[John 17:1]
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you...”
:: Exalted
Our purpose as resurrected lives in Christ Jesus, is to live to glorify and exalt Him, just as Christ lived to glorify and exalt God. His mission was obediently filled with love and adoration to God the Father. Jesus’ sacrifice brought freedom from death, and invited the presence of God to dwell with mankind. Everything He did while ministering on earth was an act of worship. Everything we do, our very purpose for living this new life in Christ, is to follow Him. Do you live each day, in all you do with the soul purpose of lifting Him up, so all may see His glory in you? Do you rise above your circumstances and praise Him wholeheartedly, even in the midst of tribulation? Do you look at your life and like John the baptist proclaim, “He must increase, but I must decrease”? Live a new life in Christ. One that is firmly rooted in Him, zealous for His Kingdom, intent on worshiping Him at all cost. A life that is obedient, faithful, humble, merciful, hungry for righteousness, desiring peace, and pure of heart. Do all you do for the glory of His Kingdom. He has chosen you and bought you with a price. Lay down your life for the One who laid down His life for you. Glorify Him.
“Bring Him forth, each day I live and leave me in the tomb.
I seek no other glory here,make not the smallest room
Blessed anonymity, count my life but loss.
Jesus the One, and Only, tread over me dear cross.”
(from “Jesus, the One and Only” by Beth Moore)
:: Prayer
Holy LORD, my feeble words cannot express the immense gratitude I feel for You, and all You sacrificed for me. Like the psalmist cried out, “what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.” God I live to praise You, to worship You, and to give You the glory You deserve. May You increase daily in me, and my life bring glory to You. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
This concludes our Lenten devotional Revealed. It has been an incredible blessing to me to have the opportunity to walk through the gospels and share some thoughts God has been revealing to me. I pray that God has been glorified, and that you have been awakened to His word, and it has brought you in closer relationship with Him. Keep abiding, keep praying, keep seeking Him. ~ Mary O’Connell
[John 14:12]
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”
:: Exalted
Do you believe that all things are possible when you put your trust in God? Do you believe that you are able to do the same works that Jesus did? Is it not stated so in His Word? Why do we fail to believe that God has a plan to work through us to accomplish great things? Through His death and resurrection, Jesus gave us more than eternal life and forgiveness of sin. He sent His Spirit to equip us to do the works He came to do.
The Spirit is the powerhouse of God, and like in the creation of the world, “the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” (Genesis 1:2) It takes faith and belief that God will intervene. When God appears in a situation anything is possible. The key is are we expecting Him to show up, and do we eagerly await His Spirit to act? Have you settled for mediocrity, unwilling to let God reign in your life? Remember, you are His instrument and can be likened to the formless earth.
The Spirit of God is awaiting you to harness His presence, to invite Him to intervene. It takes an unwavering faith, a belief without doubt that God is willing and able, and in His sovereignty will work accordinglyl. We need to faithfully believe that our purpose is to be His vessel through which His Spirit will be enabled, and not be distracted by our own desires in the process. Doing so only puts limits on what we believe God is able to do, grieves His Spirit, and leads to doubt and lack of faith. When we live resurrected lives intent on exalting God in our daily walk, we need to remember that it takes incredible faith and love for God to believe that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
:: Prayer
Sovereign, Mighty LORD, it is for You that I live. My purpose here is to exalt You by possessing a faith that can move mountains, and an unwavering belief, because You have chosen me as the dwelling place of Your Spirit. I pray that I will not become a crutch, by my lack of faith, that inhibits the presence of Your Spirit. Humble me LORD and help me see my need for You. May I walk before You in the power of Christ, and be a witness to Your greater works through me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
[Luke 20:38]
“ Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him."
:: Exalted
When you look upon the Cross what does it represent to you? Is it a symbol of death to you or new life? Living at the cross means sacrifice, abiding, servant hood, and forgiveness. Has the term “living for Christ” represented a significant change in you, or is it a trite expression that you disregard, unwilling to fully grasp? A new life in Christ Jesus means we embrace the cross and all it represents. We are willingly partnering with Him daily in putting to death what He came to abolish in us. It means living to know Him, seeking Him continually so you will grow and mature in faith. Exalting Him through our humility and wanting to serve others out of love.
The cross stands for forgiveness, and we are to likewise live without offense, pardoning others because He has pardoned us. Mostly the cross represents joy, the joy Jesus could see before Him, and the joy He gave to us at the resurrection of His death. The joy we have is from knowing we have been rescued and given a new life. Christ died so you would live again in the presence of God, therefore abiding at the cross reminds us who we belong to, and who we are living for.
No longer are we dead in sin, with no hope and no future. Christ is yours and you are alive for Him.
:: Prayer
Almighty Father, by Your merciful grace and sacrifice at the cross do I live today. Your cross represents my new life and the incredible joy I have knowing that death has no power over me. I am Yours, O God, and it is for You I live. Hide my old self in Your tomb, and fill me with Your glorious presence. Be exalted in me today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
[John 16:14]
“He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
:: Exalted
What an incredible blessing we have in Christ Jesus, that He will never leave us or forsake us. We have been given His Spirit, who will lead us into righteousness and declare the secrets of God to us. It is the Spirit who brings forth the power of God and causes the transformation in us. He is the one who will reveal the Word to us and convict us in righteousness, making us desire to live obediently in Christ. How important it is that we do not quench the Spirit if we are to be effective witnesses for Christ!
When we make that decision to abandon sin at the cross, when we are firmly rooted and established in Christ, then surrender to the Spirit’s leading will become possible. You see, you cannot keep the Spirit contained like a guest in a house. To truly live “Spirit-led”, He requires all aspects of you and your life. If you find it’s difficult to get right with God, it’s because you have not given up your sin nature. The Spirit’s work is to glorify Jesus, by changing the lives of those who believe in Him, to emulate the One who has redeemed them.
Our walk must be a daily “letting go” so the great full life of God will invade us in every part. We are to live lives “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11).
:: Prayer
LORD God, may I live today alive to Your Spirit, letting Him reveal the truth of Your word to me, and changing me to live reborn in Christ. Let the power of Your Spirit invade every aspect of my life, so I will live in my life with integrity, being true to my belief and faith as a child belonging to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
REVEALED : EXALTED
Our new life in Christ Jesus is to exalt and glorify Him. We are chosen to a life set apart from sin, called to be holy, and to praise and worship the One who has redeemed us.
[John 6:35]
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
:: Exalted
There is an innate hunger for God that has been put inside all of us. Many try to deny it, striving to satisfy it through pursuits of the flesh, but find their life incomplete and meaningless. Until we give our life and what we are living for to Jesus, and abide in Him, we will never experience the oneness of relationship with Him.
When you truly “know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19), your motivation and reason for existing, will be transformed. It is a life that desires holiness and one of purity, spent on living to exalt Jesus and please the Father. It is a life transformed by the Spirit, which feeds on the Word and gives glory to the One for whom it was created. No longer is life occupied by the pursuits of self-gratification, but one that is united with Christ, being nourished by steadfast faith and belief in His Word. Are you living hungry, or are you feasting on the true bread of life?
You have been redeemed from death and reborn into a new life through Christ Jesus. Live to glorify the One who has paid a price for your birth, exalt the Name above all names in all that you do, and find fulfillment and satisfaction in a life set apart for His glory.
:: Prayer
I praise You Jesus, the One who has redeemed me from the power of hell, and blessed me, a new creation, with eternal life. You satisfy me with Your love, O LORD, and I will feast on Your Word, the true bread of life. As You offered up Your life for my sake, I offer my life to You, for Your honor and glory. May all I do exalt Your name, and may my reason for living be to know the oneness of relationship with You and to magnify Your holiness throughout the world. In Your precious name, Amen.
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