Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do… —John 14:13
{CHAMBERS} “[…] Is
Jesus Christ more and more dominating every interest of my life? If the central
point, or the most powerful influence, of my life is the atonement of the Lord,
then every aspect of my life will bear fruit for Him. […] “If you abide in
Me…”— that is, if you continue to act, and think, and work from that central
point— “you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you” (John
15:7). […] What is the greatest source of power in my life? Is it my work,
service, and sacrifice for others, or is it my striving to work for God? It
should be none of these— what ought to exert the greatest power in my life is
the atonement of the Lord. It is not on what we spend the greatest amount of
time that molds us the most, but whatever exerts the most power over us. We
must make a determination to limit and concentrate our desires and interests on
the atonement by the Cross of Christ.”
{ELGIN} When you
think about the question of who you are, what is it that comes to mind. I think you will find that most often it is
words like a man, a husband, father, brother, sister, wife, daughter, American,
or perhaps butcher, baker or candlestick maker. Now we don’t want it to be that
way, especially if we are in a spiritual context. But the natural life, and the roles we play in
it, dominate us and motivate us. But …
the truth of the matter is … that all those descriptors might be true, they are
not the dominant or central description of who we are. Not anymore.
Not since our new birth. Now,
first and foremost, I am a child of the King, a new creation, Redeemed, secured
for heaven and eternity, a joint heir with Christ, the list goes on. The question is … Are you living with an
awareness of that reality? If you are,
it makes all the difference in the how you live, how you interreact with
others, how you respond to life’s events, both good and bad. It becomes the
context in which you fulfill all of the natural roles in your life. I am
certain that you know by now, that does not just happen by itself. It requires you to be intentional in
developing your faith through the disciplines of the faith. And that is where we often stumble. We count on Sunday church as being sufficient
when, in fact, Sunday church should be a capstone to a week of worship and intimate
fellowship with the Lord.
(Ephesians 1:17-21)
“I keep asking that the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart
may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called
you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his
incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the
mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him
at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority,
power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age
but also in the one to come.” Amen
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