A WONDERFULLY BLESSED LIFE

“The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:6)

All glory to God who has promised to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory.

As you ponder the words of the psalmist in our text, I hope like me you receive them as a powerful personal statement of faith to profess and live by daily.

The believer's daily life of faith is a life to be lived continually and steadfastly in the confident hope of God's goodness and faithfulness. Life on earth is littered with trials and troubles that often test us and fiercely challenge us, but in all these we must remain focused on God who ultimately causes all things to work together for our good, because Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33).

So, though momentarily you may not be experiencing what you hope for, yet your expectations of God's goodness and faithfulness have not been denied. Understand that you have a beautiful inheritance in Christ. In Him God has caused the lines to fall for you in pleasant places, for God's thoughts for you are for good and not for evil. Indeed, your hope in Christ will never bring shame, praise God!

In all things, Christian, remain God-focused. He alone has the final say in everything concerning you. His boundary lines mark out pleasant places for you. You have a bright future, a delightful and wonderfully blessed life!

May the Lord direct your steps always and cause you to experience diverse and full manifestation of the blessings you have obtained in Christ Jesus as an heir of God.

Grace to you!

Pastor Victor Ubani

TO LIVE IS CHRIST

“For me to live is Christ…” (Philippians 1:21)

This simple statement expresses most powerfully the reality of the Christian’s relationship with Christ. This thought cannot be fuzzy in the mind of the one who believes. Without equivocation, every true believer knows the meaning of and holds dear to his heart this elegant expression of devotion, “For me to live is Christ…”

Christianity is not a mere religious creed, but a life-transforming relationship with Christ Jesus. It is a radically transformed life and manner of life which acknowledges Christ’s death on the cross for the remission of mankind’s sin. And recognises also His subsequent resurrection in complete display of His pre-eminence and His power over sin and death. These signify the believer’s personal death to sin and resurrection to life in Christ.

In another place Paul expressed the thought in our text in a less cryptic fashion, saying –

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NLT) 

 Such transformation is accomplished by the grace of God which enables us to consciously “Put to death therefore what is earthly..." namely, "sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry”, putting away “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth” (Col 3:5, 8). 

On the other hand, "to live is Christ" means that we learn to actively “seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God…Setting our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col 3:1-2).

What it boils down to is that the believer must put away certain ways and put on others if they are to truly live a Christlike life. The exhortation to "live is Chirst" challenges the genuinely save person to “put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).

So how closely would you say that your life mirrors the image of Christ? “Likeness” gets increasingly better the more one insists on living the transformed life by permitting one's mind to be renewed in the knowledge of God.

To be a Christian is hardly about what you say you are, for “what good is faith without works?” If Christ is your life, then let the life of Christ grow in you and be displayed through your conduct and behaviour.

God bless you faithful doer of the Word who understands that "to live is Christ!"

~ Pastor Victor Ubani

COMPLETE IN CHRIST

“For GOD IS WORKING IN YOU, giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13, NLT) 

Neglecting a desire and an opportunity to do that which is good is contrary to the will of God and is not a purpose that originates from God. God is good all the time and He is the author of all that is good all the time (James 1:17). Jesus affirmed this when He said, “… only God is good” (Mark 10:18).

God is working in you to desire and to do good. Be careful then that you do not resist God. The devil cannot create in your heart a desire to do something that delights and honours the Father, nor can he empower you to accomplish it. Your desire for good and your ability to do good comes from God!