Picture perfect!

During creation, it says on the 7th day that God "rested" from all His work. In the original language, you will notice that word rest is NOT like taking a break. It is NOT the same as you working 5-6 days a week, chilling on Sunday, and then going back to work again the next day. No, it literally means is to *stop completely* just like when a 'dead man' is laid to rest. He isn't getting back up again, ever!

Now we jump to the New Testament and look at the Finished Work of Jesus Christ. Same deal here. It is the same as when a painter works weeks or even months on end at a single painting. He keeps on adding and detailing and correcting...finally one day coming to a point where the painter himself is satisfied and cannot find anything else at all to add to his painting. It is then complete. It is FINISHED! Now it is time for the creator to show his master piece off for the world to see. In the very same way, that is exactly what Jesus has done and then He "rested" from it all. There is absolutely NOTHING more that God can add to you! When He said "it is finished," He was not kidding around. He meant it is FINISHED! You are His masterpiece. He has made perfect forever those who have been made holy. He now shows you off for all to see and is pleased to present you (you are a beauty)!

It certainly is amazing and almost impossible to comprehend all that Jesus has accomplished for us. Yet no matter how wonderful of a work Jesus did, how beautiful of creation He has made, and how perfect He has made it, most of us still like to view ourselves as merely scribbles on a chaulk board drawn by a 3 year old. You think you are a mess. You think you are lacking. You keep picturing your life with a flesh-oriented/self-performance view of failure and imperfection. This causes you to try and perfect in the flesh...what God has already perfected for us in the spirit. Out of unbelief in what He has already accomplished for us, is where we keep going back to an old system of bondage living that Jesus has made us free from!

Behind the scenes today and lying beneath the sheets, we find a lot of people (Christians) are still sleeping in bed with that dead corpse Moses! Embracing the very thing that births sin in them and ministers guilt and death. The good you wish to do...you cannot do cause you are in the embrace of the law and even encouraging others to indulge in this adultery. Do you not know the law gives sin POWER in your life? That it is a way that seems right to a man but it is that which leads to DEATH?! Leave that rule keeping, performance driven, guilt ridden life behind. Change your mind, look to your REAL husband instead! His name is Jesus Christ! You are the one who had left Him; you are the one who didn't want Him anymore. You rejected Him and went after another man instead.

Jesus has always loved you. He has never left you. He has been longing for you to come home to Him. Can you see Jesus bent on one knee, holding His hand out with a ring? He's asking you...will you marry Me? Will you be My bride again? I am humble at heart. I am happy with you and have never mistreated you. I have forgiven you of everything and have laid down my very life to have you. Jesus wants you to stop trying to produce your own off-spring and instead choose to be ONE FLESH with Him. Watch Him birth His own seed inside you. Watch life spring forth and be overflowing and fruitful! He desires that you enjoy His presence forever! Embrace Jesus and leave that old dead husband/lawman behind. You are no longer bond to him. He only briths death and comdemnation. But you are FREE to be joined to another instead, Jesus Christ! Accept His hand. You will find a NEW life! He is a GOOD husband!

When you read through Romans, you will see this constant theme of grace/law that Paul is stressing. He tells us his experience with it. He says that there was a time when he was not under the law (from the road of Damscus on) but then the law came again (when He was in Arabia, he decided to try and incorporate the law into his teaching) and then he says what happened when he did that. Holiness? Sin-less? More love? NO! He says that "all kinds of sin/evil" began to revive in his life again! In fact, on a side note, you are always hearing today how we need revival. Realize however, that the only mention of "revival" in the New Testament is the "revival of SIN!" So don't be so quick to get sucked in on that bandwagon. Be sure and check Romans out. There is NO mixing law and grace. Not even just a little bit. That mixture would be just the same as rat poisioning! I'm sorry, but 99% good + 1% bad is still bad.

 

Life in the trinity is amazing! It is a divine dance and full of liberty. It is an abundance of grace and it's the grace of God that teaches us to say no to ungodliness. The law will point out your shortcomings and leave you helpless and striving on your own, but the grace of God will birth a new life in you and you will find new desires. No longer are we slaves of unrighteousness. We are no longer slaves to sin. We are no longer distant from God. We are children of the king! We are tucked in bed with our Father in His mansion! We don't have to sit on the outside and holler and shout and beg like skinny dogs craving a few scrapes of meat! You have a loving and caring Daddy. He gives His children a whole steak! In my own life, I found I have recieved answers to prayer and seen more healing when I am just being calm and normal. Don't have to cry out like a dying man or starve myself all week. I just whisper and He hears me. In fact, He knows before I even open my mouth about a thing. Just as willing as He is to answer Jesus, is just how willing He is to answer me! He holds back no good thing. No long begging fests...just simple Father and son relationship. It doesn't get much better then this!

Remember when Jesus responded to the Pharisees by saying "give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's,"...I want to point out that He was NOT talking about tithing here. He was not saying now give money to God, pull out your wallet and pay up! No, remember He had just held up a coin and asked "who's image (some translations also say 'and name') is on here?" They said Caesar's. So He said give to Caesar what belongs to him (which is money). Then He said, give to God what belongs to Him. Who bears God's image (and name)? It's NOT coins...it's people/mankind! We are made in *His* image! So lets stop holding people back with religion. Give *people* to God! They belong to Him.

Another thing amazing about creation is when God made man in "His image." In the original language we will find a definition of this that is almost too amazing to comprehend. It means to "be made in the 'equality' of God." To be made 'equal' with God. Can you believe that? Now jumping further into this, when Jesus said "He was the 'Son' of God," the religious leaders understood Him as saying that He was "equal" with God. It's no wonder why they thought that was blasphamy?! Now in the very same way mind you, we have been 'made in His image' and are 'sons of God.' You are made equal with God. Just as holy as He is, is how holy you are! Just as righteous as He is, is how righteous you are! Why? Cause His holiness IS your holiness. His righteousness IS your righteousness. There is so much richness here. Jesus has really COMPLETED the work! Spend some time and ponder what He has done in and for you. This is some almost-too-good-to-be-true news!