Blog In Audio:
Greetings,
As leaders we lead others in reigning in life. Reining in life involves a partnership with God in all things. That partnership is recognizing that we live, move, and have our being in God at all times. In Him we find our identity, testimony, and purpose. Our partnership with Him is a partnership with His presence, His promises, and His purpose for His kingdom and will in everything. It is a partnership that even allows God to take what any enemy intends for evil in our lives and turn it to the good of His purpose. It is a testimony of the power of God’s grace working in our lives. His grace is His manifest presence in our lives that reveals the working of His powerful love on our behalf. We reign in life through a personal connection with Jesus Christ by the abiding presence of Holy Spirit in our lives.
Romans 5:17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:21 …so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
To reign in life, we need an appearing of Jesus Christ. Every appearing of Jesus in our lives brings about a testimony of His salvation. He appears in our lives as a life-giving Spirit. His first coming was as the Son of God/Son of man to put an end to our disconnection from God in the family tree of death. He died once for us all that we can all die in Him and find our life in Him for this world and for all that is to come. His judgment for us was one of mercy and it opened the door to eternal life for all who believe. The judgment of Jesus upon our cross was one of the Father’s love for His children.
Hebrews 9:26b …but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
The first coming and a continual second appearing of Jesus in our lives is the hope of salvation for us all. It is all about knowing Christ in His appearing in our lives though an experience of being born-again, growing in knowing His presence in this life, meeting Him in His presence when we die, and celebrating with Him in His presence in the summing up of all things as He delivers the kingdom to God the Father with the full testimony of the victory of life.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.
These verses are the only verses in the entire New Testament where “the end” is written in the context of the summing up of all things in Christ. Every other reference to “the end” in the New Testament refers to the end of the Old Covenant age in the first century. That end also offers an end to our old life in every age of man. The end of the Old Covenant age in the first century can apply by principle to the end of every age, but only once is the end spoken of as the end of all ages!
As leaders we lead others to live their lives for the glory of God is every season, every aspect, and to every end in their lives. This includes the final day of promotion to immortality and glory of every believer in Christ. Our last day in the flesh was the open door to our first day as sons and daughters of Light. We are of the day and not the night! We are the light of day, the light of life to our world. To reign in life is to be light to the world.
Psalms 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
We lead people to become lights to their world; we don’t lead them as the light on their behalf. We shine to inspire them to shine also. We are not called to take people by the hand and lead them. We are called to inspire them to be led by the Spirit of God in all things.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Children of God are like the stars. I believe they are the perfect gifts of God to the world. They are light as God is light. God’s light is the light of life. We are called to know God from within. It is by knowing God within that we can shine with the light of Christ from within. We are not reflections of the light of God in Christ. We are the light of God in Christ. This is the testimony of being sons and daughters of God. Leaders lead as sons and daughters of God so that those they lead may also shine as sons and daughters of God to the darkness of their world.
Food For Thought,
Ted J. Hanson
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House of Bread Ministry
3210 Meridian St.
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