“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

The key to living a victorious Christian life is to discover who you are in Christ. Many Christians have never discovered this. They remind me of the man who had an identity problem and an energy crisis at the same time. He didn’t know who he was and he was too tired to find out.

God doesn’t work from the outside in. He works from the inside out. God doesn’t modify our behavior in order to change us. He changes us in order to modify our behavior.

You’re never going to purify the water by painting the pump. That’s legalism and that’s a dead end to discovering who you are in Christ.

Take God’s Word and find the phrase, “in Christ.” As you find phrases that apply to your life, write those down. Begin with phrases such as “no condemnation” now that you are “in Christ.” (By Adrian Rogers)

MORNING MANNA

Waiting on the Promises of God

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

By nature, God is a promiser. He’s made a ton of them to His children. A promise is the assurance that God gives to His people so they can walk by faith while they wait for Him to work.

You don’t realize how much you need God’s promises until your smooth and easy life suddenly turns sideways. This is the time to dig into God’s Word and get something to wrap your faith around.

Now the Christian life would be easy if the space in time is small between when you claim God’s promises and when you receive what He promised. Read it one day and get it the next. Wow-wouldn’t that be great!?

But life’s not like that.

The hard part is in the waiting between the promise and the answer; and even harder, when the waiting comes with uncertainties.

Where’s this going? Where am I going to end up? What’s my future look like?

The reality is, we just don’t know and it’s this not-knowing that crushes us. We doubt because we don’t know. We worry and despair because we don’t know. We falter and sometimes fail-all because we don’t know. If only we knew how this trial was going to play out, we would be OK. But we don’t.

I can take a bad day. I can take a bad month. I can even take a bad year or bad decade, if I have to, as long as I know how it will end up. For some of you it’s a health crisis. For another, it’s a question about your marriage or an uncertainty with a child. For someone else, it’s a restlessness in your soul. We all have areas of uncertainty where we need to hold on to what God has said. His promises are what we cling to while we wait for Him to work. Our faith is in God. He knows what He has promised, He can’t lie, and He can’t forget. He will deliver on time, all the time. Who else can make promises like that?

Now I wish I could tell you that it always figures out perfectly in our lifetimes, but I would be lying to you. You cannot make sense of the promises of God with this life only. You must factor the reality of eternity into the equation. Eternity brings it all together. The promises of eternal life and the assurance of hope in heaven are what make God’s promises exceedingly great and precious. -James MacDonald

God, forgive us for thinking that everything must make sense today in the economy of our human satisfaction. Give us faith to believe that we’re here for a purpose that is greater than ourselves, greater than our personal enjoyment, even greater than our participation in building Your kingdom. Our lives are about a legacy-Your glory. Amen.———By James MacDonald

When personalized license plates were introduced in Illinois, the Department of Motor Vehicles received over 1,000 requests for the number “1”. The state official whose job it was to approve requests said, “I am not about to assign it to someone and disappoint a thousand people.” What was his solution? He assigned the number to himself.

A little boy and a little girl were riding a mechanical horse in a shopping mall. The little boy, who was riding in front, turned to the little girl and said, “If one of us would get off, there would be more room for me.”

Nowhere is man’s creativity more apparent than in his ability to discover new and original ways to commit the original sin. It all began in the Garden of Eden when the devil convinced Adam and Eve that he had found a way for them to move God over and become “Number 1.” And the beat goes on-and we keep looking for ways to succeed where Adam and Eve failed. We look for ways to be first on everyone else’s priority list. We look for ways to be first in line. We look for ways to be first at the checkout counter. We look for ways to be the first ones getting out of the parking lot. We look for ways to win in the game of “first come, first served.” But these are mere symptoms of the real transgression. In the case of Christians, our creativity as original sinners is revealed most clearly when we look for ways to be known as disciples of Christ without following His example.

“We are Number 1! We are Number 1!” All well and good, perhaps, to hear the chant ringing out from football fans, but when we hear it ringing out from our hearts, it is all pride and imagination. Remember, therefore, “He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts” (Luke 1:51).

————–From A Treasury of Bible Illustrations

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

Philippians 4:8

So live that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip. -Will Rogers.

Yiddish folklore offers a telling tale about gossip-makers. One such man had told so many malicious untruths about the local rabbi that, overcome by remorse, he begged the rabbi to forgive him. “And, Rabbi, tell me how I can make amends.” The rabbi sighed, “Take two pillows, go to the public square and there cut the pillows open. Wave them in the air. Then come back.” The rumormonger quickly went home, got two pillows and a knife, hastened to the square, cut the pillows open, waved them in the air and hastened back to the rabbi’s chambers. “I did just what you said, Rabbi!” “Good.” The rabbi smiled. “Now, to realize how much harm is done by gossip, go back to the square…” “And?” “And collect all your feathers.”

Hurtful speech of any kind cannot be undone once it is spoken. As Christians, we should never be known as someone who uses our tongue to hurt others. Our reputation shouldn’t be one that tells of gossip, malicious speech, or idle stories. God desires our speech to be pure, holy, and uplifting.

Our verse today gives us the pattern for the things we should talk about. We are to honor the Lord in everything we do or say! Many times we speak before we think about what we are going to say. It is at those times that we regret what we have said. Before we speak, we must think about what we are going to say and consider if it will honor the Lord.

I once saw this acrostic for how we can think on our speech before we say it:

T-Is it true?
H-Is it helpful?
I-Is it inspiring?
N-Is it necessary?
K-Is it kind?

I wonder what would happen if we all ran our speech through the filter of THINK. We would be less condescending, hurtful, and careless with our words, and more uplifting and encouraging in our speech.

Time and again in His Word, God warns against the power of the tongue. The tongue is a mighty tool in our body that can be used for good or bad. Why not take advantage of God’s gift of speech and honor Him with it?

How are you using your speech? Do you think before you speak? Ask God to help your words honor Him. Determine to be a person that encourages those around you with your speech. Remember to THINK before you say anything that could be harmful or unkind today.(By Paul Chappell)

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

1 Peter 4:16

Oswald Chambers once wrote, “Suffering is the heritage of the bad, of the penitent, and of the Son of God. Each one ends at the Cross. The bad thief is crucified, the penitent thief is crucified, and the Son of God is crucified. By these signs we know the widespread heritage of suffering.”

If there is a common thread running through the human race it is the thread of suffering. Every person has trials and challenges that are unexpected. This was especially true for the Christians in the first century.

These Christians put their faith in the resurrected Christ in the midst of a Roman culture that didn’t allow anyone to give obeisance to a god other than Caesar. The Roman government ruled with an iron fist, and the emperor Nero persecuted anyone who gave allegiance to Jesus Christ.

History records that during this time the games of the Coliseum were popular. Many times, Christians were imprisoned and sent to battle lions or gladiators in the Coliseum as sport for the Roman citizens to watch. Truly, if any Christians have known suffering, the first century Christians went through incredible persecution and suffering for the faith.

Adversity comes and goes in all our lives. It’s like taking a rock in your hand, walking to a perfectly still pond, throwing the rock into the middle of the pond and seeing the sudden disturbance of the water. The ripples made by that rock in the water stretch out and affect the entire pond. When adversity comes into our lives, the ripple effect of that trial may last a week, a month, or an entire lifetime. No matter the amount of time, adversity does affect our lives.

In our verses today, Peter was writing to the Christians who were scattered throughout what is modern-day Turkey. He was assuring them that God had a reason and a purpose for the trials that had entered their lives.

While it may not be physical persecution or the possibility of death, suffering for the cause of Christ still happens to many Christians. Whether it’s ridicule at work or rejection by others, many Christians still face adversity today.

So how can we experience victory during times of adversity? What caused the first century Christians who were persecuted for their faith to have joy and peace during times of suffering? When adversity or suffering enters your life, seek refuge in the promises of God’s Word. The peace that many early Christians felt came from quoting Scripture, singing spiritual songs, and meditating on God’s promises.

Are you facing adversity? Spend time with God now. Meditate on His Word and let Him fill you with His peace. Claim Philippians 4:7 as you go about your day today, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (By Paul Chappell)