Tag: Christ

Resisting Temptation and Conforming to Christ

When I walked into the kitchen this morning, I saw the pumpkin pound cake I baked last night. I have tried to lose the weight I gained in the last year due to some medical issues. I saw the cake and my first thought was, “I could eat that for breakfast!” and took the cover off.

Immediately, I realized it would be detrimental to my goal of losing the extra pounds. I disciplined myself and walked to the bathroom where we have a set of scales. I stepped on them and was two pounds heavier than yesterday, much to my dismay. I know we fluctuate by a few pounds every day, but I didn’t want to lose this battle! I went back to the kitchen, covered the cake with the lid and pulled out a box of cereal. 

While I was doing this, I thought about how, as Christians, we face temptations every day of our lives. Sometimes it is frustration in traffic, or being impatient in line at the grocery store. It could be irritation at a family member or an acquaintance, seeing what we view as inadequacies, instead of seeing what they add to life. The list is endless and everyone has a different set of temptations they face. I thought about how we need to discipline ourselves to keep our thoughts Christ-centered. It sounds like such a simple thing until we get away from that focus.

… Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

… Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12

The verse in Timothy says to be an example; the Greek word for example is tupos which means to be indelibly marked (marks which cannot be erased). It is likened to a seal on soft wax or to leave an impression of something, to be a replica or pattern. When we bear the image of Christ, we are able to resist temptations, we are sealed in our hearts. It is a surrender to the will of God, which conforms us into His image.

“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” Mark 14:38

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Jesus’ instructions were to watch and pray to keep our hearts from temptation. If we don’t keep our Spirits malleable, our fleshly nature takes over. When we submit to God through Jesus Christ the veil is removed and we reflect the image of God.

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 2 Corinthians 5:14-16

The love of Jesus Christ controls our thoughts when we live for him, which allows us to see others with the eyes of God… How awesome is that?!

Prayer: Father, help me to resist temptations and allow Christ to conform me into his image. Guide me to immediately take captive of thoughts which are contrary to your will. Help me to have discipline in all that I do and the way I act towards others. Give me your vision as I keep my Own eyes on you!

The Greater Blessing

As I weed my garden, I often think of scriptures and their meaning. I find peace in the garden amongst the beauty of nature. Yesterday morning my thoughts went to a phrase spoken by Jesus. When Jesus said “Your sins are forgiven” to the lame man to be healed… which was the greater blessing? Was it that he was physically healed or that he was given Eternal life? While it is wonderful to be healed, especially of a debilitating illness or emotionally healed of the problems we deal with, isn’t it better to be given life everlasting?  The lame man was given both physical healing and spiritual cleansing. We are given both through faith and redemption.  The woman with the issue of blood, who had been bleeding for twelve years, knew that if she only touched Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. She had faith in his ability to heal. Shouldn’t we have faith in his power?

Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8:48

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” John 4:13-15

Faith is all it takes for miracles to happen. The woman at the well believed and brought many more to believe by telling them of Jesus’ words. She had faith enough to gather others. She and Mary Magdalene knew their sins were many and saw the great blessing in what Jesus offered. Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus’ feet w/costly perfume and her tears… those who have been forgiven of much, show more gratefulness & love! She recognized the blessings he could give her were far better than anything she could achieve on her own. Faith and belief are synonymous here. We cannot be saved by how we live, but with the Spirit of God it is Possible to receive eternal life!

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. John 3:5-6

Prayer: Thank you Father for sending Jesus to bless us with salvation and giving your Holy Spirit so we can live a life full of blessings!

It is Finished!

Jesus entered by lowly birth

To give all he had to this earth.

In swaddling clothes, a baby wrapped

His destiny our God did map.

In ministry, He was betrayed

By Judas’ kiss quite firmly laid.

Sent by leading priests to stand trial;

Charged as King, there was no denial

In death and burial, He freely gave

To those His Father sent to save.

Like a crim’nal, His back was whipped.

His body was bloodied and stripped.

The priests and teachers mocked aloud

Their jeers were heard throughout the crowd,

‘If you’re the Messiah, Prove it!

Can you save yourself? Just do it!’

To Father’s will He did submit

Sins of this world would He remit.

A pure, Holy, unblemished Lamb

To save the lives of All of man.

On Simon’s back the soldiers tossed

The heavy burd’n of Jesus’ cross.

For his clothes, soldiers tossed the dice,

Our Savior paid a higher price.

Darkness fell, changing day to night,

The world sought to put out the Light.

The crowd heard Jesus’ tortured cry:

“You abandoned me my God, Why?!”

Bystanders thrust the sour wine

Into the mouth of the True Vine.

One more cry where they could hear it,

“Father, I release my Spirit.”

Immedi’tely the veil was rent;

To the throne room our Savior went.

The world with earthquake was shaken.

“The Son of God has been taken!”

He was pierced for our transgression.

His blood flowed for our accession.

His body wrapped, laid in a tomb,

But this was not His final room.

His fate was to be raised again

To reconcile the world of sin.

His last words were “It is finished.”

Our image, His grace refinished.

© 12-11-2011 Kimberly M. Alligood

Note: To explain my thoughts on the last two lines: Jesus’ last words as a man were ‘It is Finished.’ but His words live on and on. We are transformed daily into His image when we accept him as our Savior and Lord and follow His will for our lives. Pressing towards the mark of seeing like him, treating others as he would, etc. He paid all of the debt to take us back to God. As it says in 2 Corinthians 5, we are being called back to God: 

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NLT)