Wednesday March 30

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening... is it good for you?  Is life good for you?  In all the things that we do, most of us never seem to have enough, get enough, do enough... we are rarely truly satisfied and happy with our lives.  This striving is good in some ways, but there is always the struggle.


Today's mediation by Bob Hoekstra gives some insight:



March 30


Reigning in Life through Christ


For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.  (Rom_5:17)


The Lord wants us to grow in the magnificent blessing of living victoriously through Him. Having a triumphant Christian walk can only be realized from a developing acquaintanceship with the Lord, because we are only able to "reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 
Significant spiritual issues are set against a victorious life: 
"By the one man's offense death reigned through the one." 
Because of Adam's sin, spiritual deadness ruled over the family of man. 
The enemy of men's souls uses this deadness to dominate and destroy lives. Elsewhere, Jesus likened him to a thief. "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy" (Joh_10:10). 
This is why lives, households, and nations experience such deadly defeats and crushing failure. A tyrant dictator, "death," dominates all lives that are only born once in Adam. They can only draw upon Adam's fallen, sinful, inadequate life source. 


A new and greater resource is needed and is found in Christ. "Much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ." These heavenly provisions are "much more" than is needed to replace the defeats of Adam with the victories of Christ. 
The resources are two-fold: "abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness." 
One of these two is possessed by every believer in Christ: "the gift of righteousness." This is the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, given to us by faith. That allows us to stand accepted before a holy God: "found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith" (Phi_3:9). 
Every believer has this gift, but not every believer is victorious. 


Thus, the key variable is to be receiving "abundance of grace." Every Christian has been the recipient of grace. Yet, many of God's people do not live day by day by grace. They walk according to the flesh, thereby drawing upon Adam's natural bankrupt resources.


 Remember, living by grace involves humility and faith. God "gives grace to the humble" (Jam_4:6). Likewise, through Jesus," we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand" (Rom_5:2).


Lord God of grace, the reign of death has certainly assailed my life, bringing defeat and failure. Teach me to draw upon the abundant measures of Your grace, that I might reign in life, living victoriously, through Your Son, Christ Jesus, Amen.


May your life be filled with Grace through Faith in God, in accepting Jesus as your Savior, and being filled by the Holy Spirit.