The meditations of my heart are running a different course than the typical subject matter of LOSS.
Today I am mauling over what it means to have a LOSS of GUILT in my life because I am a believer.
"Therefore there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." -Romans 8:1 NAS
because...
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification." -Romans 5:17-18 KJV
Are you in Christ Jesus?
I am not asking if you are living the "Christian life"- monitoring your eyes from the evils of tv, monitoring your mouth from evil slurs that you want to yell at the driver who pulled out in front of you, monitoring your heart from discontentment..... I mean are you in Christ? Are you sticking to Him like glue? Are you letting yourself be grafted into His vine? Are you aboding with Him and He in you? Are you aligning your mind to His?
The Father proclaims to us that there is no condemnation for us in Christ Jesus. Do you live that way? That means, though we are SOOOO deserving of the guilty sentence, we have been vindicated in Christ. Absolved FOREVER. Just as in the American justice system once a person is tried and been found innocent by the panel of jurors never can they be tried again for that same crime, we once having been found as the righteousness of God in Christ CAN NEVER BE TRIED AGAIN. woo-hoo!!!
I was standing in front of that Judge- the awesome One- guilty of every heinous crime that could have been commited, right before my sentencing Jesus said, "Wait!!!!! I have taken her punishment upon Myself. She is as innocent as a pure lamb."
Do you remember a time when you FELT that burden of sin fall off of your back- oh, sweet release! Have you been living with the easy yoke or have YOU put that burden back on by not living what God says of you. YOU are the righteousness of God in Christ. If you have never known this and Spirit is revealing this truth to your heart now- believe it.
Christ died that we might live as blissful children. He does not want us weighted down by the guilt from sin.
Maybe right now your mind is affirming that "no" you do not live with guilt. Then I would dig deeper and ask you to look into your soul to see if what I call "permaguilt" exists there? It is a guilt that is embedded just below our consciousness that is always there. I often have to extricate that blight. It spreads like a quiet cancer through my soul and surfaces with thoughts of "Why didn't I? Why do I?" or in another language, "For the good I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want." This thought if not confronted with the truth of vindication stated above grows like a vine of cancer choking any joy and peace that I am meant to have in the abundant Life He gives to me.
So I cast down those thoughts and replace them with Truth. I am FREE. My God loves me and He will never stop! My Father is happy with me because I am the righteousness of God in Christ. If you are IN Him, dear reader, this truth applies to you as well. Let this truth soak into your cells and live free today.
Live with the LOSS of guilt forever.
I want to add a note that though we do sin in this body the emotion that should accompany is sorrow.
"For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces repentance without regret , leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. " -2Corinthians 7:10 NAS
For further study read Romans chapter 7 and 8.
I DID go waayyy over five minutes but I do not think that The Gypsy Mama would want me to feel guilty about that.
another great link- heartandsoulexchage.blogspot.com
Posts
3 comments:
Great Word, Nicole!
I have been in Romans 5 a lot this week -- ah to be redeemed and set free. Don't you wish you could just pull every believer you know into that glorious space of losing guilt forever? Thank you for this super-encouraging and scripture-based view of loss and sorrow, peace and freedom living!
first of all Nicol, I heart the word "SOOOOOO" :-)
Second, the funny at the end – that you don't think Mary Jo would want you to feel guilty about it – that really was a funny :-)
And Amen – no guilt – never being tried again – I hearted this bunches. And sorrow being the response to sin instead of guilt – Amen and Amen to that. I'm reading this on Sunday morning – it's a splendid beginning to the day. Thank you. God bless you and Nicol and each and every one of yours!
Post a Comment