By the Rev. Maxwell Moody

The first and basic need is to trust the Bible’s declaration that Jesus is God who came in human flesh to be our sin bearer. Furthermore, the He who is without sin became sin for us and paid our penalty of death and is now resurrected alive furthermore.

When we believe these truths and see how God so loved us that He sent His only son to die in our place, it is easy to acknowledge that Jesus is our Lord. But to those of you who refuse to do so, He is still your Lord. For He is King of kings and Lord of lords. (Rev. 19:16)

If you are established in these basic needs, what more is needed for you and I to declare, “For to me to is Christ?” (Phil. 1:21)

We must understand that this is a choice of our will. Yes, we must have the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to actually perform the actions needed; but our part is to willingly cooperate with Him.

We must die daily. We must die to our plans and ambitions for personal gain and seek to promote the cause of the Lord Jesus Christ. How are you and I to do this? Ask the Lord Jesus to make known what He wants of you. He has a plan for each of us. Do what He makes known, no matter how small or foolish it may seem to you.

Very importantly, you must maintain your relationship to the Lord Jesus, that of fellowship and an open channel of communication. This requires confession of sin that takes place when you put self (the old nature), back on the throne instead of the new nature – the very nature of Christ.

Give diligence to claim the promises of God’s Word. He delights for us to present to Him at the throne of mercy and ask that He honor them.

May God give you and I the desire to be able to say, “For to me to live is Christ.”