Resurrection Abundance!
‘I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.’ John 10:9-10
“…knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.” Romans 6:6-9
The Great Thief’s Lie: Satan (our flesh and the world-system) would have us believe that we Christians cannot live the abundant (to-the-fullest-measure-and-overflowing) life that Jesus promises His disciples He came to give then (then and now) as recorded in John 10:10! Satan wants you to focus on you sins, failures, and defeats when tempted to sin, rather than to live with the “Resurrection Abundance” Paul speaks of in Romans Six.
The Savior’s Truth: Reflect on the Roman’s passage above. Paul says, as Christians, we still live in our earthly bodies “of sin” and therefore, we are often tempted to sin under the influence of the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eyes, and the boastful pride of life (See I John 2:16). However, Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead have provided the Christian with His Spirit-filled power to overcome sin because the power of sin and death was broken at the cross, and God’s resurrection power resides in the life of the believer!
Isn’t that wonderful! Christian, sin has no mastery over you! You have been freed its power by the blood of Jesus, and you don’t have to live under its influence and control at any time! Look to Jesus! Stay near Him by staying in His word and prayer! Be thankful for His ongoing forgiveness, but walk in the confidence of the truth that your old self is dead with Christ and your new life is raised with Him. As Pastor Charles Stanley says, “It is about self-replacement, never about self-improvement!” Thankful for His Grace, Pastor Louie