Alternate Universe – What if I was not “In Christ”? - Purity 964
Purity 964 02/11/2023
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Good morning,
Today’s photo of sunbeams reflected in the water and
reaching across the beach of Green Lake comes to us from yours truly as I was thrilled
to capture several shots of the sunset lightshow God put on at Green Lake State
Park on February 8th.
Well, It’s Saturday and I am now thrilled to be in
the presence of my beloved wife, TammyLyn for the weekend and after I awoke
this morning I was positively marveling over how God has blessed me with my wife
as I was thinking about the joy we have in our marriage. So intense was the joy I have over my
marriage I had to remind myself that if it wasn’t for the Lord I would have never
known it.
As I was meditating on the Who I Am in Christ list a
few days ago, I decided to ponder what my life would be like if I was not “in Christ”. I remembered the previous way I used to live
and tried to imagine what my life would be like now if the path I had been on continued
without being interrupted by the radio message that saved my soul. While we shouldn’t play the “what if game” as
a rule, because it tends to sow seeds of discontentment and is a practice of
futility because we can’t change the past, I imagined a life in which I was
never “born again”.
Like George Bailey in a “It’s a wonderful Life”, I
tried to see what life would have been like if “M.T. Clark” had never been born.
And just like how George Bailey’s experience took on
a sinister turn resulting in his pleading to his guardian angel: “ I want to
live again!”, I saw that I didn’t like the life that could have been if I wasn’t
shown the truth of reality and never made Jesus the Lord of my life.
I am not sure if my previous marriage .would have
lasted. Quite possibly it could have because
of the codependency that we had but neither one of us were happy and we had
more or less lived separate lives in the same house even before I came to Christ. So whether or not I would have been divorced
or not in this alternate reality where I didn’t have Jesus, I find it hard to
believe that we would be happier now than we were in the days of my pre-Christ
existence.
Likewise, I can’t really imagine an alternate
reality where I would have been clean and sober and free of my sexual addiction
without Jesus. It just wouldn’t have happened. Period. I would have been locked in the vicious cycles
that come from seeking your happiness from substances, relationships, or creating
pleasurable experiences. I would have
been locked in that rat race of temptation, indulgence, guilt, and shame to
this day and I can’t imagine that my body or mind would be healthier than they
are now.
One of the things that sort of frightened me about
pondering this “life without Christ” was how much of my life wouldn’t have
changed.
Even with Christ, I kept the same job. Because of the need to provide for my family,
I didn’t change my job even after coming to Christ, so I can’t imagine that my
career would have changed, unless I lost as a consequence of my addictions but
I was so well versed in living a double life and keeping my addictions in the
darkness even that alternate worst case scenario seems unlikely.
I have 26 years with my current employer and I think
that would have stayed the same. If anything I could have had an easier go of
it at work, because a life without Christ, would be free of the subtle and not
so subtle persecution and isolation I have experienced because of my
faith.
In terms of hobbies, I would imagine I would have
continued to watch and gamble on sports. That would have increased probably
because of the legality of online sportsbooks. My music would have been classic and alternative
rock, maybe some rap, and some Emo - EDM. My evenings would have continued to
be filled with television series and movies that featured the macabre, fantasy,
sex, drugs, and violence. I would have
remained isolated in my “man cave basement” where I would blow off steam playing
the guitar and possibly the latest video games.
I can’t imagine that any of this would look any better than it was 13
years ago but without Christ it is easy to imagine staying trapped in it.
One the most sad contemplations of a life untouched
by Christ, would have been the continuing isolation that I would have lived in
and all the people I would have never met.
Before Christ, I didn’t have any close friends and besides my
meditations sessions at the local Buddhist temple that I went to (which is now
closed) I didn’t really go anywhere or do anything that took me away from my
home or family. So, I can’t imagine that
would have changed either. I would have continued a very lonely existence.
But, Thank the Lord, I did find Christ and gave my
life to Him, and since then He called me out of the darkness of my additions,
loneliness, and broken relationships. He
has called me to be a voice for the abundant life of freedom and victory that
comes from live for Him in His presence. And I have made hundreds if not
thousands of relationships and connections with other people because the Lord
called me to seek Him and follow Him.
His call has had me step out in faith to meet people
all across the world – to learn, to grow, to serve, and as their lives has
touched mine, I too have played a small part in theirs. The sheer number of people I have met, served,
and worshipped the Lord with since coming to Christ is simply staggering as I have
entered into several communities of my brothers and sisters in Christ and have
gone out into the mission field locally, nationally, and internationally to
tell anyone who would listen about the goodness of God and the abundant life
that is available in Christ alone.
So, if you ever wonder what would change in your
life, if you decide to get serious about “walking and talking” with God, let me
assure you that you would lose nothing of value and would gain so much, abundantly
more, by entering into and serving the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus
Christ.
So, if in your in Christ, rejoice my friends! No
matter where your faith finds you today let me remind you that you are better
here and now in Christ, than you could have ever have hoped to be without
Him.
And if you are not in Christ, or not sure, let me
encourage you to seek the Lord and make the decision to follow Him into a life of
purpose and meaning, and the joy that goes beyond all understanding.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible
Promise Book for Men”.
This morning’s meditation verses are:
Psalm 57:3 (NLT2)
3 He will send help from
heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. … My God will send forth
his unfailing love and faithfulness.
Today’s Bible reminds us that God is our rescuer and that He
will send forth His unfailing love and faithfulness and help to those who
follow Him.
When we come to faith in Christ, we are rescued and we
shouldn’t forget that. We have literally been pulled out of hell because of God’s
love for us. The help from heaven is
best exemplified by Christ coming to earth and dying for our sins and showing
that He is God through His resurrection.
If you are in times of trouble, we shouldn’t forget this
help, this rescue, that we have already received because in times of
tribulation and trials the remembrance of our salvation and drawing close to God
may be the way we experience His unfailing love and faithfulness the most. To know we are never alone in Christ, to be
able to be in God’s presence and talk to Him in desperate times can be the
thing that can give us the strength to carry on.
And beyond our salvation and drawing close to God, we should
also remember that God is working all things together for the good of those who
love Him, and because of that we should expect good things to come. We can dare
to hope for things to change for the better because the Sovereign God of al
creation is with us and for us. ___________________________________________
As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I
always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to
assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from A.W. Pink’s “The
Sovereignty of God.”
As always, I share this information for educational
purposes and encourage all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own
private study and to support his work. This resource is available on
many websites for less than $20.00.
THE
SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
By ARTHUR W. PINK
CHAPTER SIX
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD IN OPERATION continues
In regard to the
operation of God’s government over the material
world little needs now be said. In previous chapters we have shown that
inanimate matter and all irrational creatures are absolutely subject to their
Creator’s pleasure. While we freely admit that the material world appears to be
governed by laws that are stable and more or less uniform in their operations,
yet Scripture, history, and observation, compel us to recognize the fact that
God suspends these laws and acts apart from them whenever it pleaseth Him to do
so. In sending His blessings or judgments upon His creatures He may cause the
sun itself to stand still, and the stars in their courses to fight for His
people (Judges 5:20); He may send or withhold “the early and the latter rains”
according to the dictates of His own infinite wisdom; He may smite with plague
or bless with health; in short, being God, being absolute Sovereign, He is
bound and tied by no laws of Nature, but governs the material world as seemeth
Him best.
But what of God’s
government of the human family? What
does Scripture reveal in regard to the modus
operandi of the operations of His governmental administration over mankind?
To what extent and by what influence does God control the sons of men? We shall
divide our answer to this question into two parts and consider first God’s
method of dealing with the righteous, His elect; and then His method of dealing
with the wicked.
God’s
method of dealing with the righteous:
1. God exerts upon His own elect a quickening influence or power.
By nature they are spiritually dead, dead in
trespasses and sins, and their first need is spiritual life, for “Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of God” (John 3:3). In the new birth God brings us from death unto life
(John 5:24). He imparts to us His own nature (2 Pet. 1:4). He delivers us from
the power of darkness and translates us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Col.
1:13). Now, manifestly, we could not do this ourselves for we were “without
strength” (Rom. 5:6), hence it is written, “we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10).
In the new birth we
are made partakers of the Divine nature: a principle, a “seed,” a life, is
communicated to us which is “born of the Spirit,” and therefore “is spirit”; is born of the Holy Spirit
and therefore is holy. Apart from
this Divine and holy nature which is imparted to us at the new birth it is
utterly impossible for any man to generate a spiritual impulse, form a
spiritual concept, think a spiritual thought, understand spiritual things,
still less engage in spiritual works. “Without holiness no man shall see the
Lord,” but the natural man has no desire for holiness, and the provision that
God has made he does not want. Will then a man pray for, seek for, strive
after, that which he dislikes? Surely not. If then a man does “follow after” that which by nature he cordially dislikes, if
he does now love the One he once hated, it is because a miraculous change has
taken place within him; a power outside of himself has operated upon him, a
nature entirely different from his old one has been imparted to him, and hence
it is written, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away, behold all things
are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Such an one as we have just described has passed
from death unto life, has been turned from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan unto God (Acts 26:18). In no other way can the great change be
accounted for.
The new birth is
very, very much more than simply shedding a few tears due to a temporary
remorse over sin. It is far more than changing our course of life, the leaving
off of bad habits and the substituting of good ones. It is something different
from the mere cherishing and practising of noble ideals. It goes infinitely
deeper than coming forward to take some popular evangelist by the hand, signing
a pledge-card, or “joining the church.” The new birth is no mere turning over a
new leaf but is the inception and reception of a new life. It is no mere
reformation but a complete transformation. In short, the new birth is a
miracle, the result of the supernatural operation of God. It is radical,
revolutionary, lasting.
Here then is the
first thing, in time, which God does in His own elect. He lays hold of those
who are spiritually dead and quickens them into newness of life. He takes up
one who was shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin, and conforms him to the
image of His Son. He seizes a captive of the Devil and makes him a member of
the household of faith. He picks up a beggar and makes him joint-heir with
Christ. He comes to one who is full of enmity against Him and gives him a new
heart that is full of love for Him. He stoops to one who by nature is a rebel
and works in him both to will and to do of His own good pleasure. By His
irresistible power He transforms a sinner into a saint, an enemy into a friend,
a slave of the Devil into a child of God. Surely then we are moved to say,
“When all Thy mercies O my God
My wondering soul surveys,
Transported with the view I’m lost
In wonder, love and praise.”[1]
homes by restraining the covetous designs and
desires of their heathen neighbors.[2]
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tomorrow------------------------
Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage
Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the
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at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
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Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and
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My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian
encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her Facebook
Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on
Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this
publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to
reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries,
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
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