Romans 8:31-34
How many people do you know who are for you? How many people do you know who oppose you? Certainly, the most powerful person who opposes us is Satan. He hates everything we stand for. He hates that he lost us from his kingdom to the Grace of God. Satan places many people in our lives to stand against and oppose us. They make our life tough. They always seem to be lurking nearby to jump on us when we're down. People will lie about you. They'll hurt you. They'll do everything in their power to make you feel bad about yourself. That's tough, I know. Sometimes the opposition gets so severe you just want to stop. Enough's enough. You just can't go on any more. That's when you should hear the Words of God: "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
The question is rhetorical. No answer is expected because it's obvious. If God is for us, it doesn't matter who is against us! God is the Most Powerful Being alive. He is the Great Creator. He is the One Who sustains all life. He is the Almighty God. If He is for us, what does it matter who on this planet or in the universe is against us? It doesn't.
God proved His love and concern for us by giving us His Greatest Gift. He did not spare His son, but gave Him up for us--you and me. Since He did that, He'll graciously give us all things. The word "graciously" means that God does what He does for us out of a heart of Grace. He does not begrudge giving us good things. He's not upset that He "has" to do nice things for us. He gave us His One and Only Son because He loves us. He gives us good things now because He wants to. He is our Loving Heavenly Father. He takes care of us. He looks after us. We are His children. We are members of His Son's Body of Believers. We're special to Him. We're family. He wouldn't have it any other way.
You and I will face many in life who will oppose us. You will probably even come across opposition from people close to you: family, friends, people in your church. No matter who it is, remember God's words: "If God is for us, who can be against us?...Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."
I believe it's wise to seek God's insight any time someone opposes you. We often learn important lessons from opposition. But don't let it defeat you. Learn the lessons and remember that your Heavenly Father has given you His Best. Christ lives in you and you live in Christ. He will take care of you. He'll stand next to you in the most difficult of times. He will lead you to Victory. He is in you and for you!
Galatians 5:1
Free in Christ! That's what we are. Free men and women. And why are we free? Paul says "it is for freedom" that Christ set us free.
Freedom is a great theme in Paul's writings. Earlier in his letter to the Galatians, he wrote: "This matter arose because some false brothers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves." (Galatians 2:4). What was Paul talking about? Members of the Jewish congregation in Jerusalem had heard about Paul's teaching that Jews and Gentiles did not have to be circumcised any longer. They no longer had to obey the Law of Moses. This angered and frustrated many. Several went to Antioch to see for themselves. Some taught the Christians that "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." (Acts 15:1) That was true to them in the Kingdom Dispensation, but not true in the Dispensation of the Grace of God that Paul preached. Paul went with the Jews to Jerusalem to set the record straight. That visit led to the understanding that Paul had a ministry of the Grace message to the Gentiles while James, Peter and John had a ministry of the Kingdom message to Jews.
Paul understood what it was to be a slave to sin. He knew all people were dead in their sins and could only follow the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air. He knew they could only gratify the cravings of their sinful nature and follow its desires and thoughts. (Ephesians 2:1-3) That's the "natural" way of things. Paul also knew that in Christ people were set free from sin and became slaves to righteousness. (Romans 6:18) Paul understood clearly why God had saved us: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."
God does not want us to be slaves to sin any longer. There's no need for it. We are FREE! Why would a former slave want to taste freedom and then run back to the shackles that once held him? Why? Doesn't make any sense. But that's exactly what Christians around the world do every day. They put themselves back into slavery. How? By believing the lies of Satan and the world. Too many Christians believe they aren't good enough for God, that they don't do enough for God, that God isn't pleased with them unless they do certain religious things, that other Christians are better than them, that God will judge them if they don't do the things other Christians tell them to do. As Paul wrote, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you." (Galatians 5:7-8)
Jesus told His disciples:
John 8:31-32
The Kingdom disciples were free within the framework of holding to Christ's teaching. They would know even more freedom when the Spirit of God came into them later. Grace disciples are free within the framework of God's Love and Grace. We have received "every spiritual blessing" because we are in Christ and He is in us, not because of something we've done. The problems come into Christians' lives as they put themselves back under the Law. God doesn't put us back under the Law. We do it to ourselves. Paul told the Galatian Christians:
Galatians 5:2-4
Grace is about Freedom, Love and Joy. Law is about slavery, guilt and fear.
Christians feel guilt and defeat every day of their lives because of the lies of the world and, unfortunately, other Christians. Listen to what Paul wrote:
Romans 8:1-2
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
Far too many Christians are convinced they can approach God only through a particular doctrine, ministry, denomination or congregation. That's NOT what it means to be "in Christ." Paul wrote:
Ephesians 3:12
God has called us to live a Holy life. True. God created us in Christ Jesus to do good works. Again, true. The question before us is what's the motivation to do these things. Is it fear and guilt? Is it that someone else said we'd better or else? Or is it Love and Grace? Yes, it's God's Love and Grace that motivates us. We serve God because we can, not because we have to. We understand what it means to be "in" Christ.
Every Christian should share Paul's passion in this matter. It is the most important issue facing the Body of Christ today. What do we do while on earth and why?
Galatians 5:13
First, we must grasp the FACT that we are FREE! Second, we must understand why we're free. God made us free. That's fact. His Grace dictates that we are no longer under the supervision or power of the Law and sin. We are under the control and power of His Grace. In what direction does God want us to go with our freedom? Indulging our sinful nature? No! God's direction for us is the direction of serving others in love. For Christians hung up on obeying the Law, Paul reminded them:
Galatians 5:14
What happens to Christians who get hung up on sin, law and guilt? They destroy each other. Paul wrote:
Galatians 5:15
If you've been a Christian for even a few years, you've seen this. Christians tearing into each other like hungry lions. Why? Because they get hung up on sin and the law. It leads to guilt, frustration, anger and eventually hatred. It tears Christians and their churches to pieces as surely as we breathe to live. Satan accomplishes his goals through God's own people. Satan did it to the Galatians and he's still doing it today. When are we going to wise up and see sin and law for what it is? It's the great divider in the church. It's what keeps us from enjoying God and each other.
Love, given freely from a life lived free, is the Goal. It's the essence of GraceLife: "to serve one another in love." It's what God's Spirit will produce in us when we open ourselves to the freedom He has given us.
Galatians 5:22-23
Nobody can stand against the real work of God's Spirit! It's honest and real. It's true. It is our strength and hope. It's what makes a lasting difference in our world.
I'll be the first person to tell you there's work to be done. I'll be the first to say every Christian should be busy doing what God prepared in advance for them to do (Ephesians 2:10). But I'll also be the first to tell you that what a Christian does is between him or her and God. Our message is that you are Free to serve God in the way He leads you. You have complete Freedom in Christ. Christ is in you and will guide you to do what is right. Christ will show you His will for your life. No human being can take the place of Christ in you. We know Christ will lead you to serve others in love because that's what He said. Christ's will for you will always be consistent with what He said in His Word.
Exercising Spiritual Freedom in a Spirit of Love means we are "other-centered" and not "self-centered." By that, I don't mean we deny and denegrate ourselves. We are best able to serve others in love when we love ourselves. It is from a heart of self-love and appreciation of what we are in Christ that we can reach out to a world filled with people who do not love God, themselves or others. We have something very special to give them: the gift of God's Grace. We share that gift best when we are filled with God's Spirit and overflow with the fruits of our relationship with Him.
Part of exercising our Spiritual Freedom is looking out for others. Paul told the Corinthians to "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak." If you really love someone, you won't do things that cause them to stumble and fall. You won't purposely try to hinder their relationship with God. Love leads us to do the right things for ourselves and others. If we really love others, ministry becomes very easy. It's not a struggle to do good things for people we love. It comes naturally to us as we are "in" Christ. The Christ "in" us will love others in a way no one can reproduce. It is a supernatural ability because the Supernatural Christ is in us loving others through us.
It's time for Churches and Christians to revel in the Freedom God has given all of us, and then turn that freedom toward the world and serve it with all our strength out of free hearts filled with the Love and Grace of God. Now, that will make a difference!
Philippians 4:11-13
This is one of the most practically powerful statements in Paul's writings. It hits everyone of us where we live: the issue of contentment.
Paul had a wild ride during his life. He had experienced just about everything by the time he wrote to the Philippians. In fact, he wrote to the Philippians from prison. Paul had been praised and cursed; fed and starved; adored and beaten; welcomed and run out of town; supported and stabbed in the back. Paul knew every phase and possibility of life. As Paul said, he knew what it was to be in need and he knew what it was to have plenty.
Paul speaks of a secret that a Christian must learn. That secret is to be "content in any and every situation." The situation examples he gives us are very practical: "whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Most of us reading this devotional are well fed and live in plenty. Most of the people we know in our countries are, too. Yet, most people lack contenment. They complain about how little they have and how much more they want. Many Christians we know lack contentment. They often compare their lives to others and wonder why God doesn't give them more. We are surrounded in America and other nations by the strong message that more is better. Advertisements on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, and billboards scream out at us every day that our lives would be better if we just had more... more... more! We get more, but we're still not content. We want even more and more and more. We never seem to get enough. What's Paul's secret? How can we be content in any and every situation?
The Greek word that Paul used in Philippians for "content" is autarkes . It comes from a root word (arkeo ) that means "to be sufficient, to be possessed with sufficient strength, to be strong, to be enough for a thing" and autos that means "self." The idea of the word is that a person is sufficient in themselves. Paul is saying he learned the secret of how to be content internally with what his circumstances were externally. What's the secret?
Philippians 4:13
That's Paul's secret! He depended on the Christ "in" him to give him sufficiency in all things. Paul relied on God's strength "in" him to give him the strength to be content. Remember that the word arkeo means to be possessed with sufficient strength. Our question as Christians is where do we get the strength. God's answer is that Christ in us is our strength. Christ is our sufficiency.
Let's face it. We're human beings. We are as weak as the next man or woman. We're not super-human. So, where do we get the strength Paul speaks about? From Christ. It's a daily dependence on Christ's sufficiency, Christ's strength, Christ's character, that gives us the internal strength to deal with any and all external circumstances.
How do we accomplish this great task? Paul wrote about it clearly in the preceding verses of Philippians 3 and 4. Here's a synopsis:
That, very simply, is the secret Paul had learned during his lifetime. He had the same struggles we have, and more. He had learned to depend on Christ's strength and to be content with whatever was his lot in life. Paul kept his "long-term glasses" on and knew what was really important in life. Paul knew how to be content. So can we.
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Last Updated: 12/20/1999 "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free."
"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
"Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace."
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death."
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
"In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence."
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."
"The entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
"If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
"...I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength."
"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © , 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."