Do you need a reason to be truly thankful, friend? Well how about remembering the incalculable blessing you have been given because Yeshua died on the cross in exchange for your life, saving you from the penalty of the law and healing you from the hopeless condition of “spiritual death.” Is not this the most amazing and wonderful thing ever done for you? Because of Yeshua you have an everlasting hope; you will never be separated from love; you have a place within the heart of God; you are forever accepted, welcomed, and beloved…. Because of Yeshua, you will never die; you will be resurrected from the dead to experience peace and love and joy forever and ever as a member of God’s family… Moreover, because of God’s grace you are given strength to face the challenges of this life and to live without fear. You understand this world to be a “corridor” to the world to come where you will enjoy the great consolation of heaven, even experiencing the glory of the direct and personal revelation of God Himself!
As followers of Yeshua, we no longer find our identity in this world but rather through our spiritual union with our ascended LORD (Gal. 2:20; 6:14; Eph. 1:3; 2:6)… As our Lord said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?” (Luke 9:23-25).
The sages note that the phrase “
Yeshua said: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). We cannot create the new birth by means of moral reformation, since the divine life is a miracle from above and not the result of human agency or aspiration (John 1:13; John 3:6). If we “live in” Yeshua we will bear fruit – our spiritual connection or “union” with him is sufficient for every good work, but only fruit that derives from the life of Messiah will abide (1 John 2:17). Good works are a necessary consequence of regeneration in Messiah, but by themselves they are insufficient and something more is needed (Matt. 7:21-23). Therefore the Scriptures point to the salvation of God and his grace as the efficient cause for the miracle of newness of life: “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” (Titus 3:5); “for by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves (τοῦτο οὐκ ἐξ ὑμῶν), it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8); “so if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace” (Rom. 11:6).
“Because you are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (Gal. 4:6). Note here the Spirit does not cry out using “esoteric” or magical names for God, nor does the Spirit refer to one of God’s many titles based on the divine attributes, but instead uses a term of intimacy and profound trust. After all, the word “abba” (אַבָּא) is not so much a name for God as it is a claim about who you are — it is a confession that you belong to the Lord as his beloved child…
Some people assume that they are entitled to prosperity, good health, and happiness during their lives, and they are offended if they fail to attain these worldly ends. The apostle Paul admonished us to think spiritually about the meaning and purpose of life, particularly in light of omnipresent suffering… He wrote that our “momentary affliction” (θλῖψις) – that is, the cares and troubles of this life – work within us to attain an “everlasting glory beyond all comparison,” and therefore we should focus not on present circumstances but on the deeper purpose, promise, and providence of God (2 Cor. 4:17-18). The visible fades away, the spiritual endures; our mortification leads to everlasting life, and that which is hidden will be manifest…
Yeshua forewarned of the moral depravity that would pervade mankind just before the time of his return: “Because lawlessness (i.e., ἀνομία, from -α (‘not’) + νομος, ‘torah’) will be increased,” he said, “the love of many will grow cold (i.e., ψύχομαι, ‘be extinguished’)” (Matt. 24:12). Note the link between Torah and love: true love requires respect for God’s authority, for without that the divine image is disfigured and desecrated. Likewise the Apostle Paul said the “End of Days” (אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) would be marked by “times of peril” (καιροὶ χαλεποί) because people would become increasingly narcissistic, self-absorbed, infatuated with their own self-importance, abusive toward others, disrespectful to elders, ungrateful, heartless, unforgiving, without self-control, brutal, treacherous, and so on (2 Tim. 3:1-4). When Paul said “times of peril,” he used the same word (χαλεποί) that described the character of the demonaics mentioned in Matthew 8:28. Therefore, in light of the spiritual war that rages all around us, it is vital that we remain firmly rooted in what is real by taking hold of our identity and provision as children of God.