October 2010

Welcome to the aboundinglove.org website. Our prayer is that you may experience God's love, and let it flow out through you to someone else. We'd love to hear from you, so we can add your comments to What People Are Saying. As you respond, we are able to determine the effectiveness of this outreach.

A Sense of Lack

Many hurting people respond to this website, saying they have no spirituality, but desire to know God. One young lady said she just wasn't getting "it," asking: "Am I a lost soul?" Another woman asked for "a word of wisdom," while seeking a closer walk with God. They all share one thing in common -- a sense of lack.

One man wrote about the many "atrocities of life." I reminded him that man's problem is sin. In the beginning, God crowned man with glory and honor,1 but he chose to turn against God and do his own thing. As a result, all these atrocities begin to rule the lives of mankind. "When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone."2

After the fall of man, everyone is born with a void in their hearts. Until we yield to God's righteousness through Christ, our hearts bring forth all sorts of destructive behavior.3 You may have tried to fill the void with people, places and things, only to end up medicating the resulting pain with alcohol, drugs, and sexual pleasures. Finally, you may have tried to overcome your guilt and shame by reaching out to God through religious works in order to feel better about yourself, only to find out it didn't fill the void.

For myself, I admitted my powerlessness over my addictions, seeing that my life had spun out of control. I had believed a lie, but gradually, I came to believe in a power greater than myself for healing. I began to believe that Jesus may have been right when He said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."4

What Will You Decide?

Jesus says to you, "I am the way," knowing you've lost your way. He is your truth, knowing you must challenge every thought by His word. For example, Eve brought sin and death upon the entire human race by believing a lie. The devil tempted Eve by contradicting God's word, saying: "You shall not die" if you eat of that forbidden fruit, rather "you shall be as gods."5 Her sin was unbelief. She failed to trust God's life-giving instructions.

Every day you are tempted to believe a lie. God gave you a conscience to show you the way, but it may be badly damaged. God gave you His laws to reveal your sins, but you may not be paying attention. But it's a fact, you will continue to lack wisdom as long as you reject God's gift of righteousness.

During Jesus' time, people were determined to establish their own righteousness. They were in bondage to the law, taught by the religious leaders, who were fearful of losing control of the masses. Jesus spoke of freedom and righteousness, which made the teachers very angry. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."6 He spoke Good News, saying: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."7

What is the Truth?

The truth is that you are powerless over sin without God's grace. The strength of sin is the law,8 but God's grace is the ability to do what you cannot do through the fleshly works of the law. The more you depend on willpower, the more you sin and prolong the agony. It's time to turn to God for the power to overcome through faith in God's word. His word reveals God's grace and righteousness, and where you are to base your faith. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it [faith] is a gift of God."9

Let us proclaim: "I am not ashamed of the gospel [Good News] of Christ, for it [the Good News] is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it [the Good News] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"10

In the book "Breaking the Cycle" by Dr. James B. Richards of impactministries.com, he writes:

"Righteousness is more than a right standing with God. It is more than an imputed status. It is more than a theological concept. Righteousness is also the power of God to live in righteousness. It is the strength that comes into us as a result of receiving the new nature. It is ever present. It abides in us through the person of the Holy Spirit, who lives in us. It is our right standing and it is our power to stand right. It makes us feel right about ourselves and God. And it gives us the power to live right before God."

The overall theme of the Bible is righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ. You should not be surprised that man's way of achieving righteousness is contrary to God's way, for "...the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved, it is the power of God...you are in Christ Jesus, Who became for us wisdom from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption."11 My book on the power of righteousness, "Christianity For Fools," can be read on this website.

A Sense of Righteousness

The apostle Paul proclaims: "Awake to righteousness and do no sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God, I speak this to your shame."12 The strength of righteousness is God's grace, in correlation to the strength of sin being the law. "For if by one man's offense death reigned through one [Adam], much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign [over sin] in life through the One, Jesus Christ."13

Righteousness is the ability to stand with Jesus in God's presence without the sense of sin, fear, guilt, condemnation, and inferiority. As you mature in Christ, you'll see Christ as your righteousness. "For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."14

The key to reigning in life is to keep your "senses exercised" by "reason of use," concerning your righteousness in Christ, or keeping a consciousness of your righteousness in Christ. One way is to commune moment by moment in the Spirit through a remembrance of the blood of Jesus.15 As a result, a sense of righteousness will empower your life with love, instead of the spirit of fear, which stems from a sense of lack. "For God made Jesus Who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ."16

It is time to wake up, that as a Christian, you are declared righteous by God, because the blood of Jesus wiped out all sin: past, present, and future.17Therefore, "...if Christ be in you, the body is dead [dying] because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."18

A Prayer For You ...

Heavenly Father, I pray as Paul asked for Philemon: "That the communication of my faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in me in Christ Jesus."19 I declare that my past no longer defines who I am, because I am a new creation in Christ.20 I believe in the cleansing blood of Jesus for my righteousness, and not my good works or obedience to the law. I will not live in the past. I will live a new, powerful life of godliness, "...for the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."21 I will yield to the righeousness of Christ that lives in me. Lord, I ask that you increase my faith so that I will be conscious continually of the revelation of my righteousness in Christ.22 Amen.

If you have received Christ as your righteousness, contact us.

Scripture References:

1 Psa. 8:5,6
2 Rom. 5:12
3 Matt. 15:18-20
4 John 14:6
5 Gen. 3:1-6
6 John 1:17
7 John 8:32
8 1 Cor. 15:56
9 Eph. 2:8
10 Rom. 1:16,17
11 1 Cor. 1:18,30
12 1 Cor. 15:34
13 Rom. 5:17
14 Heb. 5:13,14
15 1 Cor. 11:25
16 2 Cor. 5:21
17 1 John 1:7,9
18 Rom. 8:10,11
19 Philemon 6
20 2 Cor. 5:17
21 Rom. 14:17
22 Luke 17:5

Acknowledgement: A special thanks to Sherry for transcribing this months view!