worldwide spread of new believers.

But back to his disciples waiting. They’ve been waiting 10 days for Jesus.  For the Helper.  I imagine there was much anticipation. They had no idea when the Helper would come but they waited together. Then all of a sudden their Advocate appears.  And in a physical presence.  It came in full force, full of power and might and filled the room with His presence. And it didn’t just fill the room, the Holy Spirit rested on each individual in the presence of a flaming fire.  No longer would the Holy Spirit come down to rest on the Nation of Israel as a whole.  He would come down and rest upon each believer, each individual follower.  As the New Covenant promises.  He would now consumer our hearts and minds.

The Holy Spirit resting on each follower is also significant. God often represented himself in the form of fire throughout the Old Testament.  Fire also represents purification. As they used fire to purify gold. This fire signifies not only God’s mighty power in us but the purification of God in us.  The Holy Spirit was sent to help transform our being, to purify us to be more like Christ.

Then Peter, the same Peter who denied Christ, but now a Peter filled with the power of the Holy Spirit boldly stands up and speaks to the crowds!  His message is outstanding.

• He refutes claims being made with scripture from their Old Testament that Joel 2:28-32 predicted the Spirit would pour out on his people. Acts 2:17-21
• tells of God’s prearranged plan for the death of Jesus (acts 2:23)
•  tells us that Jesus was brought back to life. That death could not keep its grips on Jesus
• goes back to the Old Testament again showing how prophesy was fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection (acts 2:27-38)
• shares the glorious news that Jesus now sits at the place of honor next to our Heavenly Father (acts 2:33)
• shares another prophesy fulfilled (acts 2:34-35)
•  then convicts them of their sin in crucifying our Lord (Acts 2:36)
• but gives them a hope of salvation through repentance and forgiveness of sin (acts 2:38)
• and finally an action step to receive the Spirit through baptism

Peter’s message for us is the same message we can proclaim to others.  It’s the only message we need to proclaim.  The Gospel.  The Gospel in itself has great power to convict people to turn toward Christ.  It’s in this message they see sacrifice, love and hope.  A message that this world cannot give.  It’s this message that we need to know and proclaim as we are Christ’s messengers.  Peter brought 3,000 believers to Christ that single day.  We too can bring people to know Jesus by simply telling people about the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May we allow the work of the Holy Spirit to set us on fire.  May we be bold like Peter

Day 22 - Promise of a Helper

Day 22 - Promise of a Helper

Reading:  John 14:15-31, John 16: 4b-15

So we know we live in freedom, but it’s hard. Good news.  God gives us a helper.

For the last four days of the Easter Reading Plan, we’ll dive into the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. - Romans 8:11

Yes.  That same Spirit.

In our reading Jesus is enjoying his Last Supper with the disciples.  So remember, they do not know he is about to be crucified.  They know nothing about the resurrection.  They have no idea he is the sacrificial lamb atoning for sin.

Really, they know nothing.

Jesus had predicted his death but they do not understand. It’s easy to be hard on the disciples.  But remember we have the whole story of God’s plan.  They were actually living it.  They don’t know what’s going to come next. And what comes next as we know is quite shocking to say the least.    He even tells them, you don’t understand, but you will when it happens. And then you’ll believe. (John 14:29). But Jesus also promises them a Helper. An Advocate.

Sometimes I feel we underestimate this Helper as Christians or completely forget Him.  But it’s this helper who completely fulfills the New Covenant promise.  John 14:27 states “I am leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart.”  This gift is the Holy Spirit now putting God’s word in our minds and hearts.  We now have the privilege of God in us to lead us into all truth, to guide us in our walk, to make us new and lead us in the light.  It’s this Spirit that makes us alive again. He fills our souls. He is God in us reminding us of His Word.

Let’s think about how cool this is for a moment.  In the Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit would descend on just a few people for a period of time to relay God’s message.  We know these people as Prophets.  But now, the Holy Spirit will descend on ALL who believe in him! He will live in them. And he will never be taken away!

Think about that.  The Holy Spirit is alive in you.  And he always will be.  Even when we sin.  In fact, it’s the Holy Spirit convicting us, acting as our conscious. Leading us away from sin.  Bringing us to the path of righteousness.

When we think of the resurrection we think of the God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, triumphant and Glorious God raising Jesus from the depths of Hell.  Raising Jesus from the dead.  This same Spirit... lives in you and lives in me.

High five Holy Spirit!  You rock.

Because that is just simply amazing.

I pray you realize the power that resides in the very depths of your soul. I pray you understand how truly wonderful, amazing and mighty you are as children of the Risen Christ.

Photoshoot for Kid's Line

We introduce to you the crazy you get when you bring 16 kids together.  

You get games, Simon Says, killer dance moves turned wrestling moves, gymnastics, tackles, football, races and best of all a ton of personality and fun. 

 Thank you Laura Kleffman Photography for capturing it all on camera. 

Read more on this Kid's line here: