Daily Truth - Jesus Christ is the Image of the Invisible God

Jesus Christ is revealed to mankind as Firstborn of all creation, the Son of God, the Word of God, and the Image of God.  Jesus Christ reveals God to humanity.  Through Jesus Christ, we can see God, hear God, and know God.  Although, all is out of God and comes from Him, God chose for all to be through Jesus Christ.

“…for there is one God, the Father, out of Whom all is…and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom all is…but not in all is there this knowledge.”  (1 Corinthians 8:6-7)

Jesus Christ is the perfect image of the invisible God.  No man can see God.

The Rigor Mortis of Head Knowledge

God, Christ, and the Scriptures are powerfully living, moving, and active.  They are not meant to be turned into cadavers on a morgue table which are dissected into pieces and studied for the mere sake of figuring them all out and knowing how they work. God, Christ, and the Scriptures are meant to be related with, experienced, and known with our entire being—mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical.  

I observe around me so much studying of the Bible and dissecting of passages of Scripture and the dissecting of God and Christ.  All the while, Christ believers are also seeking after this or that teaching or teacher to explain things to them.  All the while, fellow believers are found to be disagreeing, bickering, or arguing about what this or that means and what it doesn’t mean.

“Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.  For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.  Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul’, and ‘I of Apollos’, and ‘I of Cephas’, and ‘I of Christ’.  Has Christ been divided? Paul was not crucified for you, was he?”  (1 Corinthians 1:10-13, NAS)  

Christ is My Lifeline

(This is a follow up to my previous post titled:  “A Love Like That of Christ’s”) 

As I listened to the song, “Surely We Can Change”, multiple times, I began to feel strengthened to endure.  After all, I could not argue with the Lord about how true love, the love He gives and calls me to, has no conditions.  After I stopped replaying the song on my iPod, one of the following songs which began to play was “Lifeline” from a Mandisa CD.  Oh, this one was also so very appropriate for the moment!

With “Surely We Can Change”, I felt the Lord’s loving instruction.  With “Lifeline”, I felt His encouragement and His reminder that He is my All in all!  His love is constant, unwavering, and unfailing.  Even when the ones we love do not return our love, He has more than enough love to give us and pour over us. 

A Love Like That of Christ’s

Yesterday, I began my day with a very heavy and sorrowful heart.  Once again, it all had to do with the profound ache of relationships.  I am truly having a difficult time dealing with my intense feelings of emotional pain regarding particular relationships.  There is a desperate desire within me for my relationships to be full of joy, grace, peace, and love.  

I have repeatedly asked God the same questions over and over: “Why does it have to be this way?  How long must it be this way?  I’m hoping it will be different in the future.  Will my hope materialize?  Is that day near or far?  Why must it hurt so deeply and continuously?  Why can’t I just release the situation, trust You are working in it, and not let it hurt me so much?  What am I doing wrong?  Am I taking things too personal?  What am I seeing wrong? What can I do to help correct what’s wrong?  How do I change this person’s perception of me and my motives?  How do I impart the truth?”

DAILY TRUTH - The Significance of the Names of Jesus

There is a great significance to the names of Jesus, as they are used in the New Testament.  I feel that in today’s world, the name of Jesus has been taken for granted.  His name has been abused, cursed, used as an expletive, spoken in careless, thoughtless ways, and without a second thought.  My hope in writing this Daily Truth is to bring attention to the fact that His name has importance and extraordinary meaning.

When looking in depth at the Apostle Paul’s writings, one can notice that he uses the names of Jesus Christ in very specific ways, depending on the subject of his writings.  Sometimes, Paul speaks of the “Lord”, or “Jesus”, or “Jesus Christ”, or “Christ Jesus”.  In an article titled, “The Names of Jesus”, E.W. Bullinger states that he noted seventeen different combinations of the use of those names in Paul’s epistles. Bullinger also states that in the gospels, the name “Jesus” (on its own) is used about 612 times.  While it is used only 71 times in the other NT books (and 38 of those instances are in Acts).  Why is that?

Looking for Endurance

“…for you have need of endurance…”  (Hebrews 10:35, CLNT)

“For I am reckoning that the sufferings of the current era do not deserve the glory about to be revealed for us.  For the premonition of the creation is awaiting the unveiling of the sons of God.  For to vanity was the creation subjected, not voluntarily, but because of Him Who subjects it, in expectation that the creation itself, also, shall be freed from the slavery of corruption into the glorious freedom of the children of God.  For we are aware that the entire creation is groaning and travailing together until now.  Yet not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruit of the spirit, we ourselves also, are groaning in ourselves, awaiting the sonship, the deliverance of our body.  For to expectation were we saved.  Now expectation, being observed, is not expectation, for what anyone is observing, why is he expecting it also?  Now, if we are expecting what we are not observing, we are awaiting it with endurance.  (Romans 8:22-25, CLNT)

Early this week, as I read Romans 8, the Lord reminded me (again!) that I was in need of endurance.  As I wrote these words in my journal, “And so, I see clearly I am in *GREAT* need of endurance!” a familiar chord sounded within me.  Didn’t I recall that the Lord had reminded me of that not so long ago?  Or was I imagining it?... 

Of Faith and Boldness – Part II

“You should not, then, be casting away your boldness, which is having a great reward, for you have need of endurance...”  (Hebrews 10: 35, CLNT) 

“Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed; for in this the elders were testified to.  By faith we are apprehending the eons to adjust to a declaration of God, so that what is being observed has not come out of what is appearing.”  (Hebrews 11:1-2, CLNT)

As the Lord spoke to me regarding my faith and reminded me to allow Him to move and have His way with me, I was filled with boldness.  I felt bold in speaking out or remaining silent.  I felt bold in simply being in Christ and doing as Christ led me to do.