Meditation Chip Brogden

MARCH 24
Today's Message from Chip Brogden




"Fulfill my joy by being like-minded,
having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."
PHILIPPIANS 2:2




God is working towards a goal: that Christ should have the preeminence in all things. We have observed that this work does not start on the level of "all things," but begins with the individual disciple. From there, God desires a group of people who no longer think and live as mere individuals, only concerned with getting their particular needs met; but are more interested in serving God and meeting the needs of each other.


When this occurs (even in a small group of believers) then they can be said to have entered into true spiritual fellowship: one mind and one accord, perfectly adjusted to God and to one another. That does not mean sameness, for every member contributes something unique; but there is a definite unity and a singleness of purpose.


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MARCH 23
Today's Message from Chip Brogden




"It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water
of Life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall
inherit all things, and I will be his God and he
shall be My son."
REVELATION 21:6,7


As we look at the promises made to those who overcome we should see that God is not establishing some new order or special group which enjoys rights and privileges not accessible to the rest of the saints. This is not the establishing of new promises, but a bringing us back to the same exceeding great and precious promises which are potentially true of everyone who is in Christ. It is not establishing a new foundation, it is calling us back to the Foundation which is already laid.


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----
MARCH 22
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all things that I said to you."
JOHN 14:26

The Holy Spirit is the vessel - the Person, the instrument, the agency, the method and the means - through Whom God accomplishes His purpose of increasing Christ in all things. Jesus said this Helper, this Counselor, this Comforter, this Teacher will abide with us for- ever and will help us as we walk the Difficult Path towards the full knowledge of Christ.

To the extent that we allow ourselves to come under the government of the Holy Spirit, to that extent will Christ be increased. Since the Holy Spirit is responsible for the increase of Christ, spiritual growth is impossible apart from the Spirit. There will be no measurable advancement, no real apprehension of spiritual things, and no recovery of the Heavenly Order apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

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MARCH 21
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"We do not yet see all things put under Him.
But we see Jesus... for Whom are all things and
by Whom are all things."
HEBREWS 2:8-10
Do we see it yet? Not in its fullness, no. We have a little here, and a little there. Where this has already happened, where we actually see and experience Christ having the preeminence, it is called the Kingdom of God. It is not a visible thing, but an invisible thing, for Jesus said the Kingdom is not seen, but is within you.

Eventually the Kingdom of God will swallow up the entire Creation and Christ will have the preeminence in all things. Why? Because all things are for Him, and all things were by Him.

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MARCH 20
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Those who are Christ's have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
GALATIANS 5:24
Scripture says that those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified (past tense) the flesh with its passions and desires. No one can commit suicide by crucifixion. Someone else must nail us to the Cross. The flesh cannot crucify itself. Jesus has already done what we could not do. The sooner we stop trying to crucify ourselves, the sooner we can boast in the finished work of the Cross and actually witness the evidence of it in our lives.

Notice that Paul does not merely say that Jesus was crucified for us. That is certainly true in and of itself. But there is more. Not only was Jesus crucified for us, He was crucified as us. God considers us to have been crucified as surely as if we were there receiving the nails in our hands and feet. We have been crucified together with Him because God placed us in Him the moment He was crucified.

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MARCH 19
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy
and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ."
COLOSSIANS 2:8
How can we be cheated? According to Paul we are cheated "through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles (elements) of the world, and not according to Christ."

It matters not if the philosophy is good, right, morally excellent, and praiseworthy. It matters not how well intentioned, meaningful, or helpful the tradition is. It matters not how necessary we think the worldly element to be, or how important it is to society in general. If none of these things are "according to Christ," that is, if they are not of Him, through Him, and unto Him, then they are worthless insofar as God's Purpose is concerned and must be discarded.

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MARCH 18
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
GALATIANS 6:14
Whereas the Holy Spirit is instrumental in the increase of Christ, the Cross is instrumental in the decrease of Self. Remember that the whole trouble with man is his inherent tendency to travel a path that is independent of his Creator. This is why the Cross must do a very deep, thorough work in every disciple of Jesus.

As Self is submitted to Christ, Sin begins to lose its power of attraction, and Satan has no more leverage. The night He was betrayed, Jesus told His disciples, "The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30). That is to say, there was nothing in the Lord Jesus that the devil could use to get an advantage over Him. This is the condition He desires for each of His disciples, and the Cross is the means through which that condition is arrived at.


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MARCH 17
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
LUKE 9:23
When we first come to the Lord we truly think we are giving Him our all, but we cannot fully appreciate just how powerful Self is. It cannot be dealt with in a once-and-for-all manner. It requires many seasons of God's dealings for us to see the truth about the Lord, and the truth about ourselves.

That is why I say there is more hope for someone who is ready to give up and quit than there is for someone who keeps promising to do better tomorrow. Only after we have tried and failed one hundred, one thousand, or one million times will we at last be able to say, "Lord, I finally understand now that I can originate nothing of my own self, because whenever I do, I meet with nothing but defeat. So I am finished! Henceforth, not my will, but Your Will be done!"


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MARCH 16
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"I say to you, that unless your righteousness
exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
MATTHEW 5:20
We know we must leave sin because we can appreciate how horrible it is. We do not so quickly leave "our righteousness" because we think somehow it has been "purified."

Mark well, however, that God does not fix the old man, but destroys it. He does not tell us to clean up our life, but to lay down our life. It is not enough to forsake the wrong: we must allow Him to crucify the right. That is, we must learn to hate our thoughts that we may have His mind. We must give up our "spiritual" desires in order to have Christ as All.


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MARCH 15
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"God also has highly exalted Him and
given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name
of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of
those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11
Christ will have the preeminence in all things, but it will not be the forced submission of a dictator who forces everyone to bow down to him whether they want to or not. It is true that some seem to bow down more easily than others; some are quick to confess Jesus as Lord, others confess Him as Lord when they are older, while some seem to hold out until the last possible moment. Some apparently die having made no obvious confession of faith at all.

But in the end, we have the glorious promise. Note how Scripture includes "every tongue" and "every knee." The Bible affirms that "He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Philippians 3:21).

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MARCH 14
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
Does a fish become a fish by swimming under the water, or does it swim under the water because it is a fish? Does a bird become a bird once it learns to fly through the air? Or does it fly through the air because it is a bird? Which is it? Of course, the bird is a bird, and therefore it flies. It does not have to be instructed per se, but when it is pushed out of the nest it flaps its wings. It is its nature to do so. So doing does not create being, doing flows out of being.

Now the Law of Life in Christ does not try to make us into something we are not. The very presence of the Life in us demonstrates that Christ already indwells us. We are not trying to be like Christ, and we are not trying to live like a Christian. Since we ARE in Him, we WALK in Him. Our works come from what we are, not what we are trying to be.

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MARCH 13
Today's Message from Chip Brogden


"When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand,
how many baskets full of fragments did you take up? ...
Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how
many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?"
MARK 8:19,20
When you're going through a crisis of faith, it's not easy to remember the faithfulness of the Lord. How quickly we forget the previous victories and the former blessings.

Jesus wants us to remember. Keeping a spiritual journal or prayer diary is a good way to remember just how far the Lord has brought us and just how much He has done for us. Our circumstances may change, but He never changes! He is always faithful.

Remember the loaves and do the math, Jesus says. When you do, you will see this simple truth: the fewer loaves you start out with, the more people I can feed. My Power is strongest when you are at your weakest.

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MARCH 12
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"And [Jesus] entered a house and wanted
no one to know it, but He could not be hidden."
MARK 7:24
When we look at the earthly ministry of Jesus we see that He did not seek to increase Himself. He actually humbled Himself and tried to be inconspicuous. Even so, when He tried to hide Himself, He could not be hidden. I want you to think about that. When God was ready to reveal Him then He could not be hidden. He could not even hide Himself.

I tell you, this idea of Christ increasing is the most powerful reality in this universe! Nothing can stand before it, nothing can resist it, and nothing can stop it.

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MARCH 11
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"I have heard of You by the
hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore
I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes."
JOB 42:5,6
Hearing about God from others is not the same as seeing Him with your own eyes. In Job's story we find an answer to the age-old question of why God allows the righteous to suffer. The answer is: there are things you need to know about God, and things you need to know about yourself, that you cannot know without going through a fiery trial.

The greatest lessons will not be learned while sitting in a classroom or reading a book. They will be learned in the dark nights, the deep valleys, and the raging seas of trial and tribulation.

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MARCH 10
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"In Him we live, move and have our being."
ACTS 17:28
Before my father married my mother and conceived me, he was in a serious automobile accident. Had my father died at the age of sixteen, I would have died also, because I was still in my father. His death would have been my death; and not my death only, but also the death of my children, and their children, all the way down the line. We would have all died together with him, having never even lived. But his life, his survival, his overcoming the accident was just as much my life, my survival, and my overcoming.

Spiritually speaking, this is similar to what God has done for us by placing us in Christ. Christ was crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated; and since we were in Him when it all happened, God considers it to have happened to us as well. We who are His children now share in the very life of Christ, and each of us bear witness to the resurrection and overcoming of Christ. When God raised Him from the dead, He raised us from the dead as well.

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MARCH 9
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"I am the bread of life.
He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he
who believes in Me shall never thirst."
JOHN 6:35
Here we have another principle of how the Law of Life operates. The presence of this Life within the believer will create hunger and thirst for Christ. What is more, this hunger and thirst for Christ cannot be filled or quenched with anything else - including blessings, power, spiritual gifts, or Christian service.

It is hard to convince new converts of this, but those of us who have been around a long time should know by now that Christ is what makes a Christian.

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MARCH 8
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man
and drink His blood, you do not have life in you [Gate]...
Whoever continues to eat my flesh and drink my
blood continues to live in union with Me and
I in union with him [Path]."
JOHN 6:53,56 (Williams)
My burden is to see disciples brought down the Path, so I see the Path everywhere I look in the Scripture. How does this relate to our study? In this way: the Gate of eternal Life is to receive the Lord as food and drink, but the Path is to continue eating and drinking.

The Lord tells us that He is meat indeed, and drink indeed. Just how often do we eat and drink? Unless we are fasting, our eating and drinking occur daily, several times a day in fact. That is why I selected the Williams Translation of these passages, because it gives us the continuing action of the Greek verb - whoever continues to eat, continues to live. It is not just a once-and-for-all thing, but a continual thing. It is abiding. It is a Gate and a Path.

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MARCH 7
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"You are complete in Him."
COLOSSIANS 2:10
The truth is that you are no more complete in Him today than you were when you first received Him, however long ago that may have been. And you will never be any more complete in Him than you are right now. You are complete in Him - of course, in yourself, you are far from complete, but that is not the issue. "In me" I am growing, learning, struggling, and maturing. But the issue is not "me." The issue is, "not I, but Christ."

With less of me, there is more of Him. That is why we say that true spiritual growth is not more knowledge or increase of years. It is simply more of Christ and less of me. This is only the decreasing of Self which makes way for the increasing of Christ (John 3:30). Eventually we will view every weakness of ours as an opportunity to see Christ revealed as Strength. Every momentary "lack" is an opportunity to see Christ as Infinite Supply. For this is the Will and Purpose of God: that Christ may be All in All.

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MARCH 6
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him,
'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.'
So he went out and wept bitterly."
MATTHEW 26:75
Jesus was not surprised or disappointed when Peter failed. In like manner, He is not surprised or disappointed when you fail. Rather, He is waiting for you to fail so you will be reduced to Him. He has no illusions about you and He knows you through and through. He knows however much your spirit may be willing, your flesh is weak. Our weakness is not the trouble - the trouble is our unwillingness to acknowledge the weakness.

But I bring you good tidings of great joy, dear Christian friend! This failure of Self is the very key to living the Christian life. As painful as it is, the bitter tears of failure provide the water for nurturing the Precious Seed that is planted in your heart of hearts and making it grow. To despair of ourselves is the very key that opens the door to all the power, the victory, and fruitfulness in Christ that we seek.

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MARCH 5
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."
JOHN 12:32
The increase of Christ does not coerce, it compels; He does not push, He merely draws. The increase of Christ actually enables a person to choose the right way, the way that leads to Life. It is evil that deceives people into choosing the wrong path. Everyone born into this world comes into it as a fallen creature. If they had a full understanding of their spiritual condition, and the deliverance that is offered by and through the Lord Jesus, then they would, of course, choose to be delivered.

People only resist what they do not know and understand. Jesus does not have to manipulate anyone. Once a person with eyes wide open sees Him for Who He is, they will always choose Him. He is irresistible. And as He increases, as He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Himself.

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MARCH 4
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who
became for us wisdom from God-- and righteousness
and sanctification and redemption-- that, as it is
written, 'He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.'"
1 CORINTHIANS 1:30,31
We must be clear: these things are not the "reward" for years of faithful service, or the fruit of walking with Jesus after a long period of time. If I have Him now, then I have all that pertains to Him now. My Wisdom, my Righteousness, my Sanctification, and my Redemption has a personality, for He is all those things in me.

It is not a question of my behavior, or my conduct, or my feelings one way or the other - those things will come into line soon enough - but it is all based upon this accomplished fact. Christ is God's Gift. I repeat, we have much to praise God about!

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Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love
their lives to the death."
REVELATION 12:11
It is helpful to identify the three enemies that present themselves to us, and then the above verse will make even more sense. The overcomer must learn how to defeat each one. So what are they?

First, there is the enemy of Sin. Second, the enemy of Self. Third, the enemy of Satan. All contrary things, whether they be of spiritual, natural, or human origin, find their root in one of these three sources.

The glorious thing, of course, is that God's provision meets all three enemies and defeats them in order to demonstrate the preeminence of Christ. This, in essence, is what it means to overcome. It is to demonstrate the pre-eminence of Christ over all things.

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MARCH 2
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house,
and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God
and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ
with all confidence, no one forbidding him."
ACTS 28:30,31
Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers must point people to Christ. Otherwise they are not fulfilling the purpose for which God placed them in the Body to begin with. Apostolic ministry is not an end unto itself, but is a means to an end. Prophetic ministry is not an end unto itself, but is a means to an end. Evangelistic ministry is not an end unto itself, but is a means to an end. Pastoral and teaching ministries are not ends unto themselves, but are a means to an end.

What is the end? What is the purpose? What does it all lead to? It leads to "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). The fullness of Christ, the full-knowledge of Him - this is God's Goal and His Ultimate Intention.

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MARCH 1
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
old things have passed away; behold, all things
have become new."
2 CORINTHIANS 5:17
When God placed us in Christ, He forever linked us to Christ's death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and being seated in the heavenlies. So God considers us to have been crucified, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and seated as well. It cannot be otherwise. So long as we remain in Him (John 15:5) our destinies are linked.

I once placed a $20 bill inside of a book. I then misplaced the book. What happened to the $20 bill? The bill was lost when the book was lost. The bill and the book were linked together because I placed one inside the other. In order to find the bill I had to find the book. Once I found the book, I also found the bill. In like manner, God has placed us in Christ. When Christ was crucified, we were also crucified. When Christ was raised, we were also raised. The two have become one, and what is true of Him is true of all those who are one with Him.

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FEBRUARY 28
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit."
LUKE 23:46
Death by crucifixion cannot be accomplished by suicide. We cannot crucify ourselves.

The instrument of our death is chosen for us, as well as the manner in which it is carried out, the timing, and the duration of the execution - all is controlled by Another. There is nothing to be done, for we must submit to the Unseen Hand and cast ourselves completely upon Him.


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FEBRUARY 27
Today's Message from Chip Brogden



"Let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning.
If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also
will abide in the Son and in the Father."
1 JOHN 2:24
There is still much of Him to learn and to experience. There is much growing which must take place. The Path is a process. We are hardly ever as far along as we imagine ourselves to be. But we have not been talking about spiritual maturity, but spiritual satisfaction. If, in abiding continually in the Lord, He becomes our food and our drink, then we will grow.

Growth is not the result of time, it is the natural result of Christ increasing and us decreasing. The Law of Life says that Christ must increase. Now we can do nothing to speed up this process, but we can certainly hinder or quench it.


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