Enriched!

"...in every thing ye are enriched by him..." ~ I Corinthians 1:5

Have you really thought about the fact that you are "enriched"? I've been thinking about this verse lately. It's posted on my fridge right now. If you stop and think about it, I think you'll be as thrilled as I am with all that it means! ...And I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface in knowing all that it means!

"Enriched" is a great word that conjures up images of delight, contentment, joy, excitement... But the other words that keep standing out to me are "every thing." Every. Thing. 

This means that even the things that seem nasty, those things that bring me the opposite of joyful feelings--the very trials and testings, the very irritations and annoyances--are enriching my life in Christ!

His purpose is to conform me to the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). Paul conveys over and over in his epistles that it is a privilege--not a curse--to suffer. He lifts up Christ as our example: "When he was reviled, {he} reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not..." (I Peter 2:21-23). How? By committing Himself to Him Who is the only perfectly Righteous Judge--God, His Father! Jesus set the example of trusting in God Who keeps all the records and justly balances everything.

In that moment of aggravation, in that moment of tension, in that very moment of stress, if I will stop, look full into the wonderful face of Jesus, and--for real!--commit myself to His Father (my Father), the Righteous and Just Judge of the whole earth, peace will flood my soul. In that moment of surrender and yielding to whatever He is doing in my life through that irritation or negative experience, I can actually experience joy!

It helps me to remember that my Father God has a helicopter view of my entire life from conception to death. He knows the reason that I need this thorn in my flesh, for His glory and also for my ultimate good. Not only that, but He has a helicopter view of the entire history of the world--past, present, and future--and knowing that, He works ALL things together for good to them that love Him, those He has called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28)!

What a place of refuge! What a place to rest! Leaning on His everlasting arms that will never fail (Deuteronomy 33:27), that will never withhold from me anything that is good for me (Psalm 84:11), the arms that have never lost a victory (Joshua 1:3, Psalm 98:1)! I can trust Jesus! He loves me, and He takes care of me. 

Won't you choose to believe for today that you are enriched by Him in every thing?

Is Holiness a Goal?

Wow. I just saw Psalm 17:15 in a whole new light the other day as I was meditating on it (while weeding my garden... LOL!)

Psalm 17:15, "As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."

This verse became special to me in my freshman year of Bible college, when my friend April shared it with me... It was her life verse, and I claimed it for my own life verse for that period of time.  Thanks, April!

At that time I viewed it as a "declaration" verse stating that I was seeking to be holy, to become righteous. Now, there is a truth that as I yield to Christ, my behaviour and actions become more righteous as I grow in Him. However, there are many passages that tell me that positionally I already am righteous, because I am "in Christ." Please hear (read) me out and consider this carefully! This concept has really changed my life and my thinking!

As I learn to know Him and yield to Him more readily, more often, and on more of regular basis, rather than yielding to my default/fleshly desires and behaviour, my life will exhibit more and more of His righteousness that is already in me by His Spirit.

So from that change of thought--that I should look at holiness as a position in Christ that I yield to, rather than a goal to attain--this is the personal application the Lord gave me from my "old" life verse:

As for me, I will (desire and choose to) behold (gaze upon, focus upon, look to) His face in (through His) righteousness (in me). He plants the right desire in me as I yield to His Spirit living in me. The only way I will be satisfied (have true, lasting satisfaction, truly and deeply at rest and content) is when my focus is HIM, awaking with His likeness, from the early morning: starting my day beholding Him by claiming His righteousness afresh, first thing in the morning. Choosing to walk that way with Him through the day.