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The Life

Ivey Rorie On July 28, 2025 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Galatians 2: 20

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.

When we give ourselves to the Lord, we begin a new life. That is the new birth. Our old selves were crucified with Christ and we are born again as new creatures, new creatures in Christ. The person you knew all of the years before you were reborn has been crucified. He is dead. You have new life.

This new life that you have received is not of your own doing but a free gift of Jesus Christ and God the Father. Jesus died that you might have new life; so that you might be reborn. Paul wrote that this new life is not even the kind of life we once lived. Rather, this new life is lived in Jesus and in faith in his redeeming power. We have been born out of the old; out of death and into life through the shed blood of our Lord. Faith is the medium of our new life. We no longer walk by that which we see but rather in faith in Jesus and the power of his resurrection. Christ is alive in us and the life we live is through him even as he lives in and through us. We walk and breathe together as one even as he and the Father are one.

Every once in a while, we must revisit this passage and others like it, for while they are very fundamental, they certainly are not superficial. It is important that we check ourselves to be certain that we are living our life through him and that we have not resurrected the old man. The old man lived in sin and death whereas Jesus has resurrected us to life. Every once in a while we need to go back to the alter and make sure that we have laid that old man on that alter. We need to reaffirm our commitment to the Lord. Some people call it re-dedication. Call it what you will. I am not saying that you have to have some formal rite. I am only saying that within ourselves and within our relationship with the Lord we should constantly assess where we are in our Christian walk. We need to recommit ourselves to the things of the Spirit. We must consistently strive to live our lives by faith in Jesus rather than in the things of the world. And even if you have not slipped backwards a little you can still have as your goal to move forward and that is my real intent here. I do not accuse you of backsliding. I am encouraging you, as I do myself, to move forward in the things of God. Trust Him one little step further. Walk just a bit more by faith. Stretch yourself to be more like Jesus. Walk in His grace by exercising your faith in Him. Ask the Father, “Help me be more like you.”

Light and Life

Ivey Rorie On April 21, 2025 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Colossians 1: 13 – 14

For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

I wondered if we fully appreciate the truth behind this verse. This is an immense concept. Do we look over it lightly? Maybe it is too difficult to fully perceive.

The miracle that our Father wrought in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is not only a great story, but it is the greatest news of the gospel. We have been translated into the kingdom of light from the kingdom of darkness. Jesus told us in John 8: 12 that he is “the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” We were legally under the authority of Satan, but Jesus broke that bondage. He went to hell and came out victorious and with the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1: 18). He broke us out of hell, and we became part of his victory, part of his inheritance. Because of Jesus’ victory over hell and the grave, we have become part of the kingdom of light.

Now this is interesting. Jesus then says that we are the light of the world (Matthew 5: 14). When we accept the gift of salvation and receive redemption, then we are translated out of the realm of darkness and into the kingdom of light. Then we actually become the light because we are in the light. Jesus is the light and we are in him, so we are the light in this dark world. This is pretty heavy but what this is really saying is that we are Jesus in this world. We are his body. That makes us his hands, his feet and his mouth. We have been saved from darkness and brought into the light so that light completely infuses us. We have become full of the very essence of Jesus if we are in him and he in us.

All of the power of hell and the grave has been broken off of us. We are completely regenerated in the life giving power of God. That new life in us has the power to break the bondages off of others as well. We have new life, a life of light and power in Christ Jesus. Darkness no longer has any power over you. That has got to be a reason to celebrate.

Be Healed

Ivey Rorie On April 28, 2022 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Acts 10: 38

You know of Jesus of Nazareth . . . and how He went about . . . healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Today’s devotional is about Easter. Why do we celebrate Easter? Isn’t it because it is Resurrection Day? Our refrain is “He’s Alive!” So, if he is alive, is he still going about healing all who are oppressed or has he sat down on his laurels. I think both answers result in “I Am Healed,” or better still, “by His wounds [I was] healed,” (1 Peter 2: 24) because Jesus is either still going about doing good or he has sat down because “It is finished” (John 19: 30). Either way, you win!

You probably cannot appreciate how fervently I hope and pray that this series is impacting your life and health. The revelation that the Lord has provided has been astounding. We’ve seen that long before Jesus graced the earth, God declared Himself our healer. Then Jesus came and healed all who came to him. Even when they were not entitled, they pulled on that anointing within him and received. Some of them were just plain stubborn. Others, dared to hope.

God intended to spread His blessing across the earth. Initially, the blessing was sown in the Garden of Eden and that garden was supposed to expand until it covered the entire surface of the earth. Unfortunately, man’s insurrection allowed the curse to enter the earth. However, God had a plan. He sowed the blessing back into the soil of the earth when He buried His own son. Today’s verse capitalizes on that plan so perfectly in demonstrating God’s intent. Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were sick because “God was with Him.” Wow! That is remarkable. It seems, then, that “God with me” results in healing and the end of oppression and what is Jesus’ appointed name and title? Immanuel, which means God is with me.

Because Jesus is with us and because he and the Father have come to live within us, there is no good thing which is unavailable. They are good, they can only do good. When Christ is with us, there is health, healing, anointing, blessing, grace, mercy, peace and all other forms of goodness.

Jesus is still going about doing good and healing all who are oppressed. He is not dead. He is alive, praise God! The power and love which is reflected in today’s verse is still present and has no choice but to dwell in goodness. Jesus didn’t go about cursing people. He went around blessing them so if he is alive now, what is he doing? Is he without power now that he has been resurrected? I hardly think so.

Let this revelation cause joy to arise in your heart. Everywhere Jesus went, he healed. Where is Jesus right now? Is he not in your very own spirit? Have you not invited him to come live inside of you? I mean, let this truth go off in you like July 4th fireworks. This is the day of the Lord’s grace. This day he has healing in his hands. I pray you will be stubborn, confident, audacious and brave. If the Lord healed a Canaanite woman’s child and a Roman soldier’s servant, then why would he not heal you? It’s okay for you to demand your rights and stand on your promise. Be oppressed no longer. Be healed!

He’s Alive

Ivey Rorie On April 2, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Acts 1: 3

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of things regarding the kingdom of God.

I have been thinking about Easter, as, I am sure, many of you have as well. What new can be said about the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of our Lord? Nothing perhaps, but what I have been thinking is that he is alive. Now, we all know that, but I wonder if I act like it is true. We sometimes know things in our minds which aren’t quite realities in our hearts.

So, what is the message of Easter? There are so many important concepts which flow from the cross but the one I am wrapped up in is that Jesus is alive, and more to the point, his life is now in me. We are each renewed, not just from a theoretical or theological point of view but instead, renewed and reborn as new creations in his blood. Our hearts and spirits are washed and new. In the surrender to Jesus’ saving grace, is our forgiveness of ourselves and our remaking. We’ve seen how David failed, how Moses stumbled. Peter, one of the great apostles, denied Jesus three times and worse yet, he did so at Jesus’ hour of greatest torment.

I have been listening to the song, “He’s Alive.” It is an account of Peter’s reconciliation with Christ after his denial of Jesus. The songwriter, Don Francisco expressed this much better than I can. Peter is speaking:

When at last it came to choices
I denied I knew His name
Even if He was alive
It wouldn’t be the same

Suddenly the air was filled
With strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere
Drove shadows from the room

Jesus stood before me
With His arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees
And just clung to Him and cried

He raised me to my feet
And as I looked into His eyes
Love was shining out from Him
Like sunlight from the skies

Guilt in my confusion
Disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I’d ever had
Just melted into peace.

Peter’s story is our story. Each of us has doubted, feared and denied Jesus. We have all fallen short of our own aims, much less the worthiness of Christ’s sacrifice. None the less, Jesus reaches out and takes us into his arms. As we look in his eyes, we see none of the judgment or recrimination we deserve. He doesn’t even have to say a word; his eyes and his gentle smile tell us that he loves us and that we are accepted. “Enter into my grace,” he might say to us, “Enter and find peace.”

Jesus is alive and what that means to me this Easter is that we can all throw ourselves at his feet with our burdens of guilt and shame. Easter means that like Jesus, we arise. As he lifts us up, our burdens fall from us and we become holy because he is holy. He is alive and we are okay because he buried our sin and guilt.

Praise the Father of our Lord Jesus and bless Jesus’ name forever. Glory to Father, Son and Spirit! Cause your Spirit to rest upon us, dear Father, refreshing us in your glory and grace. And let us dwell in your presence and abide in your love today and evermore!

Click below to watch a video of David Phelps singing “He’s Alive!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gGa1w_bnvM

Thirty-Seven

Ivey Rorie On February 26, 2021 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Mark 15: 46

Joseph bought a linen cloth, took Him down, wrapped Him in the linen cloth, and laid Him in a tomb which had been cut out in the rock; and he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

In the attitude of seeking the Lord and reaffirming my devotion to Him, I have been thinking of Easter differently. As we near the Easter celebration I am pondering my life on this side of the grave but with a view from the other side. Here is what I mean by that.

Imagine yourself standing before the tomb in which Jesus would later be laid. Perhaps you are one of his disciples and you know what is about to occur. See yourself standing there, looking at Jesus’ burial chamber knowing his dead body will soon lie there. What emotions rise up in you? What does devotion and seeking him mean from that side of the grave when you have the knowledge of what will occur? In other words, what would the idea of devotion and dedication mean to you if I could, right this moment, transport you to the tomb which received Jesus while at the same time translate you to mere days before his crucifixion? If I could send you back with all your present knowledge, to stand before Jesus’ grave, what would that feel like?

I am asking myself if my devotion to him would be changed in an instant. Would I burst into tears knowing about the cross or would I shout praises thinking of his resurrection? Perhaps I would run through the town desperately seeking him. I sorta think my reaction would be the latter. I think I would be frantic to find him. Now here is the question I am asking myself as I face the cross, “Why am I not seeking him as desperately right now?” Easter is 37 days away, by my reckoning. The cross and the tomb loom before me. The truth of his resurrection burns in my bones. I am faced with his coming torture, death, burial and eventual victorious resurrection. It is fresh and new, not 2000 years old. I am facing that reality now. Why don’t I shout, sing, cry, pray or praise? Why am I not moved to great acts of seeking him?

This is one devotional where I will ask you not to imitate me. Be more devout in your search for his heart. Chase him down in the streets and demand his attention. Go with him, following every step he takes. Listen to every word he speaks and cherish each one as a precious pearl.

Thirty-seven days. On this side of history, we know what the next thirty-seven days would mean in the life of Christ. I guess the question is, what do those thirty-seven days mean to our lives?

Hidden and Revealed

Ivey Rorie On June 24, 2020 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

Colossians 3: 1 – 4

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

We talked about seeking on Monday. Here Paul tells us what else we should seek. So far this year, we have seen that we are to seek the Lord, His strength and His face continually (Psalm 105: 4), His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6: 33), and now the things which are above. The shorthand is, fix your eyes on Jesus. Keep looking at him because in him is all that matters. All the universe is in him because he is the light, the life and the way.

Seeking is a very important scriptural and spiritual concept and I wouldn’t minimize it in any fashion. Reading this passage, though, one surely is gripped by our death in Jesus, which brings us to the next thought. We need to be resurrection conscious. By this I mean that by now we should have died to ourselves, died with Christ and been raised up with him in a resurrected life. If, then, you have been raised up with Christ, don’t keep looking back at or longing for the old, dead man. Leave the things of the earth to the dirt they are born of and set your heart on the things above. Does that mean you cannot enjoy any of the good things on the earth? No, absolutely not. God has given us all good things to enjoy (1 Timothy 6: 17).

At some level this is about our values. I think of saints I have studied or known about and the over-arching similarity is their devotion to Christ. They buried the old self with its desires and arose with a new value system. It is just fine to enjoy a new car, a new house or a nice vacation. We know that God gives us those things to enjoy. Dying to self means those things no longer occupy the space they once did. In the resurrection life, God is the center of the universe. If our life is truly hidden in God with Christ, we will have made some choices about what is most important to us. These are choices made with the heart. The lover of God could not choose earthly desires over His longing for God because his heart compels him to seek the face of God. This is about loving God above all else. Some of those old saints I have read about would more likely forget to eat than to miss a single day spending time with God. They needed it, craved it.

We love God too but perhaps our zeal is not as vibrant as that of some of the people we read about. However, we can be as impassioned as anyone. We can have such zeal for God that nothing stands in our way when it comes to our devotionals. We too can have an unquenchable passion for the one who loved us first. I know I want more of that passion in my life. I am sure you do too. As we focus our attention on the thing we want, we draw ourselves towards it. Discipline helps too. The use of discipline helps us to develop a lifestyle that later becomes a part of us. As we discipline ourselves to do what we choose, we begin to enjoy the fruit of those disciplines so that we come to desire the thing we had to almost force ourselves to do previously.

Still, it begins with a decision born out of love for our Father. We choose to die to self and the passions of self and instead live to Christ. This is really some heady stuff, very idealistic and not too common. The modern church certainly is not known for its disciplined devotion to Christ. None the less, we are true believers with a love for Christ and we are finding our way into deeper and deeper ways with him. We are products of the past and the teachings of our time. We have journeyed through many aspects of knowledge and balance. I believe we are beginning to long for more of Jesus and Father. We need more of them in our lives, in our very breath and we are leaning forward into them where the life we live is a product of their lives; us in them, them in us. The great news is, they are leaning toward us too. They are calling for us to come into the deep water, water which is over our heads. As scary as that can be, it is a wonderful place to be. With Christ, hidden in God is our life, our old life having been buried.

Where is your heart? What do you want? Tell the Lord and ask him to lead you. This is a new level in Christ and a very safe place.

Magnetism

Ivey Rorie On May 13, 2020 / Word of the Day / Leave a comment

John 12:32 KJV

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

Jesus was talking about his death and resurrection. His being lifted up on the cross like the serpent being put on the pole in the desert is a sign of salvation. Jesus was also talking about his resurrection and ascension. He was making the point that those acts would be the message that called people to him. That’s not all though, to this day, he is still actively calling all people unto him and that is good news.

There is also an evangelical message in here for us. When we lift Jesus up with our words and actions, we demonstrate his attractive properties. People are drawn to the story of Jesus and how he gave himself to save all people. And, there is no one who is not being drawn toward Jesus. That is good news to us. That family member who seems like they are not leaning towards Jesus, are in fact, being drawn to him. They may resist, true, but Jesus is calling to them and drawing them to himself. He is too attractive a figure to say, “No,” to forever. People are moving towards the kingdom because he is drawing them.

We cannot always see the work that is going on in the kingdom, but we have it on the very best authority that we should not worry. Despite how circumstances look, be encouraged. Jesus is not asleep; he is not lying down on the job. He is drawing you to himself too. Even though you are already his, he is drawing you closer and deeper. Look at the verse again. It does say “all” and you are part of all. Isn’t that a lovely insight today? Jesus is pulling you closer to himself every day. With that in mind, how can you not have a great day today? Happy Wednesday!

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