2Ti 2:11This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him .2Ti 2:12If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
Well this is a gentle. . . or not so gentle reminder of where we stand with Christ! If we died with Him. . . which is dying to self and taking up the cross of Christ and dying to sin. . . . .now look at the beautiful promise that comes with that. . . . we get to live with Him! Yeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaw! Now, as we continue I want you to pay close attention. There is one very crucial word here that keeps popping up and it is a qualifier. . . IF! Now the first two IF's are good IF's. IF we died with Him, then we shall live with Him. . . . . IF we endure, we shall also reign with Him. . . . .Now, IF we deny Him. . . . He WILL deny us! As I ponder on this last IF, it seems so clear cut, but is it? To deny Him, my mouth must say that I do not know Him, right. . . . or is it possibly more than that? You know the old saying, "Actions speak louder than words!", is this another aspect that we must explore? I know many times my words say one thing, but my actions say something totally opposite! I know I may be alone here, but has anyone else out there ever been on a diet? Have you ever talked about it and maybe bragged on yourself so others will think you are doing so well, and then in the secret places. . . . you ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut, or two, or twelve! How many times do we give Christ lip service and in the secret we live a life that is no different than those who do not claim Christ? Is this not also a form of denial of Christ? This is the part where you must look back and really take a look to see if you truly ever died with Christ in the first place! We have two really good examples of this in the bible. Peter Mat 26:75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
And Judas Mat 26:24"The Son of Man indeed goes just as it is written of Him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born."
As we look at the lives of these two men who both denied Christ, we must look at the outcome. Peter denied Christ as Christ told him he would. After doing this, He went out and preached the gospel of Christ for the rest of his days until his death. Now Judas, instead of taking responsibility for his actions and using them for the glory of God, he went out and hung himself for he never truly belonged to Christ! This is the time that we MUST sit back and really look at who holds our hearts! We MUST know without a shadow of a doubt that we have died with Christ and that we are not just giving lip service! What are your actions saying about you today? As I write all of this, please do know that I am preaching to the Choir. . . . . I must do the same thing! This is why God's Word is sooooooooo important! This is why we must continually seek out His promises, His expectations, and His qualifiers! We must be truthful to ourselves and to God. . . . After all, He knows the condition of our hearts even more than we do!
~Father God, I am so thankful for Your Word and for the direction it gives us! I want to thank You for Christ and the ultimate gift He has given us! I want to thank You for bringing things to my attention and for Your Spirit that gives me direction! Father, please speak to the hearts of those who will read this post, and if I have made any wrong statements here, that You will show me, and forgive me for it is truly my desire to honor You! Father, I pray for Chelsea right now as she is taking the ACT to better her score, please give her clarity of mind, peace, and bring all of those things she has learned back to her memory! I also pray that you will soothe her broken heart and give her a peace that surpasses all understanding! Please help her to see the beauty that lives inside of her that comes from You! I pray Father that you will give her the desires of her heart and help her to see You in every circumstance in her life! I thank You and I praise You in the precious name of Jesus. . . . AMEN! ! ! ! ~
Well this is a gentle. . . or not so gentle reminder of where we stand with Christ! If we died with Him. . . which is dying to self and taking up the cross of Christ and dying to sin. . . . .now look at the beautiful promise that comes with that. . . . we get to live with Him! Yeeeeeeee Haaaaaaaw! Now, as we continue I want you to pay close attention. There is one very crucial word here that keeps popping up and it is a qualifier. . . IF! Now the first two IF's are good IF's. IF we died with Him, then we shall live with Him. . . . . IF we endure, we shall also reign with Him. . . . .Now, IF we deny Him. . . . He WILL deny us! As I ponder on this last IF, it seems so clear cut, but is it? To deny Him, my mouth must say that I do not know Him, right. . . . or is it possibly more than that? You know the old saying, "Actions speak louder than words!", is this another aspect that we must explore? I know many times my words say one thing, but my actions say something totally opposite! I know I may be alone here, but has anyone else out there ever been on a diet? Have you ever talked about it and maybe bragged on yourself so others will think you are doing so well, and then in the secret places. . . . you ate a Krispy Kreme doughnut, or two, or twelve! How many times do we give Christ lip service and in the secret we live a life that is no different than those who do not claim Christ? Is this not also a form of denial of Christ? This is the part where you must look back and really take a look to see if you truly ever died with Christ in the first place! We have two really good examples of this in the bible. Peter Mat 26:75And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." So he went out and wept bitterly.
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