October 1, 2009
“I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.” Philippians 3:10-11 The Message
How personal are you living …?
When Christ becomes the center of your life .. the living center .. the living hope .. the living truth .. you will begin to want to know him personally. It is no longer something that is private or hidden away. In fact .. your life becomes open to everyone around you. You begin to live out of the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead. The same power is now in you! There is nothing to fill in or add to what Christ has done on your behalf. But what happens in you is a deep indwelling desire .. longing .. and passion to know Christ personally. You begin to look at the world you live in through his eyes .. with his heart .. out of his Spirit living in you. It doesn’t mean that everything in your life gets smoothed out .. it means you know personally .. intimately .. confidently that your inside and outside life belong to Jesus. It means you’re connected .. really connected in personal friendships that share the resurrection power of Jesus. It means that in the face of everything that you are facing in your life today .. Jesus always keeps his word about you and will never abandon you .. give up on you .. or ever take his eyes off of you. It is very personal .. publicly personal .. and perfectly personal. There has only been One Perfect Person who has ever lived and His very life in you has forever changed your imperfect life into something personally perfect. You don’t focus on being perfect .. you focus on being personally alive in Christ .. and available for His purposes and plans through your life. It is always very personal … only takes a moment …
“It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people … So let’s do it — full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.” Hebrews 10:14 .. 22-23 The Message
Ken Chester: Grace-Gripped is sent M-F to Followers of Jesus and friends of Priority One (ken@priorityone.org)
