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CELEBRATE
THE
LORD How are you
feeling today? Are you
contented with your life or are you finding life hard going?
If you are feeling defeated and low, may I suggest you let your
attitude rise to a higher altitude?
How can we do this?
Just as God
made the natural seasons of winter, spring, summer and autumn, so too we
have seasons in our lives that vary in different ways.
But, as Christians, we have been equipped to not only survive the
different seasons, but to flourish regardless of the seasonal
conditions. When we
consider the life of Jesus, at first glance we would think that He lived
continuously in the ‘summer’ season as He had the power to do all
things. But when we take a
closer look at His life it is soon very evident that He too was subject
to all the seasonal conditions of mankind.
Yes, He did wonderful miracles and changed many lives for the
better but He also came under great persecution and hardship.
At the cross His very own disciples all turned their backs on
Him, and even His Father did the same . . . “My God, My God; why
have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew
27:46). In His
‘winter’ season of sheer agony, Jesus felt the horrendous anguish
when His Heavenly Father abandoned Him. But, why had
His Father momentarily abandoned Him?
Because, alone, He had to bear all the sins and sicknesses of
this world; the will of His Father was being carried out to the very
minutest detail, fulfilling every prophecy that had previously been
prophesied of this selfless act of Christ laying down His life for the
world: a selfless act that, without which, we would never have been able
to live in victory, regardless of the season we are in.
Jesus had to bear the cross alone.
He had to be Man in order to die for us, and He had to be God in
order to save us. When, as Christians, we rise above our circumstances, we become partakers of Christ’s victory on the cross. “Every child of God is able to defeat the world. We win the victory over the world by means of our faith” (1 John 5:4 – Good News Bible). What is meant by ‘the world’? All the things that prevent us serving the Lord – the godless, human systems and lack of moral integrity that tragically steer this world toward a godless eternity; the glamour and glitter of a ‘colourful life’ that totally excludes Jesus, the Son of the Living God. Today we can
hold our heads high and CELEBRATE
THE LORD because He overcame and won the victory for us as He went
through His ‘winter’ season. Don’t
despair! Out of
‘winter’ seasons come patience and experience.
Out of ‘winter’ seasons come good fruit. “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our
lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans
8:28 – The Message). Determine in your heart today to CELEBRATE THE LORD and live in the victory He won for us on the Cross of Calvary.
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