DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL
As we near the end of this study of heroes of the faith, I felt it appropriate to write of the ultimate victorious person: the living Lord Jesus. He is the most unique human to ever grace this planet. He was, is, and always will be God. Yet He took upon Himself the form of a man. In His divinity, we see His eternal attributes. That enables us to know God’s power. Yet in His humanity, we behold His humble servanthood. That enables us to experience God’s love.
There’s a great mystery in the person of Jesus. A mystery so marvelous, it shouts of His uniqueness among all others in human history. He hung the stars in space, put the earth in place, and created everything that exists. Yet He is the most humble person who ever walked the planet. He’s all God; yet all man. He’s so much God, it’s as though He’s not man. And He’s so much man, it’s as though He’s not God. In his Gospel, John called Him the Son of God. Luke called Him the son of Man. Matthew described Him as the king, and Mark wrote of Him as a servant. He’s God who became man; the king who became a servant. He’s the God-Man: God come in human flesh. His name is Immanuel: God with us.
As a man, Jesus was victorious. He lived as no other person ever lived. He walked as no other man ever walked. He lived and walked a completely holy, perfect life. If we could understand how He lived as a man, we could know how to live a victorious life, because He is our example. The secret of a victorious Christian is to see Him as our example — and follow.
Jesus was a man completely dependent on the Holy Spirit. From the time of His birth until His death, He lived in the power of the Holy Spirit, listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and obeyed the commands of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am [the one I claim to be] and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me” (John 8:28). Jesus spoke, moved, and lived in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The secret of victorious Christian living isn’t that big a secret. Jesus was a man wholly dependent on the Holy Spirit. If He felt He needed to depend on the Spirit of God, then how much more do we? We must learn to live as He lived: not by our own might or power, but by the Spirit of the living God.
This doesn’t necessarily mean we must have a mystical experience and receive all kinds of visions. It simply means listening to His voice, appropriating His fullness, and obeying His Word. It’s supernatural, natural living. It’s the abundant life. It’s what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Jesus is the victorious One. We can appropriate His victory and the power of His life if we will depend upon Him completely. One of the greatest truths I’ve ever learned as a believer is that it’s “not I, but Christ who lives within me.” That’s the source of victory.
As we celebrate Christmas this year, let me challenge you to see the great implications behind the Christmas story. God became a man. That brings hope for victory for you and me. “Joy to the world! The Lord has come!”
John : Chapter 15
1) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2) He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4) Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5) “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6) If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8) This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Book of the Month
Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe. For all other books…
About Sammy Tippit Ministries
STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org
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