Psalm 8:1

My Shepherd greeted me and laid me down in His green pastures. The Mind of the Spirit met with the spirit of my mind in Romans 5:18-19:

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

The Spirit shows the rationale of the Gospel. He allowed that all men would be condemned in one man, Adam, that He might justly justify all in one man, Christ Jesus, the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45).

It is no more “unfair” that we were all condemned in the first Adam than it is “unfair” that all are justified in the Last Adam.

The question is, how is it that we are condemned in the first Adam and justified in the last One? It is by birth! We are born of the first Adam and so condemned by his sin. We are justified in the last Adam when we are born unto God in Christ. That’s what Jesus was talking about when He said, “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

Along the still waters, the Spirit reminded me that both births occur in this world, in time. Neither of the births occurs before time. That’s obvious regarding the first birth. Although God certainly foreknew us, we were not born into the world until our natural birth. (Example, God declares His knowledge of Cyrus 100 years before his birth—Isaiah 44:28-45:1). Paul testified that Andronicus and Junia, fellow Jews and prisoners, were “in Christ before me” (Romans 16:7). Even though God foreknew us (Romans 8:29), we know that we are birthed to God when we receive Jesus Christ (John 1:13). We know that this occurs after we have “heard the word of truth, the gospel of [our] salvation,” and that we were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise “after [we] believed” (Ephesians 1:13).

When the corruptible seed of the man successfully meets with the seed of the woman, a natural child is conceived. When the incorruptible seed (the Word of God) meets the sincere seed of faith in the “honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15) of a sinner, conception occurs and a new man is created in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 1:23—“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”)

We are born to it! We are born to condemnation and reborn to justification!

In the valley, Jesus impressed on me the rationale of discipleship, impressing upon me the reasonableness of God: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). He said this is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1-2). He laid down His life for us; the rational thing to do is for us to lay down our lives for Him. I did!

At the table, He anointed my head with His oil and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy accompanied us into the Harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

“See you in church!”