Meditation Chip Brogden

APRIL 24
Today's Message from Chip Brogden
"Always learning, and never able
to come to the knowledge of the truth."
2 TIMOTHY 3:7
If in our quest for spiritual growth our idea is only to learn a few facts about the Bible, glean tidbits of information from this preacher and that teacher, fill our brains with facts and fill our libraries with more books and magazines, we run the risk of fooling ourselves into thinking that we know and understand God - when it could be that we are ever learning "truths" without knowing the Truth.

Have you met someone like this? They seem to have all the right answers, but they have the wrong spirit. They tenaciously cling to their minute opinions and cannot be persuaded otherwise. Their knowledge has not changed them, except to make them worse: for now they are puffed up in the vanity of their own mind (1 Corinthians 8:1,2). True spiritual growth is characterized by grace (not works) and an increased knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). And, we maintain that this knowledge of Jesus Christ cannot be obtained by study, but is only granted by way of revelation.


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APRIL 23
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"When Jesus had received

the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head,
He gave up His spirit."
JOHN 19:30
The phrase "it is finished" here is a single word in the Greek: teleō. It means, "paid in full," which certainly confirms that Christ has paid the debt of our sins in full. But teleō also means the process is completed; the work is fulfilled; in other words, "I have accomplished the purpose for which I came." God is wholly and completely satisfied forever by the one sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. May we never be satisfied with anything less.

Let us lay hold of the complete victory afforded us through Calvary! Let us endeavor to enter into the height, depth, length, width, and breadth of this Cross of Jesus Christ!


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APRIL 21
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"You were... buried with Him in baptism,
in which you also were raised with Him."
COLOSSIANS 2:12
We can talk about the forces of nature, observe its effects, and sometimes even predict what it will do; but we cannot control it nor do anything about it. Similarly, we can observe the spiritual truths, principles, and laws that make up the Heavenly Order, but we cannot control them or manipulate them to achieve our own ends. In actual experience the invisible seasons of spiritual growth may not be so cut and dry as the visible elements of our world.

Our spiritual journey will probably not correspond with the timely arrangement of the natural seasons. But the periods of life, death, burial, and resurrection in our spiritual walk are as vital to our spiritual growth as the four seasons are necessary to the life of creation. The Heavenly Order exists for our continued spiritual growth and maturity.


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APRIL 22
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"In Him dwells all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him."
COLOSSIANS 2:9,10
I am afraid that we do not truly appreciate the fact that God has never given us THINGS, but has summed up everything into Christ, having poured Himself into His Son. Having the Son, possessing the Son, being one with the Son, we have and possess everything God is. It never has been a question of seeking ten, one hundred, or one thousand different things from God.

If we do not know from our experience, we should at least know from the Scriptures, that CHRIST IS THE GIFT OF GOD. Then our experience will come into line with God's Thought. If you are used to seeking spiritual "things" (love, joy, peace, anointing, power, blessing, etc.) then this message is particularly for you, but we all stand to benefit from being reminded constantly that Christ is God's One Gift.


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APRIL 20
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Jesus said to him, 'Are you the teacher of Israel,
and do not know these things?'"
JOHN 3:10

When you read the Gospels two things become quite clear. First, Jesus is undeniably, unquestionably GOD IN THE FLESH, Wholly Other. Second, the more religious you are, the less likely it is that you will see, recognize, and appreciate Him for Who He really is.


Sinners, on the other hand, had little trouble recognizing Him. The Samaritan woman may have been a despised outsider to the Jew's system of religion, but it only took her a few minutes to realize that she had found the Messiah. The Roman centurion, an unworthy Gentile, nevertheless knew where to go when his servant was sick, and Jesus said this man's faith was greater than anyone in Israel. The Syrophoenician woman had enough faith to ask Jesus for only a few crumbs from the table, and even though she was technically not a Jew, Jesus gave her everything she asked for. Yes, Jesus was indeed a friend of sinners, publicans, tax collectors, and women caught in adultery.


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APRIL 19
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"[God] has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
EPHESIANS 1:3


All we have and all that we are as Christians is based upon our union with Christ. Apart from Him, we have nothing, and we are nothing. But in Him we are blessed with every spiritual blessing.

Think upon the ramifications of that. If this is true then we have very little to ask God for, and very much to praise God about.

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"[God] raised us up together, and made us sit together
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
EPHESIANS 2:6
Just as certainly as the Vine was crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended and seated, so the Branches were crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended and seated. The whole issue is: will we abide in the Vine and share in the overcoming, or not? Overcoming is bound up with abiding. The Lord says, "Live in Me, and I will live in you."

Now the Lord says that overcomers will sit with Him in His throne. How is that possible? Because we are in Him, and He is in us: "He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17), and "The two shall become one" (1 Corinthians 6:16).


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APRIL 17
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed
to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
ROMANS 6:11
We do not reckon something to be so after we see it happen, but before we see it happen. What happens if, right after we reckon ourselves dead to sin, we fall back into sin? Does this nullify the Word of God? Does this make God a liar? We can become disappointed and quit (which is what most people do), or we can repent and go right back to reckoning.

Here's what happens: God rewards our reckoning. He delights to see us believing in His Word when it seems impossible! And so He says, "Very well, you have believed having not seen; now you will begin to see the truth of what you have been reckoning!" And eventually we begin to see our reckoning begins to produce fruit. Sin will be broken, not just in theory, but in actual practice. Victory will be ours, not just in principle, but in fact.


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APRIL 17
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed
to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
ROMANS 6:11
We do not reckon something to be so after we see it happen, but before we see it happen. What happens if, right after we reckon ourselves dead to sin, we fall back into sin? Does this nullify the Word of God? Does this make God a liar? We can become disappointed and quit (which is what most people do), or we can repent and go right back to reckoning.

Here's what happens: God rewards our reckoning. He delights to see us believing in His Word when it seems impossible! And so He says, "Very well, you have believed having not seen; now you will begin to see the truth of what you have been reckoning!" And eventually we begin to see our reckoning begins to produce fruit. Sin will be broken, not just in theory, but in actual practice. Victory will be ours, not just in principle, but in fact.


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APRIL 16
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Unless a grain of wheat falls
into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if
it dies, it produces much grain."
JOHN 12:24


Everything accomplished by way of the Cross brings the fullness of Christ and His Irresistible Kingdom into the heart of every person who believes that He "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). This great Gift of Christ has been deposited into the depth of the disciple the same way as a precious seed is buried into the soil. Contained within that seed is a bountiful harvest of rich fruit. But one does not plant a seed on Sunday morning and expect to find fruit on Monday.


The seed must surrender itself to the process of growth before it can mature into something that bears fruit. This amounts to a death, burial, and resurrection.

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APRIL 14
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"When it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb and called me
through His grace, to reveal His Son in me."
GALATIANS 1:15,16

People sometimes ask me what they have to do to obtain this great revelation of Christ. They think it is God's way of rewarding us for a lot of hard work. Nothing could be further from the truth.

To have one's eyes opened is simply an act of grace, and God alone can do it, and will do it, if we will only ask Him. At the risk of making it sound "too easy," I dare not make it any more difficult than that!


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APRIL 13
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Your kingdom come. Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven."
MATTHEW 6:10
The chief objective of prayer is to bring us into cooperation with the Father so that we are harmonious with Him - with respect to our love relationship as well as our working relationship. Much time and effort in prayer is spent trying to get God involved with OUR agenda, with OUR plans, with OUR goals, with OUR cause, with OUR needs, real or imagined. But after all, who is the Master? Who is the servant? Whose will are we seeking anyway: ours, or His?

If our agenda is not harmonious with His then our agenda has to go. Most of our prayers are simply too small, too narrow-minded, and too constricted. We do not see anything beyond our present surroundings. We have not seen the big picture. We do not have a heavenly perspective. So to begin with we must empty ourselves of all preconceived ideas and seek the Lord's Will and the Lord's Kingdom when we pray, for this truly honors the Father.

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APRIL 12
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


""That in all things He may have the preeminence."
COLOSSIANS 1:18


The unavoidable, inevitable conclusion is that Christ will have the preeminence - not just in some things, but in all things. To achieve this, He works one-on-one with His disciples. He then gathers all His disciples together into a spiritual family where they grow and learn together. This spiritual family then invites the rest of the world to join them in giving Christ the preeminence in all things, so that "God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).


At the risk of over-simplifying the process, that is the essence of this great movement of God. The point must be reiterated that Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for all sins: "not for ours only but also for the whole world" (1 John 2:2) and He has sent His representatives into "all the world" to "preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).


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APRIL 11
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Not My will, but Yours, be done."
LUKE 22:42
The Cross demonstrates that we do not gain by trying to get, but by losing in order to gain. We cannot really receive from God until we have learned to give up to God. It is the spirit which cries, "Not my will, but Yours be done" and "Father, into Your Hands I commit my spirit."

These words are easily uttered, but we cannot appreciate them or really experience them until we have been through our Gethsemane experiences and our Golgotha experiences. Until that time we are merely reciting some words, but we do not truly know what it means to give ourselves up to God, to be completely consecrated and submitted to Him. The Cross prepares us to receive by first forcing us to give up. Therefore, the Cross is gaining through losing.



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APRIL 10
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"The Law of the Spirit of Life in

Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of
Sin and Death."
ROMANS 8:2
Two laws are mentioned in this passage of Scripture: the Law of Life, and the Law of Sin and Death. We who are in Christ Jesus have been delivered from the Law of Sin and Death and are under a new law, which is the Law of Life. The difference between a theoretical walk with Christ and a practical walk with Christ hinges upon being able to differentiate between the Law of Life and the Law of Death. In the Garden the choice was between the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Law of Death) or the Tree of Life (Law of Life).

We must make the same choice today. Christians are much exercised in trying to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, Spirit and flesh. It seems the more we try to figure this out the more frustrated we become. Instead, God would have us come to the Tree of Life. This Life will instruct us in all things, including what is right and what is wrong, yet it is deeper than mere knowledge.



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Hi Elaine,


Here's something ELSE I think you need to know. - CB
You Are Forgiven
by Chip Brogden

The Father is perfect, and good, and pure, and holy. But you and I are imperfect. We make mistakes. We do things we should not do, we fail to do things we should do, and we are far from holy. So how can we ever hope to have a relationship with God?

A provision has been made that allows imperfect, sinful creatures to have fellowship and friendship with a pure, holy, righteous Creator. How is it possible? It's possible through this Kingdom provision called FORGIVENESS.

It simply means that whatever you may be guilty of, you can get a pardon from the King. In the United States there are occasions when the President can grant a pardon to people in prison. Maybe you have something similar in your country. Usually the President has a good reason for doing so, but he can give a pardon to anyone for any reason.

For example, President Ford granted a pardon to former Present Nixon in an effort to bring the Watergate scandal to a close, even though most people wanted to see Nixon pay for his crimes. "Let the healing begin" Ford said. When Nixon received a presidential pardon, he became immune from prosecution, and any investigation or legal action against him would have had no effect whatsoever.

Now there are hundreds if not thousands of people every year who petition the President for a pardon. Of course he can't give a pardon to everyone who asks for one because that would be a miscarriage of justice. But I want you to know, my friend, that the King of Kings has infinitely more power and authority than the President of the United States, and He has decreed that anyone may come to Him, at anytime, and request a full and complete pardon, and He will grant it - no questions asked! The only requirement is you have to be guilty of something. Innocent people don't need a pardon, it's the guilty ones who need it!

Do you think Gerald Ford is more powerful than Jesus? When Ford pardoned Nixon and said, "Let the healing begin", that was the final word, and like it or not, the matter was closed. Do you think Gerald Ford's word is more trustworthy than the Word of God? What a powerful, powerful thing this forgiveness is. Do you understand the implications?

I John 1:9 says if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You know, people talk about God's justice and how He hates sin. Well, that's true. But the point is that God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins. Justice is on your side in this case. All you have to do is ask the King for a pardon, and His faithfulness and justice can be depended upon. You will receive the forgiveness that you seek. That's the point.

You can petition the President of the United States for a pardon and it may or may not happen. But not so with the King of Kings. He makes it a point to pardon everyone who asks. But you have to recognize that you need to be pardoned, and you have to go to Him and request it. That's why "there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus."

You just don't realize how big this is. Think about David. Here is a man who wrote a good portion of the Psalms. He was a shepherd, and man who loved God, one of the few kings who never worshipped idols. God described David as "a man after My Own Heart", and God blessed him and made him the King of Israel.

So it's difficult to understand how this man could have slept with another man's wife and then had her husband murdered. I mean that's just about as bad as it can get. Adultery is bad enough, but having her husband killed is about as bad as it gets. When he fell he fell hard. It would be hard to imagine that anyone guilty of such a grievous thing could ever be restored. It would appear that David would be lost forever. And if it were up to the news media, or up to Organized Religion of our day, he would be written off as a hopeless case, a tragic example of someone who fell from grace without the possibility of redemption.

But just like the prodigal son, David woke up, after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan, and realized that he had done a terribly wicked thing. Now here's what you need to see. Most people doubt that God can ever forgive them for something they've done, and so they allow the guilt to go unresolved, and allow themselves to be destroyed by condemnation. David was guilty, guilty, guilty as he could be, and there was no denying it.

But David did have a ray of hope, one thin little web to hang onto. He could humble himself before the Lord, and seek forgiveness for his sin. David had proven himself to be unfaithful and unjust, but perhaps he could rely upon the faithfulness and justness of God to forgive him.

Now the wonderful thing about this story is you have a record of what David prayed before and after. Psalm 51 is his petition for forgiveness, his humble request for a pardon from the King of Kings. When you get a chance, read Psalm 51 so you can get a glimpse of what is going on behind the scenes in David's heart. Then, turn over to Psalm 32 and read his prayer of thanksgiving. God answered his prayer! He forgave David!

Now, forgiveness doesn't UNDO the circumstances. It didn't bring the murdered husband back from the dead. David's actions set in motion a chain of events that would bring trouble on his entire family. But he had made his peace with God, and here's my point: if God can forgive David for this, He is more than willing to forgive you of your sins, whatever they may be.

I believe this forgiveness goes deeper than we realize. Do you remember when Jesus was crucified? The soldiers had nailed Him to the Cross and the people were mocking Him. Do you remember what He said in the middle of all that? "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Now here's what I want you to think about: how many of those people confessed their sins? Did any of them go to Jesus and say, "Forgive us for what we are doing to you?" Not at all. According to Jesus, they didn't even know what they were doing. And you can't confess your sins and ask for forgiveness if you don't know that what you are doing is wrong.

Is God's forgiveness big enough, and deep enough, to extend the Royal Pardon to those who don't even ask for it? Think about it and see what conclusion you come to. I believe if Jesus asked God to forgive them then God certainly did forgive them, even though they didn't show any signs of repentance. Stephen said basically the same thing when he was stoned. "Lord Jesus, do not charge this sin against them." He was doing the same thing Jesus did - asking God to forgive people who had not even repented. I mean, they were in the process of killing him!

I hope that gives you something to think about, but here's my point: if Jesus is willing to forgive people in the middle of His crucifixion, people who haven't even admitted to doing anything wrong, do you think He won't forgive you of your sins when you go to Him and confess them and freely admit your guilt? Absolutely He will, it would be impossible for Him not to do so. He is faithful and He is just to forgive, and to cleanse all Who confess their sins, and as far as I can tell, He reserves the right to forgive people who don't even ask for it, and people who don't even deserve it.

Don't ever be afraid of making the love and forgiveness of God too great. If anything, we have made it too small. If I'm going to make a mistake I would rather err on the side of love. I believe this Good News is greater than we can possibly imagine!

(This message is taken from an audio series... click below to find out more...)

OVERCOMING GUILT & CONDEMNATION
http://theschoolofchrist.org/listen/overcoming-guilt-and-condemnation.html



I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://www.TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

APRIL 9
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"He was transfigured before them.
His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as
white as the light."
MATTHEW 17:2
To be clothed with the Lord Jesus is to be transfigured. For too long we who claim a heavenly calling, a heavenly citizenship, and a heavenly birth have lived as earthly men. What light we have is hidden beneath a bushel; there is no glory that surrounds us. We are not talking about an outward display, or something fleshly, but a Light and a Life which demonstrates the presence of Christ. "In Him was Life - and the Life was the Light of men" (John 1:4).



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APRIL 8
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"It is the truth concerning Jesus
that inspires all prophecy."
REVELATION 19:10 (Knox)
The prophetic word is given to point us to Jesus. Everything the Holy Spirit would speak, reveal, teach, and show us is towards this same end, which is CHRIST.

We do not need to mull over every dream, vision, word, or prophecy, trying to exegete its hidden meaning, struggling to extract some spiritual significance where none exists. If what we see and hear does not point us to Jesus then it is not prophetic and should be discarded. This simple test will keep us from distraction.

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APRIL 7
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"He who did not spare
His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

ROMANS 8:32
Everyone who looks does not see. Everyone who hears does not listen. What are we looking for? What is it that we need to see? What would God reveal to us? There is but one desire of God for us, and that is that we may see Christ. God does not reveal one hundred, one thousand, or one million things to us. He is pleased to give us His Son, and He delights for us to look only to Him. Not even to the things He gives, but to Him Who is the Gift. We may pray for revelation into a great many matters, but only one thing is important to God, that is, that we may have revelation into the Son.

If we know the Son, if we possess the Son, if we see the Son, we know and possess and see all that God has and is, for He has deposited all of Himself into His Son, and all of His Son He deposited into us.

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PRIL 6
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"No one has ascended to heaven
but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son
of Man who is in heaven."
JOHN 3:13
No one has ascended because no one can ascend. Rest assured that if it were possible, someone would have done it! But just as we cannot make ourselves acceptable to God on the basis of anything we have done, so too we cannot ascend and seat ourselves at the right hand of God. We are accepted only in the Beloved; we are saved only in the Beloved; and only in the Beloved can we be raised from the dead, ascend and be seated in the heavenlies.

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APRIL 5
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"If we have been united together
in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be
in the likeness of His resurrection."
ROMANS 6:5


It is impossible for us to take up the Cross and not be resurrected. I am almost afraid to make it so plain lest we fail to appreciate its mystery, but it is all there in the Scriptures. We cannot ascend until we have first descended.
Can we embrace the Cross, and love the hands that nail us to it, and hold nothing against the One Who put us there? Can we commit our spirit into His hands and give up Self, looking beyond the present suffering to see the joy that is set before us? This is the way of the Overcomers.

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Hi Elaine,


Here's something I think you need to know. - CB
You Are Loved
by Chip Brogden
God loves you.

Some people think that God only loves Christians.

But that's not what the Bible says.

It says that God demonstrated His love towards us, in that while we were STILL SINNERS, Jesus died for us. See, He didn't die for good people, He died for bad people. That's how much He loves us! This is the kind of love that will endure ANYTHING for the sake of the Beloved.

Most of us do not really have a concept of that kind of love, because it goes deeper than the love most of us have ever experienced. The closest thing that can come to it is the kind of love you have for your children. If you saw one of them in trouble, or being hurt, something supernatural comes over you.

I read a story, I believe it was in Reader's Digest, of a child that had been hit by a car while riding his bicycle, and was trapped under the wheel of the car. His mother came up and heard her child's screams, and like something possessed, without stopping to think about it, she ran over and lifted that car right up off the ground with her bare hands, and the people pulled the child out from under it, and he was fine. Now you can't explain that except in terms of a mother's love for her children giving her superhuman strength.

Even in the animal kingdom you better not get between a she-bear and her baby cubs. She will rip you to pieces. Same thing with your kids. You would gladly die in their place if it would save them. You could walk through fire if that's what it took. And even those examples are poor compared to the love that God has for His creation. He has done all of that and more for everybody.

See, Jesus doesn't just love good people. In fact, He tells us not just to love our neighbors, but He says love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good for those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you. Now that's not easy!

But you see, Jesus never told us to do anything that He wasn't already doing Himself. He is no hypocrite. And when He tells us to love our enemies, and bless the ones who curse you, and do good for those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute you, He's telling us that this is the way God is. If you behave like this you'll be just like God, because that's how deep His love is. It's hard to imagine, isn't it?

But He illustrates it for us (and I'm referring to Matthew 6). He says that when God causes the sun to shine, He makes it shine on the good and the bad alike. The sun doesn't just shine on good people. And when God sends the rain to refresh and replenish the earth, He doesn't just give the good people rain, He lets it rain on the just and on the unjust.

In Luke 18 Jesus is speaking to a rich young ruler. And this ruler is trying to decide if He wants to be a disciple of Jesus or not. Jesus tells this young man to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, take up his cross, and follow Jesus. Well, sad to say, this young man declined. He had great possessions, and he wasn't ready to take up the Cross and follow Jesus.

Well, that is sad, and Jesus watched him go. But do you know what else it says? It says that Jesus loved him. Jesus loved him! Even though he didn't do what Jesus said! Even though he walked away from the Lord and went in the opposite direction! Jesus loved him. If you're like the rich young ruler, Jesus loves you too, even if you aren't following Him

Or, look at the story of the prodigal son. The son asks for his inheritance early, and leaves his father to go to another country, where he wastes the inheritance. Then a famine comes, and the son is bankrupt, and takes a job feeding pigs, but is so poor he has nothing to eat. Finally he wakes up and realizes what he has done. He thinks to himself, I'll go back home and tell my father, "I've sinned against heaven and against you, and I'm not worthy to be called your son. Please take me in as one of the servants." He's been broken, and his expectations are really, really low

What happens? He goes back, and his father sees him from a long way off, and has compassion on him, and runs out to meet him, and hugs and cries over him, and tells the servants, bring the best robe, and shoes for his feet, and a ring for his finger! Kill the fatted calf and let's have a party! THIS IS MY SON! He was lost, but now he is found! He was dead, but now he's alive!

Well, that's something of the Father's love for you. I don't care what you've done, or what you've failed to do, you cannot sin your way out of the love of God. LOVE is one of the founding principles of the Kingdom of God. God IS love, and Jesus said His disciples will be known for the LOVE that they demonstrate to one another. That's a huge principle in the Kingdom of God.

(This message is taken from an audio series... click below to find out more...)
OVERCOMING GUILT & CONDEMNATION


I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://www.TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

©2011 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears.

APRIL 4
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"[Paul and Barnabas] returned... strengthening
the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith,
and saying, 'We must through many tribulations
enter the kingdom of God.'
ACTS 14:22
Our idea of overcoming is to avoid tribulation, not pass through it. We certainly do not connect entering the Kingdom with going through tribulation. We think having the victory means eliminating all tribulation. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In order to enter the Kingdom there must be an increase of Christ and a decrease of Self. This is an ongoing process, and by it we judge how far along the Path we have progressed.

But how is Self decreased? The answer is in our circumstances and trials. They are sufficient to decrease us. We need not do anything but wait for them to come, and see them as our opportunity to have Self decreased and Christ increased.

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APRIL 3
Today's Message from Chip Brogden

"I in them, and You in Me;
that they may be made perfect in one."
JOHN 17:23
When a symphony performs, each musician has something different to contribute. The title of each piece of music is the same, but there are many different parts that make up that one piece. A musician may be an extremely talented soloist, but playing in harmony with others requires a great deal of practice, preparation and group rehearsal. It also requires each musician to submit to the direction of the conductor. If that means playing "second fiddle" then so be it. Working together takes time and patience - two things that most people do not have an abundance of.

I trust you can see that even in this simple illustration, pride, egotism, and an unwillingness to work with others disqualifies even the greatest musicians from becoming viable members of a symphony. Christ, the Master Conductor, seeks a spiritual harmony among all His disciples: "that they all may be one... that they also may be one in Us" (John 17:21).

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APRIL 2
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Blessed are the meek, for
they shall inherit the earth."
MATTHEW 5:5
The idea of the meek inheriting the earth is found throughout the Book of Psalms. When someone is poor in spirit and mourns over his own sins and the sins of others, pride and arrogance are eliminated. A person who knows he is no better than the rest will not be easily lifted up above his brothers and sisters. But this meekness does not imply lack of power, or spineless passivity. It is power, but it is power under the control of love and without the poison of self-interest and self-seeking.

To have power, and to use that power only for the good and well-being of others, is meekness. Jesus perfectly demonstrates how power that operates through meekness cannot be quenched, whereas temporal power and people who play politics always come to a bad end.

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MARCH 31
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"He must increase, but I must decrease."
JOHN 3:30
He must see that everything God has done, everything God is doing, and everything God will do is for the purpose of INCREASING Jesus and DECREASING everything that is not of Him.

This principle is so powerful that it makes no difference if you agree with it, understand it, believe it, or like it. He MUST increase; therefore, He WILL increase and HE IS increasing. At the same time, I MUST decrease, therefore I WILL decrease, and I AM decreasing. This is a spiritual law, and it is working as we speak. For the Christian who is seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness this is wonderful news. For selfish, carnal Christians it is a frightening thing, this talk of losing your life and taking up your Cross and denying yourself. That is why you hear so much about spiritual power and so little about spiritual brokenness.

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APRIL 1
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Jesus took the loaves, and when
He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples,
and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of
the fish, as much as they wanted. They... filled
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five
barley loaves which were left over by those
who had eaten."
JOHN 6:11,13
The issue is never what we have or what we are doing, but rather, do we have the Lord's blessing?

With the Lord's Blessing we have Infinite Supply. Practically speaking, it means instead of trying to convince the Lord to bless what I want to do or what I think needs to be done, I should find out first what the Lord wants to BLESS and do THAT instead. Remember, "He Himself knew what He would do." (John 6:6). Thus, we pray, "Not my will, but Your Will be done; not my kingdom, but Your Kingdom come." And then we enjoy the Lord's Blessing on our work.

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MARCH 30
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"If we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall
certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His."
ROMANS 6:5 ESV


If we share in His death then we will share in His life. How could it be otherwise? What is true of the Vine is true of the Branches that are part of the Vine. It would be impossible for the Vine to be raised while the Branches that are part of the Vine remain buried. So long as the Vine and the Branches are one, they share in both the suffering and in the glory that is revealed afterwards.

In the same way, when God made us one spirit together with Christ on the Cross, His intention was for us to experience both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. So Paul says that if we suffer with Him, then we will reign with Him (2 Timothy 2:12). Again, we see the purpose of the Cross. If we refuse to join Him in suffering then we cannot hope to join Him in ruling. If we refuse the Crucified Death then we cannot have the Resurrected Life.


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MARCH 29
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"'I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'Who is and
Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty.'"
REVELATION 1:8
Jesus is the Alpha from Whom all things in God are initiated, and Jesus is the Omega unto Whom all things of God find their purpose, their meaning, and their reason for being. Everything begins in Christ, and everything ends in Christ. He is the Beginning as well as the End.

Real spiritual growth occurs when we realize that God has only one goal for us, and that is the full, mature, complete, and experiential knowledge of Jesus Christ. To the extent that we discard "things" and become focused wholly on Christ, to that extent we will make progress.

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MARCH 26
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"God resists the proud, but

gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God.
Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
JAMES 4:6,7
So many times we try to resist, but we are defeated. Why? Simply because we attempt to resist the devil before we have first submitted ourselves to God. There is a proper order that must be observed without fail.

First, we must understand the principle of God resisting the proud but giving grace to the humble. This is the foundation of everything we do. Second, the word "therefore" signifies that those who learn this principle will act upon it accordingly. If they understand the truth just stated, they will submit "therefore" to God. Third, as a result of their submitting to God, they will find the devil flees whenever and wherever they offer him resistance.

The word "flee" means "to run away in terror." How wonderful! How delicious to see the devil running from us in terror, instead of the other way around!

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MARCH 25
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"The hour is coming, and now is,

when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth."
JOHN 4:23,24
The corporate Life of God's people will only rise as high as the individuals represented. That is to say, if there is no spirit-and-truth worship in our prayer closet at home, we cannot expect spirit-and-truth worship when we gather together.

So often we come to a gathering expecting to "enter in" to a place in God. Instead, the gathering of believers should be the celebration and continuation of Who we have already entered into.


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