LSW God's Favored Creation Graphics

 

Knowing where we came from and what happened in the beginning will help us to better understand our life here and how to get to where God wants us to be. Can there be any more important task for us in this life?

Let’s begin with man living in perfect conditions in the Garden and think through what was actually happening. In the process, we may ask questions that have never been addressed before, yet are very important to fully understand and appreciate.

 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27 nas

 

God created man out of dust of the earth to rule over Earth. One of the interesting aspects of the way God created man was that as He formed him from dust God didn’t point His finger and send a lightning bolt into him, nor did He just snap His finger and cause Adam to jump up. Instead, the text reads that God breathed life into Adam. As I read it, something passed from God into this man to give him life and this made for a very close connection between the two.

 

⁷ Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

And the Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”     Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17 nas

 

Chapter 3

¹ Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

 ² The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’”

 ⁴  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

 ⁶  When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

⁸ They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

⁹ Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”

¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

 ¹²  The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

¹³ Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

 And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life;
¹⁵ And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

 ¹⁶ To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply
Your pain in childbirth,
In pain you will bring forth children;
Yet your desire will be for your husband,
And he will rule over you.”

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
¹⁸ “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
¹⁹ By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”
²⁰ Now the man called his wife’s name  Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

²² Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3

 

According to the Genesis account, man was created for four purposes:

to have fellowship with God;

to cultivate God’s garden;

to be fruitful and multiply; and

to rule over all the earth and all that is in it.

 

When man fell, Satan introduced several immediate strongholds designed to separate man from God’s purposes:

 

Their gaze turned inward. They noticed for the first time that they were naked. People became self-aware and self-centered. Interestingly, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was in the center of the Garden. Man has been self-centered ever since.

 

Man became fearful. When God asked Adam where he was, Adam replied: “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself” (Gen 3:10). Fear is a major (if not the) motivating factor in any personality style. Our fears have become gods to us. If we fear rejection, acceptance becomes our god. If we fear criticism, praise becomes our god. If we fear failure, success becomes god to us. Fear is the opposite of faith. Faith is believing that you have received what you have hoped for, while fear is believing that you have or will receive that which you hope against. You are believing for the bad.

 

Man began to accuse: “It was the woman You gave me.” (Gen 3:12) “It was the serpent You placed in the Garden.” (Gen 3:13) Man found someone else to blame. As a result, we have become a society of victims. Everyone wants to blame everyone else. “My parents did this or that to me. That’s why I have the problems I have.” We don’t call things sin anymore. Alcoholism is a disease¾the only disease that becomes immediately cured by stranding the “alcoholic” on a deserted island.

 

Man’s eyes were opened. Suddenly he became “wise.” He had a concept of good and evil. He knew right from wrong, except these concepts were rooted in his fallen nature, so they were unprofitable to righteousness. Man could do “good works” all day long, but it could never buy him anything from God. That led to frustration, like with Cain, and it led to anger, to murder, and to religion.

 

As a result of these strongholds, man was separated from all four of his purposes for being created:

He could not have fellowship with God. He was separated by his sin.

He could not work in God’s garden. He was cast out.

He could not “Be fruitful and multiply”, because the fruit he bore was only wickedness. The children that came forth on the earth were sons of darkness.

By obeying Satan, he made Satan his lord and crowned him “the god of this world.”

                                                                               From Jon Hamilton

Sin is defined in the Bible as:

 

·         parabasis: not lining up

·         harmartia: missing the mark  

·         parakoe: disobedient to a voice

·         anomia: ignoring the law that you do know

·         agnoemz: ignorance of what you should know

·         paraptoma: falling when one should have stood

·         hethema: not giving a full measure when a full measure is required.

 

How did God and mankind deal with the sin issue:

A blood offering was required to cover the sin.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the Israelites the following instructions for dealing with those who sin unintentionally by doing anything forbidden by the Lord’s commands.

If the high priest sins, bringing guilt upon the entire community, he must bring to the Lord a young bull with no physical defects. He must present the bull to the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle, lay his hand on the bull’s head, and slaughter it there in the Lord's presence.

The priest on duty will then take some of the animal’s blood into the Tabernacle, dip his finger into the blood, and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord in front of the inner curtain of the Most Holy Place. The priest will put some of the blood on the horns of the incense altar that stands in the Lord's presence in the Tabernacle. The rest of the bull’s blood must be poured out at the base of the altar of burnt offerings at the entrance of the Tabernacle.”    Leviticus 4:1-7

 

At the same time, God’s relationship with mankind was based on faith that God would forgive us.

 And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord declared him righteous because of his faith. Genesis 15:6

David said in Psalm 40 that he finally understood God didn’t want sacrifices. He realized it was a “heart issue.”

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—You don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your law is written on my heart.   Psalm 40:6,8

 

God revealed a greater plan through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel:

“The day will come,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my laws in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”    Jeremiah 31:31-33

 

And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command.  Ezekiel 36:26

 

 In essence God was never satisfied with the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.

 

For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. . . . For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.   Hebrews 10:1,4 nas

 

Even though the Bible refers to this as “covering” sin, it wasn’t the covering that turned His wrath away. The Old Testament believer always came to God in the same way as the New Testament believer¾by grace and through faith¾because what God was interested in was their hearts.

People may think they are doing what is right, but the Lord examines the heart. The Lord is more pleased when we do what is just and right than when we give him sacrifices. Proverbs 21:2-3

 

So far, we have seen that God created man to be His partner in managing this planet. Man was not just another creation but rather God’s most favored creation.

Yet the plan derailed when Adam and Eve were deceived in the Garden and rebelled against God. Or so it seems.

God initiated His plan to bring man into His family almost immediately.

Did God know that the plan would derail? Or does He have some greater plan that didn’t get off course and is marching on, right on schedule?

This seems to be the case.

 

Along with the words Jeremiah and Ezekiel proclaimed, there was another message, a message of something very significant that was about to happen.

 It had to do with this character called the Messiah.

God Himself was going to take on human flesh and come to Earth give the full revelation of who God is and also to take care of the sin issue once and for all.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem as Micah prophesied. He grew up in Nazareth and more than likely worked as a tekton, constructing stone buildings.  At about age thirty, He began to proclaim the Good News and a personal relationship with the Living God.

How did one enter into this personal relationship with God?

Jesus described the process to a famous rabbi named Nicodemus. It requires a spiritual birth.

Nicodemus was confused when Jesus told him that he must undergo another birth.

 He asked, “Must I crawl again into my mother’s womb?”

No, Jesus explains that this is a spiritual birth. He goes on to explain when He is “lifted up,” then all who look toward Him and believe will receive eternal life because God is paying the price of sin Himself.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven. . . . And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”         John 3:3-6, 14-17        

 

As I understand it, this spiritual birth happens when you accept Jesus for who He is and His payment for your sin. When you, in faith, reach out to God and say, “I accept the things that you are telling me, I accept who you are in my life, and I submit myself to you,” suddenly that spiritual connection that was broken when Adam turned his back on God in the Garden is reestablished as we turn toward Him.

 

This spiritual birth was made possible for the payment of our sins which Jesus did on the cross.

 

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.   Matthew 27:45-46, 50-52

 

This was the turning point in our relationship with God.

 

For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.                 Hebrews 9:14

 

Justice is now satisfied, and our relationship with God is restored.

 

Because of the death of Jesus on the cross, those issues were resolved! We were “justified and reconciled.”

 

Justified by the Blood of Christ

For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us.

We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.                 Romans 3:23-26

 We are declared “not guilty!”

 

Reconciled by the Blood of Christ

 

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s judgment. For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life.  Romans 5:8-10

 

Now we enter into a familia relationship with God.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan—this rebirth comes from God. John 1:12-13

 

Paul describes this relationship in his letter to the congregation in Ephesus:

It is such a rich passage to go through, just to realize who you are¾how God sees us.

How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.

 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ.

And this gave him great pleasure.

 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son.

He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven.

He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. . . .

Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago.

 And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.

This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.    Ephesians 1:3-8, 11,13-14

 

In this new relationship we have with God, our identity is a very important element for us to understand.

But you are a chosen race, A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  1 Peter 2:9 nas

This intimate relationship with God and special identity that we have with Him requires a distinctive mindset.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. Colossians 3:1-2

Our old frame of reference was ourselves and what was ultimately good for us. Now our values and goals should be centered on God’s character and will.

After all, Jesus did not say: “If you want to follow Me, then plop down in your La-Z-Boy, and I will take care of all your needs. Keep looking out for yourself, and above all, let personal comfort and convenience be your guide. Then you will find true life in your personal possessions, vacations, and bank accounts.”

Instead, He stated plainly:

“If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.  If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life.  And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul in the process? Is anything worth more than your soul?  For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with his angels and will judge all people according to their deeds.” Matthew 16:24-27

With this new mindset, we are to consider ourselves as condemned prisoners, not having any rights of our own.

 

What does it mean to “take up your cross?” Who was carrying around a cross in first-century Jerusalem? Only condemned prisoners on their way to the place of execution. A modern version of this verse might be “take up your (choose one) 1) electric chair, 2) gas chamber, 3) hangman’s noose, or 4) lethal injection.”

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.       Galatians 2:20 nas

Since we are dead to this world, let us let Christ live through us, and let His ways be our ways.

God is looking for followers who understand that His heart is for others.

 It is not what you know or what you say, it is how you love and serve others.

After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing?  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true.  And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.

 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.  How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them.  You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing.”               John 13:12-17

To be successful in ministry, no matter at what level, requires an attitude of servanthood to whomever God places across your path.

 

Paul later described to his disciple Timothy another aspect of this mindset.

 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 2 Timothy 2:3-7 nas

In addition, we are now to have the courage and dedication of a soldier, the discipline and desire of an athlete, and the patience and faith of a farmer.

 

These are important elements of our mindset dedicated to the Lord.

 

Above all else, our main objective in this life should be to know Christ in greater and deeper ways.

 

Paul, perhaps the greatest missionary of the early Church, who accomplished more than most of us will, told the church in Philippi that this was his number one goal in life!

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God’s law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. As a result, I can really know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I can learn what it means to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that, somehow, I can experience the resurrection from the dead!   Philippians 3:8-11

 

Having the intimate relationship, the special identity, and a dedicated mindset gives us the ability to fulfill a particular function that God has created us for.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:10

We are God’s poema (Greek)¾a work of art, a masterpiece¾and He has a definite plan for our lives.

 

 God has a specific plan for each of us, and what excitement, fulfillment, and satisfaction there is in living our lives with Him.                                                

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.” John 15:16

We are to be fruit farmers, cultivating the fields that He has given us. What field has God assigned you? Your home? Your neighborhood? Your workplace? A “foreign” field through your prayers and financial help?

 

Along with this higher level of relationship with God, the exclusive identity that we now have in His family, the committed mindset, and the specific functions that He has for us, there is a grand future for all believers.

“There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”     John 14:2-3

Jesus is presently building a place for us. We will be with Him for all eternity.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.    1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Soon, Jesus will appear in the sky, and we will be taken up to heaven with Him.

Can you imagine the chaos that will result when millions of office workers, car drivers, airplane pilots, field workers, factory workers, and people on the street suddenly disappear? 

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.     Revelation 20:6

 One of our next jobs will be to reign with Jesus here on Earth for 1,000 years.

 

Meanwhile, He has given us a model for living in the present through the lifestyle dedicated to Him and His purposes.

They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer.

 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need.

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.

 And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.         Acts 2:42-47

 

Life is truly received and lived as we take time to study the Word, worship God, pray, spend time with other Christians, and help each other. 

This passage from Acts 2 is the model for our modern church and contains the elements that we all should be involved in.

 

An intimate relationship, a special identity, a dedicated mindset, a singular purpose, an extraordinary future, and an exciting lifestyle in the present are all affected by a peculiar process that is happening inside you.

Sanctification.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

 

New Creature: Kainos Ktisis: A new previously unseen biological creature that comes from God Himself.

Understanding this process is one of the most important tools that you have as a member of the kingdom of God.

Paul says: “For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory” (Colossians 1:27).

 Meditate on this concept for a moment. It is profound and the source of many of our next steps.

 

Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.  1 John 3:2 nas

As children of God, we will grow up to become like our heavenly Father.

 

Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. ¹³ For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13 NLT

Where all world religions call for us to work hard to make ourselves acceptable to God, the Bible says that God already accepts us and now is part of the process where we become more like him and less like our ‘old self’. 

In this process He is the one who actually gives us the desire to change, and then He gives us His Divine power to actually change.

 

Many believe that once they get “saved,” it is all over. They can cruise through life, waiting for their eternal reward. Actually, “it” has just begun, and God uses every experience here Earth to mold you into His character. We have a choice in each situation that we encounter, and we have God’s power to do the right thing.

Since you have heard all about him and have learned the truth that is in Jesus, throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. You must display (or “put on”) a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness—righteous, holy, and true. Ephesians 4:21-24

 

As you allow God to work in you, you actually begin reflecting more and more of His characteristics. In this sense, you start “becoming like God.” Salvation is just the first step in a divine process.

 

We should be willing to abandon many aspects of our old nature and put on the new self that God is creating in us. This is the choice that we have in each situation.

 Do we hold on to our “old self” (thought patterns, habits) or go with the “new self” that God is creating? Do we let Christ out or leave Him trapped inside our own emotions and self-centeredness?

As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.  2 Peter 1:3-4

God has given us divine power to help us put on the “new self.” As we put this new self on, we share in His divine nature. Peter tells us how this divine power becomes available to us: it is as we know Jesus better! This is the reality of Christ living within us. As we let him out, we share in His divine nature.

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.

 Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Galatians 5:19-23

 The habits or actions of the “old nature” (the flesh) contrast sharply with the actions or fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.     

What is the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit?

Is it a manifestation of a spiritual gift or a spiritual fruit? 

The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life will produce fruit, and if you see any of these fruit appearing and increasing in your life, then know that the Holy Spirit is indeed working.

 

There is a great story of a missionary to an Alaskan Indian tribe. One of his recent converts was an old Eskimo man who one day came to him and said, “Pastor, ever since that day I invited Jesus into my heart, I have felt like there is a war going on inside me.”

“What do you mean?” asked the missionary.

“Well, it’s like there is this white dog and this black dog, and they are fighting inside,” replied the old man.

The pastor asked, “Which one is winning?”

The old Eskimo thought for a moment and then said something very profound: “The one that I feed the most.”

 

A word from Laura

 

All my life I had the aspiration (even as a Buddhist) to be set apart¾to be unique and special. I did not want to be one of the many but rather “picked out” in a sense. . . . I sought to have a special place in the eyes of my parents, teachers, and others.

When I became a Christian, I realized that it meant I was chosen, loved, and deeply cared for by an infinite, yet personal, Supreme Being. The changes and sense of security it wrought in me cannot be described in just a few pages. They are changes that go deep and amazingly keep going deeper and deeper.

To know that my Creator handpicked me from the beginning of time to be a part of His plan and kingdom has made me feel exceedingly special. This in itself has caused within me a sense of actually being “set apart”¾uniquely made for His divine purposes and pleasure. It has provided inspiration for much change in my life. It provided a standard for living I never had previously in my Buddhism. I now have been set free to be and become who I was created to be, for in Him I found my identity¾my true identity in Christ.

 

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.                                                       Galatians 2:20

 

After becoming a parent, I have found myself continuously feeling a depth of love for my children that cannot be compared to anything else. The sense of pride and thanksgiving that wells up within me when we are together is hard to describe. The pleasure it is to hear them express themselves and their personalities is sometimes overwhelming. They are all unique in their own ways, and I cannot compare my love for any one of them.

Likewise I see our God looking upon us in this way¾to love us all so completely yet separately and individually.

How He must look at us with a twinkle in His eyes or a shaking of His head when we act in our childish ways.

How He must look upon us with pride when we take our first steps in His ways and begin walking in them. 

How He must feel so satisfied when we commit our ways to Him and dedicate our lives to serving Him and His purposes.

Yes, we are God’s favored creation. It is only we who have been created in His image. It is only we who have been destined to be members of God’s own family. It is only we who have been sealed with God’s own Spirit. He went to great lengths to make this all happen. As a result, as the psalmist said, “There is no good thing that He will withhold from us.”

 

May the appreciation we have for Him,

As well as our relationship with Him grow,

As we grow in our knowledge of Him and His ways.