3.3.10_Luke 9:20_Who are you?

 Praise the LORD!!!
  
    It is good to be back and able to write a devotional. I have felt that I've been neglecting that which the LORD has led me to do. But with all the computer problems, which the LORD could of removed, there must of been a reason behind it all. An yesterday, there was far more written then would of been a devotional and I hope you've checked it out (on my other blog space: http://revbarths.blogspot.com). I totally believe this piece was meant to be, for it had been welling up within me for almost a year, well since June of last year! So without no more ado.

   Luke 9:20

      "20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” qPeter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”"


   As you may of noticed, the title for today isn't "Who do you say that I am?", but "Who are you?" There is good reason for this, which you shall see in a bit. Here we have JESUS alone and praying when the disciples come up to HIM. First HE asked them "who the people thought HE was", and after receiving the answer, HE asked the disciples "WHO they thought HE was." We all know Peter's answer well, as it was given in several of the GOSPELS. The CHRIST!!! This was most likely very close to what you said to HIM upon your conversion, accepting that HE is the CHRIST, the anointed one of GOD, come in the flesh to redeem us from our sins. Or at least I hope you've done this. If not, maybe you should think well about doing so!!!

   Here we have the first admittance from the disciples as to WHO JESUS truly is, though many demons had already made this confession. We all as Christians should have a fair grasp of this fact and if not we should readily seek to confirm it in our faith, for it is the very foundation of the faith. JESUS, GOD come to earth in the flesh, to bear our sins upon the cross in our places.

   Now as I said earlier, this isn't truly the point here. The point is, "who are you?" For being a Christian by name, we are to bear the very likeness of CHRIST in our bodies. So that when people see us and those things that we do, they see not us, but CHRIST in us and working through us. This truly is quite a hard task to fulfill if you really think about it. Which truthfully, you really should, because the very name that we carry, Christian (CHRIST-like) means this. Everything we say, do and think should resemble that which CHRIST HIMSELF would show forth. We're to be the very likeness of CHRIST in every way imaginable. I can imagine you're thinking along the lines that I am. There is no way possible, HE is GOD in the flesh. Which HE is, but there is a way for us to fulfill this calling and only one way at that. That is the total surrender of ourselves to HIM and the power of the HOLY SPIRIT within us working to fulfill it(Titus 3:5). I do mean totally too!

   We must fully give ourselves over to HIS control, not hanging onto one little morsel of the old man(James 1:21-27), those fleshly ways the separated us from GOD in the first place. That free will and pride that had us so readily under its control, that everything we did in life was an abomination before GOD's eyes. No matter how good anything we did in our lives was, before CHRIST, they were as filthy rags(Zech. 3:3,4) before a holy GOD. Separating us to the point that HE was forced to redeem us in the only way possible. The spilling of blood, HIS blood, for the remission of our sins(Heb. 9:22).

   Every thought we have must be put in submission to GOD(2 Cor. 10:5). Every task that we preform, must be done under HIS guidance and as if we were doing it only for HIM(1 Cor.10:31). Every word that we utter, must go to show HIS love for mankind and be for the edification of those that we are speaking to, whether friend or foe(Eph. 4:29-32). These each are very difficult to undertake one at a time, let alone all of them together and of a constant manor. Needless to say, there is no way humanly possible to accomplish these. Notice that one word there, "humanly," for it is the key to our being able to tackle these difficult task, all at once. We receive the HOLY SPIRIT at the moment of our confession of CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOR. HE is the one that seals us, as being Christians, one with CHRIST, CHRIST within us. It is our allowing HIM to do the works that need to be done, from within, that will literally change us into the very likeness of CHRIST inside and out.

   Now this isn't an instantaneous transformation, for it didn't take us only a moment to be the total wretches that we were, it had taken a lifetime. For some this may of only been a few years, maybe they're only in their teens, for others like myself it, was mid life, nearly forty years of age. So is our regeneration into the likeness of CHRIST, it takes a while to change all those little 'nasties' that we built up within us, over all those years. Some may say that they're not that bad of a person and they're always doing good things to help out others. But scripture tells us none are righteous, no even one(Rom. 3:10-12), so no matter how good of a life one has lived they're in need of the transforming changes that the HOLY SPIRIT will preform within them. When all is said and done, though we're still in the flesh. We must continue daily in the WORD, filling our spirits with GOD's wisdom, flee from all that resembles evil, and put off the old man and receive the new by the grace of GOD, through the power and inner presence of the HOLY SPIRIT. So I ask again, Who are you?

 

Other verses you can study: Ezek. 33:12-20; Matt. 12:22-30; Rom. 8:1-11, 15:1-6; 1 Cor. 2:6-16, 14:26-40; 1 Peter 4:12-19
Use these verses, but don't stop with them, cross reference and seek out GOD from within HIS WORD!!!


Prayer request can be sent to: prayers@vineofchrist.org


GOD bless and good day,

Rev. Marshall Barth

Vine of CHRIST Ministries

Vine Ministerial Network International

3.02.10_A referal to my other blog...

Praise the LORD!!!

  The computer is working fine today! Praise the LORD, thank YOU JESUS!!! I was all prepared to write a devotional as I was making my rounds of my social sites. I happened along a post to one of my comments by Pastor Joseph Romero. I typed one back and he responded pretty quick. Well in this exchange the LORD hit me with something that has been on the 'back burner' for almost a year now. It has to deal with my first attempted trip to Kingsville and something the LORD revealed to me. It's a bit long, more like a good sermon, but I believe it is something the church needs to think about. Now I'm not talking about those four walled buildings, though they're involved also, but each and everyone that calls themselves a Christian. You should be able to follow the link on this page to it, but if not, go to this link: http://revbarths.blogspot.com As I said it is long, over ten thousand characters, how many over I've no idea, but it took over four hours of almost constant typing to finish it and I'm not a real slow typer (this has taken 2 min.)
Enjoy all and LORD willing I have another devotional for y'all tomorrow!


Prayer request can be sent to: prayers@vineofchrist.org


GOD bless and good day,

Rev. Marshall Barth

Vine of CHRIST Ministries

Vine Ministerial Network International