Scripture: Colossians 1 v 10 - 14: "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"
The Cross was our crossroads, our choice to become born again, or to reject salvation, or postpone it. We, who chose salvation, have been translated into the Kingdom of God. From the moment of baptism in water after repentance, our spirit was exchanged for the nature of Jesus.
Our old way of life, our old man, died under the water. We are buried with Jesus in baptism and He takes our spirit that was dead through sin, and we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. He is alive in our flesh and soul body. Outside of Jesus we are dead. "For we are dead and our lives are hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3 v 3.
Jesus is seated on the right hand of the Father therefore we are up close and personal with our Father at all times. He communicates with us Spirit to spirit. He pours His love, wisdom, acceptance, encouragement and blessings upon us. As much as He loves Jesus, He loves us. We are the Body of His Son. If our child has challenges to any part of its body we do not reject that part, we do everything we can to improve it and heal it.
So when the Holy Spirit sees some imperfection in us, like anger or fear or disobedience, He stirs our conscience (that inner twinge that says I shouldn't have said or done that) to be sorry and make amends. However, some stubborn souls rebel and squash the conscience with determination that "they had it coming!"
Often these souls need guidance through the Word or through a pastor or Christian friend. If they don't heed the Word, reinforcements are required. Sometimes the Father has to chastise the unruly soul. Suddenly, things are going wrong at home, at work. Relationships become tense, or a contract gets cancelled. The Lord allows these things in order to regain our attention.
Right now He is taking advantage of a strange new virus to get the attention of the whole world at once. More people are seeking God, asking for prayer, crying out for healing than ever before. It seems we have all been sent to our rooms to have a serious think about our relationship with Jesus. We are being told to stay inside and be super clean.
That's what going beyond the Cross does. It makes us holy, which means set apart for God's purpose. Not that we walk about in goody-twoshoes fashion, but we are aware God has a task for us. Something above and beyond the call of duty is required of us.
There are souls that have not received the proper gospel teaching in their youth, who are now confused and become contrary. People who were Christened as babies do not feel the need to be baptised in water so they reject it and compromise their salvation. Some souls have heard strange explanations for speaking in tongues and refuse the baptism of the Holy Spirit because of their objections.
Our tasks are to patiently reveal the truth to them and answer their questions according to the Word of God, trusting the Holy Spirit to work with us to help people receive the fullness of what God has for them. He needs us to use all the gifts of the Holy Spirit to reach and teach and demonstrate the power of God.
Our greatest task is to testify of our salvation to those who are still on the outside looking in, or running away. The best way is to convey what God means to us without saying a word. Showing the changes He has made in our lives, showing love and kindness to those who have little, staying humble and discreet are ornaments of great value to our Father.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for translating us into Your Kingdom to enjoy the peace of Heaven while on Earth. Help us to live fruitful lives beyond the Cross and to demonstrate Your love to the world. In Jesus' name. Amen.
