The Benefits of Living in God's Word

In the last several episodes we begin to see how the decision to "jump on the train with Jesus" sets us on a path and trajectory. We learn to trust His words which helps us to want to obey his teaching.  In his week's episode co-hosts Theresa and Renée dig deeper into what it means to live "in him". As we begin to trust God by understanding His word our faith grows. As our faith grows the benefits of our relationship with God become more evident! 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Last week. We spent some time talking about the college season, me getting lost after college. Who am I? What are we all about? How does God play a part in helping us understand who we are and what we're here for? We're going to pick up this week with understanding more of our privilege that we get as children of a king and as being in Christ, stay tuned for part two of last week's episode, who am I? And what is my purpose? Welcome to episode 68 of the well-versed woman podcast. I'm Renee teller. And I'm curious the mortgage, you see Renee and I are two perfectly imperfect women who have a heart to share our faith and our life stories with you. What we love to share is about an amazing God that we've come to know and love and have a relationship with. Most importantly, we want you to have that relationship as well. But before we get started, we begin every episode, the same way by actually inviting our creator, to be with us, opening our eyes, to see our ears, to hear and our hearts, to know what he would have to share with us. Today. We take 20 seconds, take some slow deep breaths and go ahead and ask God to be right with you today. Those 20 seconds, we'll start right now.

Speaker 2: 1:54

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Speaker 1: 1:56

At said, that's 20 seconds and I'm going to encourage you. Like I do every week to grow that time. It is so important. And if you listen to last week's episode, we talk a lot about getting to know God, by spending time with him, by growing a relationship, just like we do in our life with everybody that we love, but we're going to go a little deeper this week tree. So we're going to go into what it means when we talk about, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. What does that mean? We get, what are all the benefits of being in him? Teresa, absolutely. Renee. We really, I think laid the foundation of being righteous last week. You know, just as a refresher righteousness, you know, it's a big word, but it means right standing with God, really our foundational scripture last week, Renee came from second Corinthians chapter five, verse 21, where the truth of the work of Christ comes forth in such a beautiful way. The Bible says for, he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him, right? So there is that in him. So go back and listen to last week, catch yourself up to what we're going to be talking about this week. But basically now that we are in right standing with God, after we've invited Christ into our hearts to be Lord and savior, given him our lives. Now we have a unique position of being in Christ. Wow, Renee, let's, let's take that apart a little bit. Let's unpack it and see what the Bible says about being in him, right in him. The holy spirit of God is in our spirits, living and dwelling. And so he's in us physically, literally, and we're in him. And there are so many blessings and benefits. Let's look at just acts chapter 17, verse 28. The Bible says for, in him in Christ, we live and move and have our being as also some of your own poets have said for we are also his offspring. So again, the same truth that is shared in John. One 12, that for those who receive this precious gift of Christ, give their lives to him and believe in Christ and the work he did believe in the gospel. We have been given a right to be God's child, right? The sin no longer will, will reign in our hearts. We've become born again. We've become new a few well, holy and right standing Renee in. Then the blessings of being in him start to unfold in our lives. Let me think of an adoption, Teresa, you know, like somebody adopts a baby and that baby is now in their family. Like it's their own. Um, Theresa, you know, that years ago I adopted not even legally, but in fact, and in reality, I adopted a young lady who was actually born and raised in France into our family. And even though it wasn't a legal adoption, like for some, you know, I understand from those who legally adopt that it's like their own. They don't even think about it. And I know that to be true because I didn't even do the legal part. And this daughter is like our own, you know, we did her wedding. Her children are all our grandchildren. I mean, she is our own. And in our family comes certain ways of life, how we do things, how we love, how we support each other, what we get or what you have from being part of our family. All the families are like that. So in him, him, God, Theresa, we're talking today about all the things we get in this family, this family, oh my God, Renee. That's, that's a great way of putting it because the Bible even says in the book of Ephesians, the first chapter let's pick up at verse four, just as he meaning Jesus chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love. Having predestined us to adoption as sons, by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he made us accepted in the beloved Renee. That's so beautiful. The analogy of, uh, your daughter is, is so true and apropos here. They had the work that Christ did causes all of humanity to be adapted is God's own children. When the Bible talks about sons, it's a universal term, sons and daughters of God that when we put our faith in that work of Christ on the cross, we're all adopted into the family of God. And today, you know, we're talking about those blessings in benefits. Ephesians goes on to say in the same chapter, one verse 11 in him, again in Christ being in him, in him and us also, we have obtained an inheritance being predestined, according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his well, that beautiful Rene Romans 8 28 is one of my favorite scriptures that says for those who love God, he's working out all things together for our good. So as we continue this journey of life with Christ and with the holy spirit, he continues to keep us on the good path, right? Like a good air traffic control, or we might get off a little bit, but he continues to bring us on the good path in life. And if we should continue to obey him, we just go, as the Bible says, Renee from glory to glory, from one instance of health and prosperity in value to the next. I love that. I love that he adopts all of us who want to be adopted and there's room for everybody. And the benefits are the same. There's there's enough to go around trees. I just think of being a child of a king. That's something that has really resonated probably in the last year with the made that exactly the inheritance, what you read in him. Also, we have obtained an inheritance. That's an amazing word unto itself and all that relates. Can you imagine having the inheritance of the God who created every living thing, think about that. He created every living thing. Boy, would I like to be part of that family that because big, there, there would be nothing that we could ever want for. And that's what he wants to give us. I love that were created things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones or powers or rulers or authorities, all things have been created through him and for him. So that is very true. And it's point, it's something that is, oh boy, well, you know, we think, wow. And when we meditate that we are a child of the king, that we are the righteousness of God in him, in that all things that were given to him are not ours being in Christ. It's a myth, it's a miracle, it's a miracle. And it's an in, it's a truth that if we live by that truth, we'll want to then be behaving. According to who we truly are deep down inside of us, right? If someone was born into royalty and they didn't know who they were, they might be living according to other set of rules and circumstances. But once someone realizes who they are and the inheritance that is theirs, the behavior then starts lining up in true freedom and true love and true acceptance of your life's purpose starts to come into focus. And when that happens, while you are on your way, it ties right back into last week's episode, who am I? And this recognition that when you have God on your side, when you have the father, the son and the holy spirit living in you, the inheritance is, is endless. It's as much as your mind can fathom and such a great thing to step into it's for Maitri. So it's so it's difficult to fathom, but I have to work on reminding myself that that is our right in Jesus. That is our right. And that's why we're talking about in him. What is the word say we have, and meditating on the scriptures, understanding the word of God will help us all remember who we are and what we have the right to. Right? It's so true. Renee, in this, this inheritance, it's not like an earthly inheritance that, you know, you've got to be alive, right? To enjoy an earthly inheritance. The inheritance that have we've been given in Christ is an inheritance that we get to enjoy while we're alive here on earth. And it's also an inheritance that we get to carry with us through heaven and through the ages to come, let's look at what the Bible says. Again, the book of Ephesians is a high. I love the book of Ephesians are nice. Sometimes I'll just put it on at night as I'm going to sleep and I'll just listen to it right off, off of my phone. I have an app that you can listen to the Bible. And one of my favorite books just to listen to is Ephesians, especially chapter one, let's look at Ephesians one verse 13 and 14. It says in him, you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation in whom also having believed there's our faith. You were sealed with the holy spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession to the praise of his glory. Rah, let's just unpack this a minute. What is he saying? He's saying that when you put faith, right, you hear the gospel, the word of truth, the Bible, you put your faith in, what Christ did you become born? Again, you become holy and righteous in your spirit. The inheritance, the blessings and the benefits here on earth are yours. The holy spirit seals you for the day of redemption. What does that mean? It means that when you pass from this life, that seal continues and you go right to be in the presence of God. You know, Renee with the Bible says to be absent from the body, this the suit that we, uh, this, this, uh, I call it our earth suit that we walk in to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. So we not only have an inheritance of blessing as we walk the earth, we also have a future inheritance Rene that we will live in, dwell with him forever, even in the ages to come. That is such a relief Theresa to know that we have at forever. And you know, it's like an inheritance, right? It gets passed on. And we live in that place for the rest of our lives. And that, as we know, living in navigating this earth is, you know, joy to our ears. Boy, we're nature is, you know, I can remember really being afraid of death, Rene, physical death, but the more I've walked with the Lord, the more I've at the more I understand the integrity of his word, every, every verse in the Bible, the more I see that I don't have to be afraid because is the Bible says in him, I leave live and move and have my being the holy spirit that is in me. I will continue life through eternity is, as we mentioned to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Let's look at what Ephesians chapter two, verses six and seven say Renee, I mean, this is amazing. It's talking about how God made us alive together with Christ. So I'm going to start there. So even when we were dead in trespasses, God made us alive together with Christ, by grace, you have been saved and raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus verse seven, that in the ages to come, he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, that beautiful Rene in the ages to come. So we know that this life, the way I say it is, it's not the be all in the end. All, we have a purpose in this life. He has the plan and the purpose for us. And as we walk this earth, we wa if, if Christ doesn't come back before, uh, our flesh expires, we will die and we will go to be with him. And then in the ages to come Renee, I look forward to the ages to come. There's never a chance that we're going to exhaust the plan that God has for us even after this life, which seems unbelievable to my finite mind grasp all that. But that is exactly what I spend some of my mornings on is making sure that I allow God to give me revelation and knowledge and enlightenment as to all these things we're talking about, because it's so difficult for us to grasp the bigness of this, the, the vastness of it traces. So, so hard to understand all that's going to be, and this idea of eternity, you know, it's, it's, it's amazing. And like you say, we do it by faith. We understand, as you said, walking 27 plus years with the Lord over and over and over, he shows himself to us through faith. We see these things happen. And so we can get excited about the stuff that we can't even yet fathom because the word of God is true. And it says, so that's very true Renee. I wanted to give our listeners the scripture reference to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. It's found in second Corinthians chapter five first say, and I'm going to read it from the new king James version. It says, we are confident. Yes, well-pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord that beautiful. So for Christians and followers of Jesus disciples that are, you know, we've all been born again, born into the family of God. We need not fear physical death because the Bible is so very clear in a that to be absent from the body. When our spirits leave this physical realm, we go right to be in the presence of the Lord. Mm that's so great. That's a great place to leave all of us that we're going to be with him and together with the ones we love forever and ever. I love that Theresa and the foundational scripture of this podcast, Theresa, where it all starts is with this book that we get all these scriptures from. And what is that scripture? That's absolutely right. Renee Romans chapter 10 verse 17. Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. Thank you for listening to the word of God today. We log there. Did you know that you can subscribe, rate and review this channel and receive a well-versed woman journal in the mail, go ahead and do that. And we will send you a well-versed woman journal. Also the show notes. They include all the scriptures that we talked about. In this episode, you can download them there, right within your podcast app, that you are listening. Just click on the details button, and it'll take you down to the show notes. And last but not least, you can join us in our Facebook community called well-versed woman, just asked to join and we'll approve you. And you can converse with us more right in that Facebook group. So until next week we love him. Bye. Now

Speaker 2: 20:37

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