Jesus
Made Alive in the Spirit
By Linda Rex
February 18, 2024, 1st Sunday in Preparation for Easter | Lent—There are ways in which every generation resembles that which existed before the flood story which we read in about in Genesis 6-9 and in other ancient records. Whatever we may believe about how and if the flood occurred, the important thing to remember is that all of this is part of God’s story, and is fulfilled in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. In other words, when looking at these texts, we need to observe it through this lens—Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
When we do that, we see a glimpse of what Peter meant when he indicated that the event of the flood was in many ways a baptism, and that it teaches us about what it means to leave our old life behind and be immersed in Christ, as those who die with Christ and rise with Christ, and live new lives centered in Jesus’ own life with his Father in the Spirit.
In our New Testament reading for this Sunday, 1 Peter 3:18–22, the apostle Peter reminds his readers that Jesus “died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust” (NASB). In other translations, we read “the righteous for the unrighteous” (ESV, NRSV, NIV), which helps us to understand that Jesus, the only One in right relationship with his Father in the Spirit, died for every one of us, for we all have turned away from this face-to-face relationship with our God. The whole purpose for Jesus’ incarnational life—of becoming God in human flesh, living our life, dying our death, and rising again—was so that “He might bring us to God”. How beautiful is that?
When we read the flood story, then, we see a world drowning in sin, evil, and death, which desperately needs to be brought home to God. The Father’s heart is breaking at the sight of such destruction and ruin of all the glory he had given his creation, and he knows he has to do whatever it takes to free the world from its slavery to evil, sin, and death. So God immerses that world in water, to wash it and cleanse it, and bring it to a place where new life could emerge and once again fill the earth.
The only reason Noah and his family escaped this merciful inundation of the world was because Noah believed and obeyed God. He trusted in God’s word, that if he built the ark (large boat), filled it with animals as directed, and entered into it, he would be saved. It was not Noah’s efforts which saved him—imagine how difficult it would have been to build that large boat and save all those animals! No, it was God’s grace which saved Noah and his family. It was God’s love which enabled him to endure the floodwaters and emerge safely on the other side, to enter into the new, clean world.
In the same way, our human flesh has given itself over to evil, sin, and death, even though what God created was “very good”. Lost in our darkness, we are enslaved when we have been created for true freedom based in the love of God. No matter how hard we try, no matter what efforts we make, we cannot save ourselves. But God will not leave us in this place, for this was never his plan for us. We were created for relationship, for oneness with God and each other, to live in other-centered, self-giving love both now and forever.
So the Word of God, the Son of God, came and took on our human flesh, living the life we were meant to live, in right relationship with God and others. He was the truly righteous One, the Just One, living in our human flesh, so that he might bring us home to his Father. In Jesus, our human flesh was immersed in the divine life and love in such a way that he purified, cleansed and renewed all that we are. In living our life, dying our death, and rising again, Jesus made and is making all things new, and in his ascension, Jesus sent the Spirit so each and every person might participate in his new life. What Jesus did for all, by the Spirit we each can experience personally as we trust in his finished work.
Like Noah, we need to trust the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and do as he asks in order to fully experience the healing, cleansing flood of his Spirit, without it destroying us in the process. “Trust me,” he says. “Leave your old life behind. Turn, and get into the boat. The flood is coming.” Repent, and believe. Be baptized by the Spirit. Jesus, in his resurrected and glorified human flesh, now reigns over all, and is our intercessor and advocate with his Father in the Spirit. He prays for us and with us, and offers our worship, prayer, and praise to his Father on our behalf. He is our Lord and Savior. Trust him to rescue you from the flood of evil, sin, and death, and to immerse you the cleansing flood of his heavenly Spirit, receiving the gift of new life in him. And as a testimony to this amazing, glorious spiritual renewal, be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, we so desperately need the forgiveness you offer us in your Son Jesus Christ. Grant us the grace to turn away from all we have given ourselves over to which leads to evil, sin, and death. Grant us repentance and faith, and cleanse us by your Spirit. Immerse us the loving, living waters of your Holy Spirit, through Jesus our Lord. Amen.
“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.” 1 Peter 3:18–22 NASB
“[From Adam till Noah to Now.] Christ died once and for all, in order to conclusively separate you from a distorted identity. Thus, restored righteousness [shared likeness] triumphed beyond the reach of any identity that is not in sync with innocence and oneness, [righteousness bringing closure to unrighteousness]—in order that he might lead you-manity to be face to face with God; his body was murdered, but he was made alive in spirit. Thus, through the doorway of death, his spirit entered the very domain where those who died before were imprisoned. There, he announced his message. His audience included all who died in unbelief, in the days of Noah when he built the Ark. Jesus is the extension of the patience of God, who waited for mankind at a time when only 8 survived the flood. There is a new baptism. Immersed in his death and co-quickened in his resurrection, mankind once dead and drowned are now made alive and crowned. Jesus emptied whatever definition we have of hell, and came back with the trophies [humanity] and the keys [Isaiah 22:22]. Oh, what an insult it is to the entire gospel, to continue to preach a defeated devil and an empty hell, back into business.” 1 Peter 3:18–22 Mirror Bible
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’ Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him. Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ ” Mark 1:9–15 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/olitmade-alive-in-the-spirit.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Shining With Divine Light
By Linda Rex
February 11, 2024, Transfiguration | 6th Sunday in Epiphany—As we reach the end of the season of Epiphany, it is time to consider one of the events experienced by the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples. The transfiguration of Jesus was such a profoundly dramatic event for Peter, James, and John, but then Jesus told them not to say a word about it to anyone until after his death and resurrection. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been for them to have had such a revelation and then to have to keep it all to themselves for an extended period of time.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, Mark 9:2–9, we catch a glimpse of the glory hidden within Jesus’ human flesh. While on the mountain with his three disciples, Jesus begins to shine with divine light, talks with two dead people (Moses and Elijah), and is crowned with a word of blessing from his heavenly Father (“this is my beloved Son—listen to him”). The disciples’ response to this experience was, on the one hand, terror, and on the other, an effort to respond to all this by Peter, who wanted to build shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. It might have made sense to him at the moment, but when looking at it from our viewpoint, it seems he was simply blathering.
During that special occurrence on the mountain, what is revealed to us—giving us an epiphany about Jesus—is who he is. Jesus is revealed to be the Son of God, the predicted Prophet who would supersede Moses and Elijah. God tells us we are to listen to him. We see Jesus revealed as God in human flesh—the divine light radiating out from and through his human flesh. And we catch a glimpse of what it means for us as human beings that one day, as we participate in Jesus’ death and resurrection, we too will be glorified human beings, shining with divine light.
The apostle Paul, in the New Testament passage for this Sunday, 2 Corinthians 4:3–6, attempts to help the believers in Corinth to see that Paul was not preaching himself, other than as a servant or messenger to them on Jesus’ behalf. No, Paul’s unceasing message was the central plank of the early church’s testimony that Jesus Christ was Lord. I would like to draw from Robert Utley’s commentary, Paul’s Letters to a Troubled Church: I and II Corinthians (via Logos Software), to enable us to see a little more clearly the significance of Paul’s statement that “Jesus Christ is Lord”, a phrase which was used by the early church as their “public confession of faith and baptismal formula.”
- Jesus: The Hebrew word for salvation, hosea, attached to Israel’s covenant name for God “YHWH”, means “YHWH saves” or “YHWH brings salvation.”
- Christ: The Greek equivalent for the Hebrew “messiah” or “anointed one.” As the fulfillment of the Old Testament roles of prophet, priest, and king, Jesus is “the anointed one,” the “one called and equipped by God for a specific task.”
- Lord: The Greek word kurios, which can mean “mister,” “sir,” “master,” “owner,” “husband,” or “the full God-man,” and was used to express the full deity of Jesus Christ, as God in human flesh.
When someone asks, “What’s the big deal about Jesus?”, we can draw upon this simple statement to explain the reality of who Jesus is and why his coming was so important. What we see shining forth in Jesus’ face is the face of our Father, for when we look at Jesus, we see the Father (Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:15). And when we look at Jesus, we see ourselves, in that Jesus is the true image-bearer of God in human flesh—what we were created to be as those made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). And Jesus is Lord over all, the One to whom every knee will ultimately bow, in heaven and on earth, for he is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise (Phil. 2:5-11). And he has, through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension, included us in his life and love, in face-to-face fellowship with his Father in the Spirit. And that is a really big deal!
Lord Jesus Christ, how beautiful and wonderful you are! Glorious and majestic, the perfect image of the Father, the One in whom and by whom all is made, held and sustained by your word of power. As we look into your face, we see the face of our Father, and are drawn into the midst of your love and life by your heavenly Spirit. Awaken us to this reality! Remove from us the blindness that prevents us from seeing you for who you really are, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:3–6 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitshining-with-divine-light.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Compelled by the Gospel
By Linda Rex
February 4, 2024, 5th Sunday in Epiphany—I’ve always been fascinated by the story of the apostle Paul. I’ve often wondered how often he heard Jesus preach and whether he was one of the people who tried to trap Jesus with questions and sought to have him killed before his crucifixion. The profound change which occurred in Paul’s life when he encountered the risen Lord years later is remarkable and seems almost impossible. And still, it is beautiful to witness such a tremendous change in a person’s life when it does happen.
Paul’s experience of the living, resurrected Jesus was so life-altering that he began to preach the gospel he formerly had rejected. And he joined himself gladly to the group he formerly had persecuted and put in prison. He felt no shame in declaring that Jesus Christ was Lord of all, and that it was necessary to repent and be baptized in his name.
In fact, in the passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 9:16–23, we find the apostle Paul declaring that he felt compelled to preach this gospel. The Mirror Bible has Paul saying, “this Gospel has my arm twisted and locked behind my back!” He could not be silent about what had so dramatically changed the direction of his life. And he got great satisfaction in preaching this good news at no cost to the people he served. Rather, he made himself a servant to them, adjusting himself to the needs and preferences of those around him, within the limits of his Christ-life, so that he could win new converts to Christ.
I find this passage to be challenging at times, for I wonder how well I myself have responded to the calling God has given me to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul calls this good news we have been given a stewardship—a responsibility for the sake of the one to whom this good news belongs. In other words, do I recall daily that my focus needs to be serving Jesus Christ and sharing his good news with others? This isn’t just because I happen to have a master’s degree in pastoral studies, but because I have been given God’s grace and am made a participant in Christ by grace through faith. Every one of us has been given this gift—but do we share it with others?
Every one of us who has come to faith in Christ has been given the blessing and gift of the good news of Jesus. So, in that sense, we each have a stewardship of the gospel. We are made stewards of the good news of Jesus Christ, and Paul encourages us by his example to do whatever is necessary so that we can share this good news with others in such a way that they are able to understand it, experience it, and believe it. This is done through both word and deed, and as Paul demonstrates, involves meeting people where they are to bring them along with us into the embrace of the Father through Jesus in the Spirit.
I’m learning that it is easy to get wrapped up in my personal preferences when it comes to living out the gospel as I understand it. It is easy to get so locked into a particular belief system that I don’t make room for someone who is struggling, or who has been wounded, or who simply needs to experience the love of God in Christ through my words and actions.
Historically, I was taught as a child to not be involved with people who weren’t a part of my fellowship. In fact, I was taught to see them with suspicion and to hold them at arm’s length. I find that today I have to pray fervently for God to tear down these walls and do the necessary work to bring me into relationship with people so that I can share the good news with them and show them God’s love. Thankfully, God is always faithful to enable us to reach out with his love and grace when we seek his empowerment and guidance. He goes ahead of us and provides divine appointments in which to do this. I truly appreciated Dan Roger’s recent sermon on this topic—I encourage you to watch it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YOWpITjaRo).
Our challenge in this new year as those who follow Christ is to participate with Jesus in what he is doing today to share the good news with every person in the world. What is Jesus up to and how can we join in? Perhaps this is something we can begin to make a part of our everyday prayer life, as we listen to the Lord and seek to follow the lead of his Spirit. I would be interested in hearing from you about ways in which the Lord enabled you personally to participate in his ongoing ministry of sharing the good news with others.
Heavenly Father, thank you for including us in your life and love, through your Son Jesus Christ and in the Spirit. Lord Jesus, who would you like me to share this good news with today? How would you have me love and serve this person, these people, you have brought me into relationship with? Grant me the grace to love courageously, serve humbly, and speak boldly the words of life, in your name, empowered by your Spirit. Amen.
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.” 1 Corinthians 9:16–23 NASB
“I live to preach; it consumes my total being. Your money is not going to make any difference since this Gospel has my arm twisted and locked behind my back! In fact, my life would be reduced to utter misery if it were not possible for me to preach the good news! If this was a mere career choice, then surely you could hire or fire me! But I am not for sale; I am employed by the economy of persuasion! So what’s in it for me, you may ask? The pleasure of declaring the Gospel of Christ at no expense is priceless! No, I am not cheating anyone or myself by foregoing the rights I might have as a preacher. So in a sense I am free from everyone’s expectation or management; yet I have voluntarily enslaved myself to all people. This beats any other motivation to influence people. I am like a Jew to the Jew to win them; I am disguised as a legalist to win those stuck under the law! To the Gentiles who have no regard for Jewish sentiment, I became like one without any obligation to Jewish laws to win them! Don’t get me wrong; I am not sinning to identify with the sinners! I am in the law of Christ! I am so persuaded about every person’s inclusion in Christ that I desire to be everything I need to be in order to win everyone’s understanding of their union with Christ. I do not present myself as super strong to the weak, but rather expose myself to their weakness in order to win them. I do not distance myself from anyone. My mission is to be exactly what is required of me in every possible situation to bring salvation to every kind of person, whoever they are! The gospel explains my lifestyle; it is so much more than a pulpit ministry to me. My life is inseparably joined to you in the fellowship of the good news!” 1 Corinthians 9:16–23 Mirror Bible
“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, ‘Everyone is looking for You.’ He said to them, ‘Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.’ And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.” Mark 1:35–39 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitcompelled-by-the-gospel.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Beyond Knowledge
By Linda Rex
January 28, 2024, 4th Sunday | Epiphany—One of the things I had to learn early on as a fledgling pastor was the difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge. What I mean is, when speaking to the congregation, my purpose was not to inform them about a topic so much as it was to inspire them to follow Christ with greater depth and faithfulness. Fresh from my seminary classes, I was bubbling over with a lot of great information, but what was needed was not simply more theological information, but the living Word of God speaking a word through me that would touch the heart, that the Spirit could use to convict and transform the inner being of those who were listening.
In my family, as we grew up, one of the values that was important was knowing things or being well-informed on about every subject. This may be why I’ve always been fascinated by the newest discoveries in science, especially since reading Thomas F. Torrance’s books on the interrelation between science and theology. Science and theology, I once heard Dr. McKenna say, are intended to inform one another, to work together in unity for the betterment of humankind. Often, sad to say, this is not what happens.
Today, our scientific knowledge is constantly reaching new heights. I’m inevitably amazed by the new things we are finding out about our cosmos. Lately my interest has been in quantum theory—of which I know very little, but from what I can see, seems to echo the divine three-in-oneness of the Trinity. All this new science is fascinating and challenging, but from what I have seen historically, every advancement in science needs to be tempered by other-centered, self-giving love, or it presents the possibility for destruction and catastrophe.
This brings me to the passage for this Sunday, 1 Corinthians 8:1–13, in which the apostle Paul addresses some questions regarding whether believers should eat food offered to idols. Even though some believers knew and understood that idols had no real life in themselves, and meat offered to idols really was just, in the end, meat that could be eaten, there were believers who had, for many years, sacrificed meat to idols. Even though they had abandoned paganism and its practices when they came to faith in Christ, their conscience and understanding were not yet at the place where eating meat offered to idols was clearly okay. They still had questions and concerns, and were vulnerable to falling back into their old belief systems and practices.
So, the apostle Paul reminded believers that more important than the believers’ knowledge about meat offered to idols was their love and concern for their brothers and sisters. In other words, love trumps knowledge. Being knowledgeable can become a source of pride to us, and when we are not careful with it and insist on being able to do what we have a right to do or the freedom to do, we can severely injure others. Instead of trying to prove how knowledgeable we are or how free we are, Paul writes, we need to being concerned for the welfare of others, and do our best not to cause unnecessary harm.
Looking back over my brief years as a pastor, I see times when I was more interested in proving how much I knew and how right I was than I was concerned for the wellbeing of those I was ministering to. I was caught up in expressing my freedom in Christ—which is a good thing—but it was not always beneficial to those around me. If there are any who were wounded by this, I sincerely ask forgiveness, for I realize now that what I was doing was not always for the wellbeing of others.
Recently on Our Life in the Trinity, I talked about our sacred oneness, and my focus was on our human body, and the covenant relationship we have with God, and with our spouse. Our sacred oneness also involves our participation in the Body of Christ, the Church, for we are bound together by the Spirit to be of one mind and heart, for the sake of others. As brothers and sisters in Christ, united to God and one another by the Spirit, we are meant to live together, serve others, and testify to the love and grace of God in Christ, in sacred oneness.
Whatever the cost to ourselves today in caring for one another within and without the Body of Christ, it is nothing compared with the self-offering of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us that we may live. When any one of us insists upon our rights at the expense of others, or expressing our freedom in Christ in spite of its affect on others, we violate the sacred oneness of the Body of Christ. In fact, we violate Christ himself. We’re all on this journey together, growing up in Christ, but some of us are at different places along the journey. Rather than hindering one another’s progress, we want to be careful to edify or build up one another instead. Because, when all is said and done, what will last on into eternity won’t be “knowledge”, but other-centered, self-giving, serving love (1 Cor. 13).
Heavenly Father, you are the one from whom are all things and for whom we exist. Lord Jesus, you are the one by whom are all things and through whom we exist. Grant us the grace to always be careful not to injure or wound the conscience of others by our freedom in Christ. Fill us, by your Spirit, with other-centered self-giving love, and let it ever flow through us to others for their well-being, through Jesus our Lord. Amen.
“Now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies. If anyone supposes that he knows anything, he has not yet known as he ought to know; but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him. Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. However not all men have this knowledge; but some, being accustomed to the idol until now, eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.” 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitbeyond-knowledge.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Keeping a Kingdom Perspective
By Linda Rex
January 21, 2024, 3rd Sunday | Epiphany—One of the lessons I am learning through my ongoing battle with malignant melanoma is to accept every new day as a gift from God, and to be thankful for the little blessings that come my way in the midst of whatever struggles I might be facing. Recognizing and accepting the fragility and temporality of life enables me to be grateful for the simple pleasures I have in the past so often taken for granted.
The apostle Paul notes in 1 Corinthians 7:29–31, our passage for this Sunday, that it is important to keep this perspective throughout our lives, in every area of our lives—in marriage, in how we handle loss, in our actions in the marketplace, and in our involvement in our society and culture. We live, he writes, as though this is all coming at any moment to an abrupt end, and so we do not set our hearts on what we own, what we feel, what we experience, what we buy or sell, but on Christ alone.
In the gospel passage for this Sunday, Mark 1:14–20, we are given a glimpse of what this might look like. Here, as these four men are busy occupied with their everyday tasks of life, they encounter Jesus Christ, who invites them to follow him. Their response is immediate and dramatic in Mark’s account—they drop everything, leave behind their families and businesses in order to join Jesus in his ministry to proclaim the present reality of the kingdom of God, calling people to repent and believe in the gospel. When you think of the tight-knit social context in which these men lived and what they were turning their backs on when they begin to follow Jesus, you begin to see the profound change they were experiencing—one that impacted every relationship in their lives. But the kingdom, in Jesus, was present and real to them and these men wanted to participate in it, so they dropped everything and followed Christ.
The apostle Paul reminds us that this is the same level of commitment we are to have as followers of Christ in every century, as we wait for the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to return in glory. In this particular place, Paul seems to focus more on the immanent return of Christ, whereas in others, he talks about it being a future reality. Either way, the point is that our focus is not to be on the temporal kingdoms of this world, but on the eternal kingdom which is present and real right now through Jesus in the Spirit, and on its ultimate fulfillment when Jesus returns in glory. Whatever we do in our daily life keeps this in mind, recognizing the temporality of this world in which we live. We live each day within the context of work, family, community, and society, but we do so with our first allegiance to the claims of Jesus Christ and his kingdom.
One day, the wonder and beauty of our intimate relationship with God will be fully realized in the new heaven and earth, where we will all love God and one another in the way God created us to from the beginning. There will be union and communion between God and humanity that will so far supersede anything that is possible in this present human sphere. There will be no more need for marrying or giving in marriage, Jesus said, for things will be different in the new heaven and earth. So marriage today, in the light of our eternity in union and communion with God, must be kept in perspective, being merely a reflection of that union and communion, and meant to be filled with mutual sacrificial, other-centered love, concern and service of the covenant partners toward one another. As covenant partners care for one another in this way, they bear witness to the kingdom of God. Though their time with one another on this side of the grave is only temporary and may be laden with challenges and suffering, it can be also be filled with moments which reflect the glories of heaven.
In this everyday world, we so easily get wrapped up in going through the motions of work, play, school, and community that we miss the meaning behind it all. We can be so obsessed with attaining goals, acquiring things, grieving our losses, or building empires that we forget the reality that one day all of these things will melt away and be replaced by the true reality of the eternal kingdom of God, where such things will no longer have any value or real existence. Paul reminds us to keep first things first, remembering that this world is filled with temporary things that will not last. As Paul says in Philippians, we want to count everything else as loss for the sake of knowing Christ and being included in his kingdom life and love (Phil. 3:8). As Jesus taught his disciples, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt. 6:33). God gave us many things to enjoy, but we mustn’t set our hearts on them, for they and whatever wealth we may accumulate as time goes by will eventually pass away (Jas. 1:17; 1 Tim. 6:17).
At this time of year, when we are goal-setting, resolution resolving, and plan-making, it is good to be reminded again about what really matters in the over-all scheme of things. We are reminded that Jesus Christ is at the center of every part of life, therefore, we ground all of our hope, dreams, plans, and goals in him. Guided and led by the Spirit, we then seek kingdom aspirations which will be a participation in the renewal of our cosmos by the One who is working to make all things new. And this helps to give us a whole new perspective as we look forward into the New Year. Wishing you all God’s best as you move forward into 2024!
Heavenly Father, thank you for the reminder that we are only passing through—that one day this will be replaced by the true realities forged in the finished work of Christ. Grant us the grace to remember to keep first things first throughout this new year, and to seek your kingdom first as we allow you to provide all we need for life and godliness, through Jesus Christ our Lord and by your Spirit. Amen.
“But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.” 1 Corinthians 7:29–31 NASB
“… the urgency of these times might demand mutual sacrifices from those who are married, such as sacrificing their time together for other priorities. Even our most personal space for grief or joy is invaded; that leaves you with no time to indulge in your own interests and possessions. If you are in the process of buying something, buy as if you will never own it! Do not lean too hard upon the fragile (economic) structures of this world; they are here today and gone tomorrow!” 1 Corinthians 7:29–31 Mirror Bible
“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.” Mark 1:14–20 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitkeeping-a-kingdom-perspective.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
The Sacred Oneness
By Linda Rex
January 14, 2024, 2nd Sunday | Epiphany—During this season of Epiphany, we rehearse the journey of the magi who followed a star to find the infant born to be king. When they reached Bethlehem, Jesus was probably about two years old and was living in a home with his parents. These men from the east were gifted people who studied the stars, and were curious enough to follow a particular star to the home of Jesus, where they presented the child with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. All of these gifts became very helpful, no doubt, when Jesus and his parents had to flee Judea, going to Egypt to avoid having the child killed by the vengeful King Herod.
It is significant that the magi recognized and worshiped Jesus as a king, when the king of Judea sought instead to have him killed. The magi had an “epiphany” that King Herod did not have, and allowed it to guide them to Jesus’ feet to worship and honor him. In the gospel passage for today, John 1:43–51, Nathanael had an epiphany as well, recognizing who Jesus was as the Son of God in human flesh. In the Psalm for this Sunday, Psalm 139:1–6, 13–18, we learn how the Spirit is ever present and near to each of us in every moment and circumstance. So, as Nathanael learned, there is no deep secret Jesus doesn’t already know and no hidden motive Jesus isn’t already aware of.
Our New Testament passage today gives us insight about who Jesus is and what this says about our human bodies, and what it means to be united with Christ by the Spirit. The apostle Paul says to the Corinthians, “Do you not realize that your body by design is the sacred shrine of the spirit of God; he echoes God within you. Your body does not even belong to you in the first place” (1 Cor. 6:19, Mirror Bible). When we come to faith in Christ, we are united with Christ, and we find that we already live in our resurrection bodies, in the sense of the already-not-yet of God’s kingdom. We’re not glorified yet, but we do live “in Christ” even now, by faith.
Being united with Christ, sharing in his risen, glorified body, has great significance for us even today. It teaches us the great value God places on our human body:
- The Son of God/Word of God left the dignities of heaven to take on a human body in Jesus Christ, forging within us the capacity for God to dwell within man.
- The Son of God/Word of God/Jesus allowed himself while he was in a body to be beaten, abused, and crucified and killed for our sake.
- God raised the dead body of the Son of God/Word of God/Jesus and in Jesus Christ, our human flesh united with Christ’s body, stands in face-to-face oneness with his Father in the Spirit.
- Jesus sent the Spirit from the Father to indwell in our human body here on earth, so that, as we put our trust in him, we can be united with God in Christ by the Spirit. As we receive his gift of the indwelling Spirit, our body becomes the sacred dwelling of the Triune God. Together with other believers, we are bound together in sacred oneness as the Body of Christ, the Church.
Because God values our bodies this much, we ought to value them as well, using them as God intended, as the place of oneness with God through Jesus in the Spirit, oneness in covenant relationship with God and our spouse, and not for any other purpose.
We are embodied spirits. Our body is a sacred space for the Spirit to indwell, and we are meant to indwell God through Jesus by the Spirit. Our body was created to enjoy and take pleasure in many things (including sex, alcohol, and food), but was not designed by God for self-indulgence or self-pleasure, for gluttony, drunkenness, or immorality, but for oneness with God and others through Christ in the Spirit. Our volition or decision-making is meant to be governed by the Spirit and the Word of God, Jesus Christ. In regard to things such as sex, as well as food or intoxicants, our union with Christ means we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, with God’s presence guiding and directing us enabling us to follow Christ’s lead, and we are not meant to be controlled by a substance, an intoxicant, an evil influence, or other people.
When we focus on the spiritual realities Paul reveals in this text, we see that anything we do with the human body needs to be seen through the lens of union with Christ. Uniquely, though, when it comes to sex, our union with God in Christ by the Spirit means that our body is a sacred shrine designed for intimate communion with God and with our covenant partner. Any animal being can have sex or commit sexual actions, but not every one of them can have a spiritual/physical/emotional union with God in which they are joined with another person and made one, as was intended in the covenant love God ordained for us to have with him and between spouses.
Whatever we do with the human body, then, must be evaluated within the context of our union with Christ, thus making any sexual encounter other than covenant union between spouses an extreme violation of that union. This is especially horrifically true in cases of objectifying women and children in pornography, or violating another human being through rape or molestation. Even though all is forgiven and reconciled in Christ, certain things were never meant to be and so they have painful, difficult, and even deadly consequences—they are not God’s best for us and cause great suffering for ourselves and for others. And we see and experience these consequences throughout our lives, whether they are due to our own choices or the choices of others.
Awakening to a realization of who Jesus is for us as our Lord and Savior enables us to begin to enjoy all the benefits of God’s indwelling presence by his Spirit. We begin to hear Jesus’ own “Abba, Father” in our souls, and we experience a closeness to God as part of our everyday lives. Our ability to experience this oneness with God through Jesus in the Spirit grows as we come to a deeper epiphany of the indwelling presence of God, and begin to participate in the union of Father, Son, and Spirit by offering our bodies up to be temples of the Spirit they are meant to be, all for God’s glory. And together, as members of the body of Christ, the Church, we become a more beautiful temple of the Spirit, joined together in the sacred oneness we were always meant to be a part of since before time began.
Father, Son, Spirit, thank you for valuing our human bodies so much that you would go to such extremes to heal, restore, renew them, and unite our flesh with your own in Jesus. Grant us the grace to offer our bodies up to you again as the sacred spaces they were meant to be, through Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, ‘The two shall become one flesh.’ But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/olitthe-sacred-oneness.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
United With Christ, We Live
By Linda Rex
January 7, 2024, Baptism of the Lord | Epiphany—As we move into the season of Epiphany, we are reminded of the magnitude of what Christ initiated for us in his incarnation. Here, in taking on our human flesh and living as a human being, Jesus formed within our human flesh the capacity to receive and be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, so we could have the very presence of God living within us. Even though every part of our human existence is filled with the presence of the Spirit in some way, when we personally come to faith in Christ, we are individually united with Christ, and so joined together in union with Father, Son, and Spirit and with other members of the Body of Christ. What Jesus did for all now personally becomes our very own by the Spirit as we trust in him.
In our New Testament reading for this Sunday, Acts 19:1–7, we read how the apostle Paul traveled to the city of Ephesus, where he came across some believers. As he interacted with them, Paul realized that something was missing in their relationship with God. They had been baptized by John the Baptizer, but had not paid close enough attention to John’s teaching. If they had been more attentive, they would have realized that John was pointing them to Jesus Christ, telling them that even though he baptized them in water, the Christ would baptize them in the Holy Spirit. And this was what Paul realized they were lacking—the indwelling presence of God through Jesus by the Spirit.
It was important that these believers came to repentance and sought the forgiveness of sins. But there was more involved than a simple recognition of their need to change the way they were living or to be baptized in water. What Paul pointed out to them was their need for the Holy Spirit—the One who would unite them with Christ so that all Jesus did for them in his life, death, resurrection and ascension would become their very own. The Spirit was the One who would enable them to share in and participate in a real way in Christ’s own life with the Father, and all of the perfections which Jesus formed within our human flesh, and now bears in glory.
So, with Paul’s instruction and encouragement, these twelve persons were baptized in the name of Jesus. Being baptized in Jesus’ name meant that they were in essence, baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit—and so they received the gift of the indwelling Spirit which enabled them to personally participate within the Triune life and love. As they opened themselves up to the presence of God more fully, they were moved to speak of the glories and goodness of God. The Spirit moved them profoundly, which testified to Paul that the Spirit was genuinely present in and with them in a new way.
Too often, our modern religious experience has to do with forms, practices, rituals, and/or dogma. Often, this is why we reject anything having to do with Christianity. While these things can be and often are helpful, they miss the point of it all. There is only one central issue, and that is our life is in Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ alone. There is only one human being who has ever lived in right relationship with God in every moment, never having thought, done, or said anything inappropriate or sinful. And that person is not us. And that person still lives today in right relationship with our Father in the Spirit. And that Person is Jesus Christ.
Whether or not we believe it, we desperately need Jesus in our everyday existence, in every moment, in every thought and every experience of life. Even though we often believe we do just fine without him, we were meant for so much more than what we experience here in this broken world. We just don’t realize, often, that having Jesus Christ live in us and through us would transform our human experience, moving us into an existence which we were always meant to have—one which is authentically human, where we truly love God and love others as we were created to do.
Even though our human flesh will not be fully restored and renewed until the new heaven and earth are established, we do have the miracle of God’s indwelling presence through Jesus in the Spirit as our own, as we trust in Christ’s finished work. When the Spirit indwells us, we discover an inner companion, a Guide, Friend, and Comforter, who never abandons us, but walks with us through every circumstance of life. This is a relationship with a divine Person, who is just like Jesus—in fact, you cannot tell the difference between the two, for they are one.
And as the Spirit lives in us, Jesus and the Father live in us, and that is all possible because of what Jesus did for us when he embraced our human flesh, obeyed John’s called to repentance and baptism, received the Spirit for us, and lived our life, died our death and rose again. How blessed we are to share in Christ’s own relationship with our Father in the Spirit!
Heavenly Father, Son, and Spirit, thank you for the life you forged for all of us, transforming our human existence and giving us new life. Jesus, I believe you lived my life, died my death, and rose again. Jesus, baptize me anew with your Holy Spirit. I receive the Spirit you sent on all, and ask you to awaken me anew to your indwelling presence. Heavenly Spirit, illuminate me so that I might see our Father and his Son, as they live in me, and I in them, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
“It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ And they said, ‘Into John’s baptism.’ Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” Acts 19:1–7 NASB
“John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. And he was preaching, and saying, ‘After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’ ” Mark 1:4–11 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/olitunited-with-christ-we-live.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Doing Family God’s Way
By Linda Rex
December 31, 2023, Holy Family | Christmas—During the Christmas season, which begins on Christmas Day and runs for twelve days, we ponder the extravagant gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, and his incarnation as God in human flesh. Often, during Advent and Christmas, being with family is something that is very important to us. As we celebrate the first Sunday in the season of Christmas (this year it’s on New Year’s Eve), we honor Jesus and his human parents, Joseph and Mary, along with his heavenly Father.
On this Sunday, we read in Luke 2:22–40 about Jesus’ mother and father taking him as an infant to the temple to carefully observe the requirements of the Mosaic law regarding the birth of a firstborn son, including ritual cleansing for the birth mother. Also, Mary probably offered her son to God, like many centuries before Samuel was offered up by his mother Hannah in gratitude for God’s answer to her prayer (1 Sam. 1).
The apostle Paul, in Galatians 4:4–7, says that God sent his Son (Jesus is divine), who was born of a woman (Jesus is human) and born under the law (Jesus, as a human being, is born within the particular culture and religious structure of God’s covenant people, the ancient Jews, who were bound by the law). The purpose of God sending his Son was to redeem those bound by the law, whether Jew or non-Jew, so that all might be adopted as God’s children. To redeem something is to buy it back, which helps us to see that Jesus, in his finished work, moved humanity back to their original design as those who were created for and can participate in intimate, face-to-face relationship with God (Gen 1-2).
Then Paul says that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, making possible our personal participation in Jesus’ own face-to-face relationship with his Father in the Spirit. Because of Jesus’ redemption and the Spirit’s indwelling presence, we can experience within our hearts that relational closeness with our heavenly “Abba” (today, instead of “Abba” we would probably say “Daddy” or “Dad” or use a similar term of affectionate respect) or Father. What the Triune God has done and is doing moves our relationship with God away from one based on performance and trying to be good enough to be loved to a place of grace and love centered in Christ and not in our own selves. The Spirit enables us to have and know God’s indwelling presence, and to walk and talk with the Lord at any time. Jesus mediates our relationship with God, standing in our place, on our behalf, so that at any moment, we are at home in the Triune life and love.
As Paul points out, there is a profound difference between how a slave interacts with their master and how a beloved child interacts with their adored parent. There is meant to be a deep sense of trust, of affection, and of openness in a healthy family relationship. Too often, our human experience of parent-child relationships (and spousal relationships) isn’t anything like this, so it is a challenge for us to see and know God in healthy ways. But this is why God gives us his Spirit, so that we can begin to experience Christ’s own heart of affection and trust for his Father, and experience in a real way, that sense of affection and trust that the Father has for Christ within our own being. Through Jesus and by the Spirit, we commune with God and fellowship with one another, growing up in Christ as we respond to the Spirit’s work in us and with us.
The interrelations of our Triune God teach us how to live in loving relationships with one another. Recognizing that each of us is unique, yet we are all equal and are meant to live in union with God and one another, provides a great foundation for how we interact with one another, especially within a family. So often, our differences create friction in our relationships, especially between parents and children (and between spouses). We want to keep in mind that Jesus is our unity—he is the center of our family, and it is his Spirit who binds us together in love. Truth tempered with love is essential to healthy relationships. And grace is so essential, too, and as it is offered and received, our bonds of love grow stronger and tighter. So, when things get difficult and problems occur—we turn to Jesus. We sit at his feet, and grow together. We pray with and for one another. We allow God’s Spirit to flow into us and through us to one another, and rifts begin to heal, misunderstandings get resolved, and our relationships begin to look more like what they were intended to be—a living witness to the Holy Trinity.
This Christmas season is an opportunity to receive anew and participate more fully in Christ’s own union and communion with his Father in the Spirit. This is a gift from God which we receive by faith, as we trust in all Jesus has done, is doing, and will do as we respond to his Spirit and seek to do his Father’s will. Throughout this new year, may your families and friendships find healing and wholeness in Christ by the Spirit. Happy New Year!
Dear heavenly Abba, we are so grateful you sent your Son and your Spirit to redeem us and enable us to be adopted as your very own children. Immerse our families and marriages anew in your very own oneness, you who live as three unique equal Persons in one Being, so we will shine with your glory and goodness, through Jesus Christ your Son and by your Spirit. Amen.
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:4–7 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/olitdoing-family-gods-way.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
It’s a Mystery
By Linda Rex
December 24, 2023, 4th Sunday in Advent, Christmas Eve—I don’t know about you, but I love a good mystery, the old-fashioned kind, like in an Agatha Christie novel. As you read the text, you try to pay attention to the clues and guess who the villain is before the author unveils the truth at the end of the story. A good author throws about lots of red herrings to distract us or divert us from the truth, and sends us down rabbit trails which keep us from seeing the true perpetrator of the crime.
I wonder if the reason we love mysteries so much is because God loves a good mystery. Indeed, God is the One who set us all in the middle of life’s greatest mystery, and the apostle Paul refers to this mystery in his letters. In our passage for this last Sunday in Advent, Romans 16:25–27, Paul refers to this mystery at the end of his letter to the church in Rome, as he closes with a doxology of praise to God.
Paul says that “the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past” has been revealed. The prophetic word gave us many clues about this mystery, but it was not fully disclosed until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Eph. 3:3–9, Paul calls it the “mystery of Christ” which the Spirit revealed to the prophets and apostles, and that it was for many generations, he says in Col. 1:26, hidden in God but was now made manifest to his holy people.
What is this mystery? In Colossians 1:26, Paul puts it this way: “this mystery among the Gentiles [non-Jews], which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This is why in Ephesians, he calls it “the mystery of Christ.” The “revelation of the mystery” was the fulfillment of the promise God made over and over, beginning in the garden and on through many centuries to his people ancient Israel, that the Messiah would come and save them.
Even though his people believed this salvation had something to do with land and an earthly kingdom, the Scriptures pointed to a Messiah who would usher in the age of the Spirit, when God would free his people from their proclivity to sin and turning away from him. What was overlooked as well was the many passages which pointed to the redemption and salvation of the nations—people from all nations would be saved and come to worship the Lord.
The mystery revealed to us in Christ is that Father, Son, and Spirit, before time began, determined that all humans God created would be able to share in the divine life and love, and that this would require the self-giving of the Son of God through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. This free gift of love and grace was always in God’s plan for every human being, and even though we as human beings did not know this gift was planned for us, God gave us lots of clues along the way, and when the time was right, fulfilled his plan in and through Jesus Christ. Looking again at our passage in Romans, we see that the ability to see this mystery is given to us as a gift. It requires a revelation that only God can give us, and he does this through Christ by his Holy Spirit. We receive it through repentance and faith in Christ.
What you believe about who Jesus Christ is, is important. To see and acknowledge Jesus Christ for who he is as both Lord and Savior opens the way for us to comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and enables us to grasp this greatest mystery: God has come to us in Christ, joined us in our human flesh, shared an authentic human existence with us, died the death we all die, and rose again, bringing our human flesh into the divine life and love, and sending the Spirit so we all can individually begin to participate in God’s life and love by faith in Christ. As we come to faith in Christ, which is a gift God gives us by his Spirit, we begin to see more clearly all the clues that led to the revelation of this mystery, and we grow in our understanding of the mysteries of the kingdom.
This Christmas season, my prayer is that you experience in a way you never have before, this mystery of Christ in you, the hope of glory. May you have a profound personal revelation of this mystery and begin to share this good news with others. Merry Christmas!
Our Father, thank you for the gift of your Son and you Spirit by whom we may come to share life with you now and forever in your love and grace. Grant that we may see in a way we never have before that Christ is in us, and we are in Christ, and Christ is in you, by your heavenly Spirit. Amen.
“Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.” Romans 16:25–27 NRSV
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/olitits-a-mystery.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
The Grace of Joy
By Linda Rex
December 17, 2023, 3rd Sunday in Advent | Joy—Sometimes this time of year, we have a hard time coming up with any sense of Christmas cheer. It doesn’t help that our budgets are tight and we’re concerned about possibly catching one of the viruses going around at school, work, and the supermarket. This season may bring to mind significant losses or changes in our lives, and we may sense hovering over us a raincloud of grief, sorrow, pain, or even anxiety at having to cope with family issues as we gather with others.
On this Sunday of Joy in the season of Advent, we look at what the apostle Paul has to say about this in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24. He tells the believers at Thessalonica to “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks” and goes on to say that this is God’s will for each of us who are in Christ Jesus. If we are in the midst of a snowstorm of grief and loss, it can be really hard to rejoice, much less give thanks. We may even find it next to impossible to pray—the words get stuck in our mind and heart, and nothing comes out. We can only weep.
So how do we respond to this imperative or command given to us in God’s Word? When reading the commands or imperatives in Scripture, we must always first look for the indicatives or foundational spiritual realities on which those imperatives are based. In this case, notice the phrase, “in Christ Jesus.” This is important to pay attention to. Also, when we look a little further on, we see, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” Notice who is doing the sanctifying and who is bringing to pass our being without blame. Our wholeness is grounded in the God of peace who sanctifies us in and through his Son Jesus Christ.
Our joy isn’t in the circumstances we are experiencing, though at times we may have joyful and happy experiences with family and friends doing things we enjoy. No, the source of our joy is our faithful God of peace, who has given us his Son and his Spirit. As we come to faith in Christ, trusting in God’s grace and love, we are united with Christ and receive from him the Spirit. The Spirit of God pours into us Christ’s own love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, and other fruits of the Spirit.
This means we are able to receive and experience Christ’s own joy, even though at times our circumstances and experiences may be less than joyful. We are also able to be thankful in less than blessed circumstances, because we have already received the greatest gift possible, the gift of Christ in us by the Spirit, who enables us to be thankful in all circumstances.
Going even farther, being in union with Christ by the Spirit means that we share in Jesus’ own life of joy and thanksgiving in his face-to-face fellowship with his Father in the Spirit. Our life of prayer is grounded in Jesus’ own life of prayer with his Father so that he offers the things of the Father to us in the Spirit, and offers our prayers to the Father in the Spirit. When we cannot pray, for our hearts are too broken, Jesus prays for us and the Spirit intercedes for us, already knowing what is in our hearts which so yearns to be spoken.
This offers us great comfort in times when we find it hard to rejoice, pray, or give thanks, even though we know this is God’s will for us. Our faith isn’t in our ability to hang in there and do what is needed in our relationship with God. Rather our faith is in the One who is faithful and will do all that is needed to sanctify us and keep us blameless before God. We can rest in him and trust in his perfect love and grace. What a precious gift!
Dear Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for holding us in the center of your love and grace. As we go through this Advent season, remind us anew of your compassion and tender love, and fill our hearts with joy and gratitude so we may do your will. Blessed Jesus and Holy Spirit, let your prayers fill our hearts, not just for ourselves, but for all those you bring to our minds, that we may fellowship with you and one another as a communion of faith throughout this sacred Advent season. For our Father’s glory, through Jesus and by your Spirit. Amen.
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24 NASB
[Printable copy: https://lifeinthetrinity.blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/olitthe-grace-of-joy.pdf ]
[More devotionals may be found at https://lifeinthetrinity.blog ]
[Subscribe to Our Life in the Trinity YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity ]
Our Life in the Trinity 