Today is Thursday, August 19th, 2010; Karen's Korner #1889
"This is the day that the Lord has made let us all rejoice and be glad in it!" from Psalm 118:24
This year I have been reading "Sparkling Gems from the Greek", every day Rick Renner has an inspirational thought and then word definitions of Bible verse(s) surrounding the verse(s).
I really liked the writing from August 16 and I am going to share a portion of it with readers this morning.*
Look at What You've Been Given In Jesus Christ!
"You have been given so much in Jesus Christ! You have no legitimate reason for failing to be an awesome success in life, because you have so much going for you! In fact, you have much more going for you than you could possibly imagine. Today let me encourage you with just a few things you've been given in Jesus Christ!
"John 1:12 says, 'But as many as received Him, to them He gave power to become the Sons of God, even to them who believe on His name.' This verse reveals that you received divine power the day you became a child of God. The day you chose to make Jesus your Lord and Savior is the day He delegated to you the power and authority to become a child of God. Think of it -- at the moment of decision, all the power, authority, and divine influence that is resident within the mighty name of Jesus Christ came to live on the inside of you!
"So rather than complain that you're weak and nothing special, it's time to start laying claim to what is stored up inside you! The same explosive, dynamic, phenomenal authority and power that resides within Jesus has now been delegated to reside in you!
"As that wasn't enough, II Corinthians 5:17 declares, 'Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.' This verse says you're a brand-new creature, if you are in Christ Jesus. The new you is superior to the old you! In fact, you are so new that this verse calls you a new 'creature'. (The word creature comes from the word creation.) When God created the universe, he used no existing materials or old elements to make it. Everything in creation was newly made. Now that same word is used to describe what happened to you the day you were saved. Everything about you is new! You're not an amended, corrected, improved version of what you used to be. You are an absolutely brand-new creation! You are completely detached from the person you once were before Christ.
"Psalm 103:12 tells you how far your old ways have been removed from you: 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.' When Jesus Christ came into your life, He created you to be free from the past, free from the negative effects of your family, and liberated from all former hang-ups--in short, a brand-new creature!
"So stop laying claims to your family's genetic problems, inheritable sicknesses, dysfunctional behavior, disorders, hang-ups, curses, or any other negative thing that was a part of your life before Christ. This old person no longer exists. He is dead. You are brand new.
"But wait -- there's so much more that you hae been given in Jesus Christ! For instance, Ephesians 2:10 says, 'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus....' In this writing by Paul, he says emphatically that on the day you were saved, God put forth His most powerful and creative effort to make you new. Once God was finished making you new, you became a masterpiece, skillfully and artfully created in Christ Jesus. There's nothing cheap about you at all! God's creative, artistic, intelligent genius went into your making!
"Look how much you've been given in Jesus Christ! Don't you think its time to stop moaning about how dumb, stupid, ugly, or untalented you 'feel' compared to others? Those 'feelings' are all lies. Some of that may have been true before you were born again, but none of it is true of you now that you are in Christ. God turned you into something spectacular. That's who you are now! So lay claim to your new identity. Adjust your thinking and talking to reflect who you really are!"
MY PRAYER FOR TODAY
"Lord, forgive me for being so negative and for talking so badly about myself after You have given me so much! I have no excuse for accepting defeat or low self-esteem as a way of life because You have made me totally new! Help me renew my mind to the truth about who You have made me to be, and help me guard the words of my mouth so that instead of speaking evil of myself, I affirm the truth about who I am in Christ."
MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY
"I confess that the day I was born again, I received the dynamic, explosive power of God into my life. That power removed my old nature and made me a brand-new creature! Nothing from the old me continues to exists, for I am completely brand new. When God made me, He put forth His finest creative powers, and I now live on this earth as a masterpiece of His grace. God has made me into something quite spectacular!
"I declare this by faith in Jesus' name!"
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* This information has been edited for brevity of reading. The Greek definitions of several words have been omitted. If you would like to read the entire piece, please request it and I will type it and email it to you. It may take me several days to get to it, but stay tuned, I will do it, if you ask!