Welcome!
Today: Cremation before a new creation!
Passage: 1 Peter 1
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1, NIV84) –emphasis added
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Gal 2, NIV84)
I was just reading a statement of Reinhard Boenke about re-birth. God does not take anybody’s permission to create man; but He asks us, if we would like to be born again by letting Jesus into our lives, and giving Him the control of our lives
I have seen people who are very confident of driving- some of them very young and some very old. Others sitting with them or watching them may not be that comfortable to see that, but these people are very confident.
When we think that we can take care of ourselves nicely, we may be simpy over- confident. Involving God makes a big difference
First of all, we don’t know what the future holds for us, but God knows it all!
We can only see so far! Also, God has set plans for each individual.
The death of Jesus on the cross followed by His resurrection is central to our redemption and our position in Christ
When we are born again by the imperishable and living seed of God, we are likened to a status similar to that of Jesus, who came into this world as a man, when God’s seed fell into the womb of a woman named Mary
We are born-again, as the living word of God falls into our heart
A man born of man can only live as far as man. But the word of God is eternal. Being born again by the word, our souls can never die!
When Jesus came into His own people (Israelites) they could not accept Him because He came with something “new”, not with an addition or attachment to their system, which they believed to be perfectly O.K!. Jesus turned the tables (system) upside down. What He did in the temple shows what He came for!
Jesus never suggested a “modification” to anybody. He said, “be born again”
In India, few decades back, they used to throw the petrol (gasoline) engines of cars out, replacing it with a brand new diesel engine!
Thereafter, you put a different fuel; the input and output are different!
In your new life with Christ, you don’t read/look stuff as you used to do before!
What comes out of you is Christ’s character because you mostly feed on His word and are directed by His Spirit, not your own!
God bless your new life in Christ!
BG
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the provision of re-birth. Without your divine action, I would have no hope at all!. Thank you for all that is mine because of you! Help me to live the life that is yours, and spread the news around. Amen
“Before we become a new creation in Christ, a cremation of the old must happen”