DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT TUESDAY- A FRESH REVELATION OF JESUS.

"Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I myself have founded great empires.... But Jesus alone founded His empire upon love, and to this very day, millions would die for Him. Jesus Christ was more than a man." – Napoleon Bonaparte.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,

but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. - Phil 3:7-11. ESV

In darkness verses light, there is no contest! We do not fight for victory... Jesus has already done that, He has defeated the enemy! No, we fight from a position of victory...THE CROSS and the RESURRECTION are the evidence! Christ is the true LIGHT and LIGHT... IS REVELATION. We need...

A FRESH REVELATION OF THE VALUE OF JESUS
That which was WORTHWHILE is now WORTHLESS;
That which was TREASURE is now TRASH;
That which was GREAT has now GONE.

Paul met every requirement of his religion, pure stock, and of fanatical zeal he had no equal, but now it was worthless, his honour and respect and future among his people were all gone because of JESUS! We still have that same kind of relevancy in the Church today, in the religious Church goers etc;

We have to see the value of JESUS, how much is He worth to us today? By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. - Heb 11:24-26.

The following words are from an old engraving on a cathedral in Labeck, Germany...

Thus speaketh Christ our Lord to us:
You call Me master and obey Me not.
You call Me light and see Me not.
You call Me the Way and walk Me not.
You call Me life and live Me not.
You call Me wise and follow Me not.
You call Me fair and love Me not.
You call Me rich and ask Me not.
You call Me eternal and seek Me not.
If I condemn thee, blame Me not.
-Source Unknown.

HOW MUCH IS JESUS WORTH TO US? We need…

A FRESH REVELATION OF THE POWER OF JESUS
“…that I may know him and the power of his resurrection…” – Phil 3:10b. Paul wanted a revelation of Jesus, he wanted to acquaint himself fully with Jesus, His character, His life, His teachings, His love... and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. - Eph 3:19.

Longfellow could take a worthless piece of paper, write a poem on it, and instantly make it worth thousands of dollars -- and it's called genius.
Rockefeller could sign his name to a piece of paper and make it worth millions of dollars -- and it's called riches.
A mechanic can take material worth only five dollars and make it worth five hundred -- and it's called skill.
An artist can take a fifty-cent piece of canvas, paint a picture on it, and make it worth thousands of dollars -- and it's called art.

Jesus Christ can take a worthless, sinful life, wash it in His blood, put His Spirit in it, and make it valuable to God -- and that's called sanctification. The Lord is in the business of taking rough, raw material and using it, transforming men by His power to be the extension of His work in the world. – Source unknown.

Paul wanted a revelation of His peace, His joy, His power! Paul wanted to know how to keep out of the GRAVE in the MIGHTY POWER OF GOD! To know Jesus, we must understand His RESURRECTION POWER, and that same Power is at work in us today! Hallelujah! What a mighty and awesome God we serve today! We need...

A FRESH REVELATION OF THE SUFFERING OF JESUS
“...and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,” - Phil 3:10b. I am not a fan of suffering, but if it brings me a fresh revelation of Jesus, bring it on! How painful was crucifixion? One man describes it like this:

The unnatural position made every movement painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant anguish; the wounds, inflamed by exposure, gradually gangrened; the arteries-especially at the head and stomach -- became swollen and oppressed with surcharged blood; and while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing, there was added to them the intolerable pang of a burning and raging thirst; and all these physical complications caused an internal excitement and anxiety, which made the prospect of death itself -- of death, the unknown enemy, at whose approach man usually shudders most -- bear the aspect of a delicious and exquisite release. – Source unknown.

In SUFFERING, JESUS is with us...... ‘I will never leave or forsake you’
In SUFFERING, JESUS teaches us perseverance and faith.
In SUFFERING, JESUS blesses us.

We need a fresh revelation of Jesus, and what He has done for us.

Loving father, I ask you by the power of the Holy Spirit, to grant me a fresh revelation of my Lord and master, Jesus. Help me to see what the Apostle Paul saw, the revelation of the value, the power and the suffering of Jesus, that I may be a better child for you! I ask this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen!

GBYAY