Know Who You Are and Be Who You Are

When I married my wife she had two wonderful boys. When it became evident that we were probably going to get married I told the boys they could either call me by my name or dad. I also said that I would call them sons but never step-sons because that had (in my mind) some negative connotations about not really being mine and I would do my best to treat them like I would if they were my own flesh and blood. To this day, and I am very proud of this, they still call me dad even though they moved out and are living as men for awhile now. 

I remember the first Father's Day at church and my wife nudging me and saying, "You're a father now, stand up." I was like, "Oh ya, that's right." It wasn't that I didn't want to stand up, it's just that I'd never been a father on Father's Day. I remembered, I stood up a bit self-consciously, and took the blessing and prayer. 

These verses from Peter are a bit of a reminder to us of who we are and what we are supposed to stand up and be.  You are chosen by God. You are part of a priesthood. You belong to God. You are here to declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. You are now part of the people of God. You have received mercy.  Awesome! Know who you are in Christ and be who you are in Christ. 

Grace: Access Granted

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

Romans 5:1-2 NIV

Grace is never an access denied message. The grace of God we have access to is because we are justified through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and that gives us hope. The grace of God does not wipe us clean and then give us a chance to try to be good enough again. We stand, we live in the grace of God. It's a life of grace. Grace to us, grace through us. 

So, we don't need to spend out time and effort on trying to be good enough or "spiritual" enough. We just need to live by faith in the grace of God. Think about how you treat others. Treating them through grace means remembering that Jesus died for them and acting accordingly. If they know Christ they are in and under his grace. If they don't know Christ they need his grace and you are the instrument that will bring them grace. 

Lord, thank you for the granting us access to your grace and that we can stand in it. Use us as instruments of you grace. May be boast in this hope we have. Praise be to you in us today!

Vow Up

I am under vows to you, my God;

   I will present my thank offerings to you.

For you have delivered me from death 
   and my feet from stumbling,

that I may walk before God

   in the light of life.

Psalms 56:12-13 NIV

On Bob Dylan's Slow Train Coming album there is a song titled "Gotta Serve Somebody". I remember watching him perform the tune on Saturday Night Live. The reality of life is that you are either serving God or you're a slave to sin. There is no other option.

Today is a good day to remember that we belong to Christ. We thank him because he has delivered us from death, eternal death, which is eternity without God and without hope. That is the good news for the future. Someday we will be with him in paradise.

In his amazing grace he also keeps our feet from stumbling in the present. Remember that David wrote this about a time when he was escaping the Philistines by acting like a mad man while running from Saul, who was trying to kill him. If you have ever run from someone you know that if you stumble and fall, your done. The Spirit of God is there to help us as fight the good fight on a daily basis. 

The end that God has in mind for us is that we walk before him in the light of life. Get it? God delivers us so that we, by faith, may enjoy his presence now. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12b). Thank God that he sent his Son to die for us, that his Spirit may indwell us and light the path he puts before us. 

In a sense, what we must do is vow up. Remember we gave our selves to Christ and promised to follow him. Vow up, brothers and sisters in the Lord!

You Can't Select Your Savior Options

I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

2 John 1:7-8  NIV

Let's face it and say it how it truly is. If you don't get Jesus as the Bible says he is, straight up, no changes, you don't know Jesus. He is not the brother of any angel, he is not just a prophet, he is not just a good man, he is not a god. He is the God of the universe, Creator of all things and he came to earth as a man, in the flesh, died and rose again, conquering death and sin. 

Get this straight. You don't decide on the options you think would be nice in a god and a savior. You choose to believe in Jesus as he declared himself to be or don't. Jesus who came in the flesh declared, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except me." (John 14:6) To know Christ on a deeper level is to understand the depths to that which is true. 

I once visited a seminary to see if I wanted to go there. I sat in on a class. The teacher was from England and he was lecturing on the implied teaching of the trinity in the old testament. Frankly, I had a tough time staying awake. After he was done some of the students asked me what I thought of him. Well, I was blessed to spend a year at Capernwray Bible school in England so I was used to British accents, so, I wasn't that impressed. I actually thought he spoke a lot to say a little. My point is that sometimes in our desire to know Christ on a deeper level we listened to eloquent teachers who say all kinds of things, right or wrong. If what is taught isn't taking us back to the depths and riches of the love of God found in Christ who came in the flesh, then be very careful to not lose what you already have.

Father, thank you for the truth in Christ. Open the eyes of our understanding to know the depth of you love for us in Christ. Praise be to you in us today!

Have the Son. Have Life.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I John 5:12

It's pretty straightforward isn't it? If you want to have eternal life, you must have the Son of God. 

In John 10:10 Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." There are a plethora of religious and spiritual offerings out there that appeal to a lot of different emotions and inner needs. But, unless they believe that Jesus, the Son of God came as a real person, died and rose again, they are just thieves seeking to steal your soul and keep you from eternal life in Christ. 

There really isn't much to say after that. Some beliefs may offer self satisfaction through works. Some may deny all deity and look only to themselves and so called reason for answers. But, all are deceptive lies that will lead people away from the truth, from eternal life in Christ. 

Do you have the Son?

GET LIFE TO THE FULL: II Timothy 1:10

"But it has now been revealed through the appearance of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." II Timothy 1:10

Jesus proclaimed, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10). 

Here is the bottom line: to be truly alive you have to be in Christ, everything else is just prolonged death. All joy, all sorrow, all life finds its' reality in Christ. From the fellowship of his sufferings to the hope of the place he is preparing for us in heaven, there is life, true life. If you think you understand suffering, think about the cross. If you think you understand being let down by your closest friends, think about all the disciples deserting Christ. If you want to know giving, Christ gave his very life. If you want to know life, it is found in Christ.

Father, open our eyes to see life, life to the full, that you have given us in Christ! Praise be to you in us today!