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I am part of a blog tour for Rankin Wilbourne's book, Union With Christ. I will post a book review on Sunday, October 16th.  Today, I am posting several quotes from the book.  If you are wondering what union with Christ is or looking for a good book on the subject, Wilbourne's book is for you. Nothing is more basic or more central to the Christian life than union with Christ. We may know what God has saved us from, but have we lost sight of what God has saved us for? Our neglect of union with Christ explains the gaps between our faith and our lives. When the work of Christ for us becomes abstracted from the person of Christ within us, is it any wonder there is a chasm between our heads and our hearts or between our beliefs and our experiences? faith means finding your identity in Christ. Christ dwelling in us by His Spirit is a guarantee that we can and will change. the faithfulness of God is not dependent on the strength of your faith...Our faith is indeed fickle...

I finished reading through the devotion, Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith yesterday.  I loved it!  I would recommend it to all of you.  It is a great reminder of who God is and who we are in Christ.  It is based on Colossians 3:1-17.  It has 30 entries based on words from this passage.  One of my favorite parts of the 30 entries is the affirmation at the end. Here is the affirmation at the end of the book based on praying "in Jesus' name." "I am privileged to act, to pray, to minister and to do all that I do in Jesus' name. I do not act alone; I operate with the power and presence of Jesus in all that I do." May we all love others today in the power and presence of Jesus!

I am about halfway through Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  I thought I would share a few qutoes from the last few chapters I have read. Making the adjustment from the ways of the world to the ways of the kingdom is hard. But guilt is a poor motivator. Being an apprentice of Jesus is not about rules and laws, it is about identity and place.  The Christian life is not an if-then obligation ("If I do this, then God will do that.") It is a because-therefore opportunity ("Because I am one in whom Christ dwells, therefore I will . . .") The better way to encourage change is to remind people who they are now in contrast to who they once were. God gave us mouths and tongues to comfort and encourage one another.

Are you still reading?  I hope so.  There is so much false, inaccurate, or partial information regarding the wrath of God.  How do you view the wrath of God?  James Bryan Smith in Hidden in Christ offers a helpful explanation of this topic.  Here are several quotes from his devotional: "We have two phrases difficult to reconcile: the love of God and the wrath of God. Unless we find a way to understand how both can be true of God, we end up with a Jekyll and Hyde kind of God. . .And yet I do not believe that God's wrath is the same as human anger. We get angry when we don't get our way, and we scowl and stew and sometimes take it out on someone or something. That is not the kind of anger that God expresses." "God set up an order, a good order, and if we rebel from that order, we suffer. That is what the wrath of God is. Wrath is not God's disposition toward us; wrath is God's arrangement regarding sin." "God is for us--that is why he hates...

I am continuing my reading of Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  He will be at Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton, KS on October 12 from 1-2 p.m. signing Hidden in Christ. Here are thoughts from his devotion on desires: Desires expand when we give them a place in our lives that they do not deserve. Many of our sins are the result of disordered natural desires. Desire becomes sin when it moves from being something we enjoy to something we seek as our main desire. But when God is not the center of what we do, then we must fill that void with something, and when we do, we find that the desire is insatiable. As we express our longing for God, God meets us, and our heart finds what it is looking for. All of our other desires are consequently transformed. They are seen for what they are (things to be enjoyed), not invested in for what they are not (things to find our ultimate meaning in). Desires are not bad. It is only when we try to fill a void that ...

As part of my prayer time yesterday I sang the above hymn as suggested by James Bryan Smith in Hidden in Christ. He writes the following: I also enjoy singing (to myself) that beautiful hymn by Francis Havergal, "Take My Life and Let It Be." I sing it slowly and reflect on the lyrics: take my moments. . .take my lips. . .take my voice. . .take my feet. Set your mind on these truths. I suspect you will see sin a whole new light, not as something you ought to try to stop but as something you would never want to do in light of who you are. He continues with an affirmation and prayer that I think are important for you to be reminded of today. AFFIRMATION  I am sacred and special, a holy vessel, a temple of Jesus. Sin has no power over me, and it can only harm me. Therefore, I have no interest in it. PRAYER Gracious Abba, I need your help to see myself as you see me. I forget who I am and find myself drawn to sin. But in your eyes it is beneath my dignity. Help me to s...

I am continuing to use Hidden in Christ for my devotional times.  I highly recommend this book.  Here are some thoughts on hope from James Bryan Smith: Hope is not wishful thinking; it is being certain that the future is bright. Hope gives us confidence. Hope gives us assurance. Hope enables us to trust, to have faith in the present moment, no matter how bleak. Hope gives us peace in the midst of strife. Hope brings us joy in times of sadness. Confidence, assurance, trust, faith, peace, and joy are things that make life wonderful, that give us strength and courage, realities that make us sleep well and work hard. As long as we have hope we will never give up.

Here is another great quote from Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith: "Remember who you are are: you are one in whom Christ dwells and delights. Remember where you are are: you are "in Christ," safe and secure. And remember what you are capable of: you can do all things through Christ." Believe the truth from God's Word today.  Don't let your self-image or the world around you define.  Let God define you.  It is about what he has already done.  Ponder this quote from Smith as well: "This identity is not precarious--it will never change. I did not earn it, and I cannot lost it. It is based on what God has done for me, not on what I have done for God."

As I promised yesterday, here is a devotional thought to start your day from Hidden in Christ. Today set aside ten minutes to simply reflect on some of the "things of the Spirit." They are (to name a few): the unending and unchanging love of God the provision and power of God the forgiveness of sins the fact that God is with us in all we face the adoption into the family of God for all believers Pick one or two of these and simply take a few minutes to tune your mind to these truths.

I am slowly working my way through Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  This week, the word is "Set."  I am going to share two quotes this week-one today and one tomorrow.  Come back tomorrow for a great devotion to start your day.  But here is a quote to help better understand what it means to "Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2) "When it comes down to it, living the Christian life is simply a matter of where we set our minds. Every waking moment we have a choice about where, and on what, we will set our minds. That is something we are free to do. Having been raised with Christ and forgiven forever, and having Jesus with us in all that we do, the primary practice of living as a Christian boils down to what we think about, what we dwell on, what values we keep before our minds, what truths (or lies) we have in our consciousness." Stop by tomorrow for a reflection of how to do this!

I am continuing to read through Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  What a blessing this devotional has been to me already.  This week's chapter is "With".  Here are a few Scriptures: Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, (Colossians 3:1) and they will call him Immanuel ” (which means “God with us”). (Matthew 1:23) which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) So as you go through your day today, focus on the fact that God is with you in all things.  He is with you at work, the store, the pool, ballgame, in the middle of an argument, when you are afraid, when you are sad, etc.  You are never alone and that is great news!

As I mentioned yesterday, I just started reading through Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  I am only in Chapter 1, but I can already tell that I am going to like the features at the end of each chapter.  Smith includes four great helps at the end of each chapter to allow you to reflectively think through the chapter.  They are: Living Into the Truth, Affirmation, Prayer, and Reflection Questions.  For your reading pleasure, I have included below the affirmation and prayer from Chapter 1. Affirmation Jesus rose from the grave. There is nothing I cannot rise from. Even death cannot hold me down. Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Prayer Gracious Abba, thank you for sending you Son, Jesus, to die and to rise, to defeat sin and death and all that plagues humanity. His resurrection not only proves your victory but gives me new life, salvation, and hope. Thank you. I would encourage you to stop by Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton ...

This past week, I attended the International Christian Retail Show in St. Louis.  This is my third year attending.  As someone who loves books, this is a dream vacation.  For Bethany, it is work, as she attends classes and meets with vendors, but I get to wait in lines to get free books signed by authors. This year, I picked up Hidden in Christ by James Bryan Smith.  I started reading it this morning and thought I would share a picture of my favorite quote below. Check back over the next few weeks as I continue to share thoughts from this great devotional book.