Weekly message: The divine rule of life-God Himself By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce 9/25/2022

 Weekly message: The divine rule of life-God Himself

 By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce    9/25/2022

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts& Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

                               

 Once we regenerated as born again Christian, God’s divine life indwells in us by the life –giving Spirit, in this divine life, we can overcome the prejudices, to forgive and to love one another as the Lord loves us. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us Himself by the life- giving spirit, transform us, and make us Christ like. Christians’ lives reflect His divine light, glorious image, and perfect deeds. Not human natural life can make us to be perfected. When we live human natural life instead of divine life of Christ, we can never be perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect.

Apostle Paul expressed, “the life I live, I live for Christ”; “He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”; “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”(2Cor.5:15, 17). Apostle Paul’s life was expressed the glory of Christ-like, and His divine characteristics, therefore, to him, to live is expression of Christ. This divine life of Christ enabled him to fulfill whatever Jesus called him to do and overcame all the consequences. In another words, God Himself made him perfect.       

Matthew 5:48 says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your father in heaven is perfect.”  How to be perfect as Father in heaven is perfect. The answer is the divine rule of life. Oswald Chambers’ expression enlightens us to discover what Christians’ character is. He pointed out as follows,

          First, “Our Lord’s exhortation is these verses are to be generous in our behavior to all men. In the spiritual life beware of walking according to natural affinities. Everyone has natural affinities; some people we like and others we do not like. We must never let those likes and dislikes rule in our Christian life. “If we walk in the light as God is in the light,” God will give us communion with people for whom we have no natural affinity.”

Second, the example our Lord gives us is not that of a good man, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself. “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” show to the other man what God has shown to you; and God will give us ample opportunities in actual life  to prove whether we are perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. To be a disciple means that we deliberately identify ourselves with God’s interests in other people. “That ye love one another; as I have loved you…”  

Third, the expression of Christian Character is not good doing, but God-likeness. If the Spirit of God has transformed you within, you will exhibit Divine characteristics in your life, not good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian is that the supernatural is made natural in him by the grace of God, and the experience of this works out in the practical details of life, not in times of communion with God. When we come in contact with things that create a buzz, we find to our amazement that we have power to keep wonderfully poised in the center of it all. 

 Christian faith realization, “ the example our Lord gives us is not that of a good man, or even of a good Christian, but of God Himself.”  When God Himself indwells in us, express Himself through us, the divine life will overflow of expressing divine love, that we will love one another as God loves us, for God is love, love is His divine characteristic and divine virtue.  Therefore, Christians shall live such divine rule of life, walk in the light as God is in the light. Jesus Christ gave Himself to us, not doctrine of doing good, nor struggle to please other, but live His divine life, God Himself. When the Spirit of God has transformed us within, we will reveal Divine characteristics in our life, not good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life.    

Bibliography,

 

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

          Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost for His Highest. NY: Dodd, Mead & Company, Inc, 1935.